How I Learned To Love Sunscreen

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This story ran as a part of Sun Week on ITG, a celebration dedicated to the one part of your beauty routine you can't opt out of: sun protection. (Lipstick is fun and all, but never life or death). We also launched Glossier's very own version. Explore more Sun Week content here. The future's so bright, gotta wear sunscreen.

Big news: Glossier is launching a face sunscreen this week! (!!!!!!) [Ed note: It's arrived and you can shop it here.] It’s very exciting and a long time coming. But before we unleash this puppy onto the masses (sunscreen has been our #1 most requested product since the launch of Glossier), I have a confession to make. This is hard to admit, but historically, I haven't worn sunscreen. I know—not good. And it’s a big part of the reason we decided to make our own: a sunscreen that doesn’t suck. A sunscreen so good, so imperceptible, it’ll convert even those who hate wearing sunscreen.

“But Emily, you're covered in moles AND you’re a beauty editor AND you know what sun damage does to the skin you work so hard to keep youthful and glowing,” you're saying. You're right. Don’t hate me! It’s just that…so many of those I’ve tried have a chalky white cast, or a greasy texture just looking to start a breakout, or a telltale sunscreen aroma… And even if we ignore all that, it’s still another step in my routine that’s gotten more complicated over time. AND in our world of instant gratification, what’s less fun or sexy than plunking down your hard earned cash for a product that you won’t know the benefits of for years to come?

Throughout your teens and twenties, it’s pretty easy to live in a suspended reality—one where you never get old or need to spend much time thinking about 401ks, mammograms, or renewing your license. You don’t need me to tell you: that ends. Sunscreen, in the world of beauty, is the ultimate in adulting. Consider it life insurance for your face (and, well, your life, because skin cancer is real.)

We have made this so easy for you! Two years of R&D later, we present Glossier’s Invisible Shield: the clear, serum sunscreen I’m so blown away by that I actually enjoy using it. It’s like water on the skin. And it smells good. And it doesn’t get in the way of any makeup you might want to apply afterward. And it blocks UVA, UVB, free radical damage, and other pollution grossness that you might come up against while trying to live your best life. I can pinky promise you, I've never met a sunscreen I liked—and I'm in love with this one.

Oh, and the packaging is super sexy. I want to share a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc with it on the beach in Malibu; I want to photograph it in the passenger seat of a mustang convertible on a road trip in the desert. What? Growing up doesn't have to be boring.

You’ll get to meet it later this week. Until then, enjoy ITG’s Sun Week and remember: Sunscreen. Every single day.

—Emily Weiss

Photographed by the author. More Sun Week stories are on the horizon, but in the meantime, read through our favorite SPF stories, vacation postcards, and generally warm content over here.

The Glossier sunscreen has arrived. Shop Invisible Shield over on Glossier.com.