Yes, even in winter: SPF, blue light and your skin

The SPF goes back in the drawer

The clocks have gone back. Dark when you leave. Dark when you come home. And sunscreen? It feels a tad ridiculous. Some of us (not me!) put the SPF away somewhere around October, alongside the sandals.

I understand why. But if you care about fine lines, uneven tone or dark patches, winter is not the season to stop.

Winter sun is still sun

Sunlight reaches us as two main types of UV. UVB is the burning one, and it really does drop off in a British winter. That’s why you won’t get sunburnt walking to the car in November.

UVA is different. It’s the ageing and pigmenting one, and it’s with us all year. It passes through cloud and through window glass, and it varies far less between seasons than UVB does. So the daily dose is smaller in winter, but it never switches off. If it’s light outside, UVA is part of that light.

“I don’t need it, I don’t burn”

If you have medium or deeper skin, there’s a good chance someone has told you sunscreen isn’t really for you. It’s one of the most persistent myths in skincare.

It’s true that deeper skin has more natural protection against burning. But burning was never the whole story. Some of the most common concerns I see in brown and Black skin are hyperpigmentation, dark marks left behind after spots or irritation, and melasma. Light exposure makes all of these darker and slower to fade.

So if you’re spending money on serums to even out your tone, SPF is what stops the daylight undoing that work.

Blue light: what’s real and what’s marketing

You’ve probably seen products promising to protect you from the blue light from your phone. Let’s separate the useful bit from the noise.

What’s real: Visible light, including blue light, can trigger pigmentation. Research suggests this effect is strongest in medium to deeper skin tones, where it can cause darker, longer-lasting marks than UVA alone. So for anyone dealing with melasma or uneven tone, it genuinely matters.

What’s overstated: Nearly all the blue light reaching your skin comes from the sun, not your screens. Phones and laptops give off a tiny amount by comparison, and there’s no good evidence that normal screen use is ageing your face. You do not need a special “defence” cream for your laptop.

What actually protects you

Here’s the catch: the SPF number on your bottle only measures protection from UVB. It tells you very little about UVA, and nothing about visible light.

• For UVA: look for “broad spectrum”, a UVA logo in a circle, or a high UVA star rating on UK products.
• For blue light: a tinted mineral sunscreen containing iron oxides. Iron oxides are the pigments that give the tint, and they’re what blocks blue and other visible light.
• For extra support: an antioxidant serum, such as vitamin C, under your SPF may help with the damage light causes.

A simple winter routine

None of this needs to be complicated. In the morning, cleanse, then apply your serum and a richer moisturiser to cope with the heating. Finish with a broad-spectrum SPF, tinted if pigmentation is your concern. That’s it. On dark, grey days, one layer is plenty.

If you’re not sure what your skin needs, or you’d like help finding an SPF that suits your tone and doesn’t leave a white cast, bring it up at your next appointment. I’m always happy to talk it through. And if your skin is ready for some winter care, let’s start with a chat, so I can help you find exactly what it needs.