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Most sunscreens are built to block ultraviolet light. Melasma is also driven by visible light, the wavelengths that reach you from the sun and pass straight through a clear sunscreen. Iron oxides, the mineral pigments that give a tinted sunscreen its colour, absorb that visible light. In a controlled study, people using a sunscreen that protected against both UV and visible light had fewer melasma relapses than those relying on UV protection alone (Boukari et al., 2015).
Protectif is a 100% mineral SPF 50+ that uses zinc oxide and titanium dioxide for broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection, tinted with iron oxides in two shades, Fair and Deep. It was formulated by board-certified dermatologist Dr. Dusan Sajic for hyperpigmented and sensitive skin, and it is designed to blend without the chalky white cast many mineral sunscreens leave.
Apply it every morning, including on days you spend indoors near windows, and reapply every two hours when you are in the sun. About a third of a teaspoon covers the face. Sunscreen works alongside melasma treatment rather than replacing it. For the full plan, read our melasma treatment guide.
