How to Make Wearing Sunscreen a Daily Habit, according to Dr. Wendy Wood

We’ve all had that moment when we wake up one day and decide that, no matter what, we are going to form a healthy habit. For some of us it may be as simple as drinking more water, but for others, it might have to do with taking better care of our skin. Which is exactly why our founder Holly created our brand: To make skincare and beauty products with SPF that people would actually want to wear every day.

But for this post, we want to spend some time talking about the actual psychology behind forming a habit. We consulted with a certified habit expert, professor of psychology at USC and author of Good Habits, Bad Habits, Dr. Wendy Wood, to provide you with clear and easy steps to habit forming, especially when it comes to wearing sunscreen.

This tip is pretty simple! It’s really all about repetition being one of the main keys to successfully forming a habit.

“You want to keep your environment as stable as possible so that you’re developing your new habit in the same way, every day. This creates repetition so that it becomes almost automatic,” says Dr. Wood. “Just think about it: The inconsistency of applying SPF in your car, then at your vanity, then at the gym won’t do you any favors in the long run.”


So, let’s talk about some practical application here. Pick the same time (for example, after breakfast in the morning) and place (like your bathroom mirror) to always apply your sunscreen. And to get even more prescriptive, it can even help to connect sunscreen with another kind of ritualistic habit you already do, like brushing your teeth. So brush your teeth, then apply your SPF!

Another game-changing tip Dr. Wood gave us was to evaluate your current morning routine and think about what step, or product, you can seamlessly replace with sunscreen. “Research shows that people are most likely to adopt new products and use them consistently if it’s one that can directly take the place of something else they’re already using,” says Dr. Wood.

The simplicity of this really resonated with us, and luckily Supergoop! products do work double duty to make this tip super easy to adopt. For instance, if you’re looking at your current morning skincare lineup and want to replace your moisturizer with one that has SPF in it, we’ve got you covered with options Zincscreen and Superscreen, which are both formulated with broad spectrum SPF 40. Zincscreen works great as a mineral option and Superscreen is a super hydrating option.

If you’re a makeup-wearer and you’re thinking of replacing your primer with one that's formulated with SPF, then you’re all set with Unseen Sunscreen or Mattescreen. Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40 is our award-winning SPF primer that gives skin a natural finish and provides an invisible, makeup-gripping canvas for any type of look you want to achieve. Mineral Mattescreen SPF 40 also has SPF 40 and is formulated with mineral SPF, making it a great choice if you have sensitive skin. This blendable, tinted sunscreen has a matte finish and visibly blurs the appearance of pores.

One of the biggest setbacks when it comes to forming a healthy habit is not seeing immediate payoff from whatever it is you’re doing. “The things we tend to do repeatedly are the things that bring us instant gratification, and that’s why there’s such a big gap between what we should be doing and what we actually do,” says Dr. Wood.

So when it comes to making daily SPF a habit, stay focused on the immediate benefits. For Dr. Wood personally, she sees that her skin instantly looks and feels better when she wears Supergoop!. (We’re blushing!)

We’d also like to note that there are major long-term benefits to wearing daily SPF, too. Up to 90% of the visible signs of aging (like dark spots, fine lines and wrinkles) are caused by the sun, which means SPF is the #1 thing you can do for your skin — now and in the future.

“Finally, it also helps to figure out ways to make healthy habits more fun,” says Dr. Wood. Well, we’re obviously biased, but we think that’s pretty easy to do with Supergoop! SPF. For example, Glowscreen gives your skin an in instantly lit-from-within finish! Unseen Sunscreen is totally invisible and everyone’s favorite SPF party trick! Shimmershade adds shimmer to any beauty look! And that’s honestly just the beginning.