Why You Need Sunscreen Every Day
By Wren · June 20, 2026
ho was the witch, really? The short version, for anyone who wants it.
Spoiler: yes. And so does everyone else. But let’s back up.
There’s a particular kind of grief that hits in your 40s when you look at your skin in decent lighting and do the maths. All those summers. All that deliberate tanning. The baby oil. The hours with a foil sheet under your chin pointing at the sun like you were trying to cook your own face.
We grew up in the 80s and 90s. Slip Slop Slap was just getting started and no one our age cared. A tan meant health, holidays, freedom. Sunscreen was for people who burned easily and wore hats voluntarily.
Here’s what nobody told us: UV damage is cumulative, largely irreversible, and responsible for around 80% of visible skin ageing.¹ Time doesn’t do this. Stress doesn’t do this. Even the wine (probably) doesn’t. The sun does.
Prevention is so much easier than reversal, and that’s the genuinely infuriating part. A decent SPF50, applied daily, takes about 45 seconds. Undoing decades of damage takes years of retinoids, lasers, and optimism.
Do you live in a bog?
We did the research. Here’s how different surfaces stack up for UV reflection:²
| Environment | UV Reflection |
|---|---|
| Bog (grass, soil, dark water) | 1–10% |
| City (asphalt) | 5–15% |
| City (concrete footpaths) | 8–12% |
| General outdoors (grass/lawn) | 2–5% |
| Dry beach sand | 15–18% |
| Sea foam | 25–30% |
| Fresh snow | Up to 88% |
So unless you’re actually living in a bog (and if you are, respect), the bog witch is operating in one of the lower UV reflective environments available. She has less to worry about from bounced UV than literally anyone at the beach, a ski field, or walking past a particularly enthusiastic concrete car park.
She still needs sunscreen. UV comes from above regardless of what’s happening underfoot. But she’s quietly smug about her terrain choices and frankly, she’s earned it.
So yes. The bog witch wears sunscreen. Late to it, like the rest of us, but here we are.
What actually works:
- SPF50 minimum, broad spectrum (UVA + UVB)
- Every single day, not just beach days. Windows count, driving counts, overcast days count
- Reapply every two hours if you’re outside
- Your neck and chest age faster than your face and nobody talks about it enough
The best sunscreen is the one you’ll actually wear. Find your formula, tinted, invisible, moisturising, whatever, and make it the last step every morning.
It’s 45 seconds. We’ve spent longer arguing with ourselves about whether we can be bothered.
¹ Flament, F. et al. (2013). Effect of the sun on visible clinical signs of aging in Caucasian skin. Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology. This is a 2013 study but remains one of the most cited pieces of research on sun-driven skin ageing. PubMed PMC3790843
² Chadyšienė, R. & Girgždys, A. (2008). Ultraviolet radiation albedo of natural surfaces. Journal of Environmental Engineering and Landscape Management. This is a 2008 study but is still the standard reference for surface UV albedo comparisons. Tandfonline