Glow getter

Why slip, slop, slap when you can glide, glisten, and glow without sacrificing on protection? We chats to Airyday Founder, Frances van der Velden, on her journey from sunscreen cynic to SPF innovator and how our Aussie-made sunscreens are some of the best in the world.

By BETHAN WARRIOR

Hi Frances, lovely to meet you! Firstly, can you tell us what your relationship with skincare and sunscreen was like before founding Airyday? Thank you so much for having me! Having been in the professional hair and skin industry for nearly 20 years, I’ve been lucky to experience some of the most incredible and innovative skin products, so, I’m quite the skincare groupie. However, my relationship with sunscreen was very different as it wasn’t even in my peripheral vision and my use of it was entirely non-existent.

Tell us about your journey with sun protection and how it inspired Airyday:

The idea for Airyday was born from a serious reality check. At 36, I was diagnosed with skin cancer. Fortunately, it turned out to be a Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC). Detected early, it can be treated and cured. Whilst I acknowledged that you need to wear sunscreen every day, I actually never did. My excuse: I couldn’t find one that my skin loved. My skin is very sensitive and reactive, and most SPFs only irritated it. I also couldn’t stand the strong ‘screeny’ smells and thick, heavy textures. I knew this needed to change so I went on a hunt to find a sunscreen that I loved to apply daily, just as much as my skincare. It turned from a need, into a full-blown obsession.

The Airyday day range is classified as TGAapproved, can you let us know what this means and why it’s important?

In short, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has the most stringent and well-rounded set of sunscreen requirements in the world. TGA-listed sunscreens have all met a rigorous checklist, inclusive of specific tests required to prove the Sun Protection Factor (SPF) and UVA/ UVB broad-spectrum claims. These regulations also include rules which must be followed through the supply chain and manufacturing process. This ensures the quality of the final product on the shelf.

We’re hearing the term ‘skinscreens’ a lot more these days, can you explain how these differ from regular sunscreens? They’re essentially a new generation of sunscreen where sun protection and skincare benefits collide. They are pushing the formulation boundaries and breaking away from the traditional sticky or thick sunscreens with textures that feel and act like skincare.

How does the Airyday range vary from other sunscreens?

Our goal was to create a SPF Wardrobe – a collection of sunscreens that people could choose and swap to, based on their skin and lifestyle needs. We stand out with our unique formulas and textures by creating ‘dreamscreens’ that feel and act like skincare. Our dreamscreens are lightweight, luxurious, smell great and are infused with skin-loving actives like hyaluronic acid, vegan collagen, and niacinamide (to name a few). Each SPF can be used as the final step in your skincare routine or as a primer as the first step in your make-up routine, with a different finish (from satin, to dewy or luminous). Each dreamscreen also provides the highest protection factor of SPF50+, is UVA/UVB broad-spectrum and includes a 40-minute water resistance factor.

AIRYDAY.CO