The same sunscreen for your face and your body? Dermatologists say no. It sounds like needless commercialization, another scheme to make you buy two bottles instead of one. But behind the recommendation is a real difference in the skin, not marketing.

The skin on the face is thinner and more sensitive than the skin on the body, with a higher density of sebaceous glands, and constantly exposed to UV radiation, pollution and blue light from screens. It needs light formulas that absorb quickly. Body skin, by contrast, is thicker, demands more hydration and resistance to friction, water and sweat - which is why body creams are denser and more occlusive.

That's where the problem is. Body creams are made to withstand water and sweat, which makes them denser and comedogenic - that is, prone to clogging the pores. Applied to the face, they can cause acne, blackheads, folliculitis, and even worsen rosacea, especially on combination or oily skin. On top of that, body formulas often contain fragrances or alcohols that irritate the more delicate skin of the face.

Face creams, on the other hand, come as fluids, gels or with a "dry" finish, with ingredients the skin tolerates well - niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, antioxidants. Body creams use filters combined with silicones and polymers that create a waterproof layer - great for the beach, wrong for the face.

The recommendation in the end is simple: SPF 30 to 50 throughout the year, prioritizing SPF 50 in spring and summer, and - this is the place where we all go wrong - reapplication every two hours or after swimming. Because even the best protection is worthless if you put it on just once in the morning and then forget about it for the rest of the day.