This summer the internet was taken over by the Australian make-up look - light skin with a warm tone, visible freckles, blush concentrated on the nose and cheekbones, bronzer instead of contouring and a glossy lip. The effect of having spent an afternoon at the beach. The problem is not the look. The problem is one step the tutorials present as a hack.

That step is mixing sunscreen with liquid blush, bronzer or foundation, right on the palm, before applying. Dermatologists reject it outright. Dr Cristina García Millán, medical director of a clinic in Madrid, explains why: „The effectiveness of sunscreen depends largely on the quantity we apply, and when we use too little, the actual protection drops significantly.”

Mixing makes two things uncertain at once - the concentration of the protective filter in the blend, and the amount that actually reaches the face. And the SPF written on the bottle means something only if the product is applied in the quantity it was tested at.

The correct order is boring, which is exactly why nobody films it: sunscreen SPF 50 or higher first, wait a few minutes for it to absorb, then light make-up. Jordi Hustribó, a professional make-up artist and co-owner of a beauty studio, says the same from the other side of the counter - the base of every routine remains sunscreen applied properly and in sufficient quantity. Mixing, he adds, changes the texture, shortens wear time and ruins the result. So it neither protects nor looks better.

Make-up with SPF can supplement, but it cannot replace. And reapplying every two hours while exposed still stands - including the neck, ears, décolletage and hands, the places routinely forgotten.

For anyone who does not want to add steps, there are tinted sunscreens, SPF sticks and refresher sprays for use over make-up. García Millán recommends tinted formulas especially for people prone to pigmentation, since some contain iron oxides that also protect against visible light.

The irony of the whole story is where the trend comes from. Australia has one of the highest skin cancer rates in the world, and that is exactly why sun protection there is part of daily life, not a summer topic. The look the world is copying was invented in a country that learned what the original costs.