This Multitasking Skincare Staple Is a Vacation Must-Have for Women over 50, According to Experts

One product, three jobs: beauty experts reveal the travel-bag secret that could replace half your skincare routine — and why it matters even more after 50.

Packing for a trip can be a tricky thing, especially with a limited baggage allowance, and you need to prioritize what to bring and what to leave behind. This includes skincare products, which can be quite a lot (if you adhere to a whole routine) and heavy too. According to beauty experts, there's one product that can solve that problem.

Shirley Pinkson Mañas, co-founder of Well People and Head of Education for e.l.f. Beauty, recommends a multitasking SPF serum, which can do three things at once. "It collapses three steps: protection, hydration, and it can deliver a gorgeous glow from within," Mañas told Parade, adding, "because a multitasking SPF wears well alone or under makeup, one product can now replace three in your carry-on."

Licensed esthetician and makeup artist Aisha Massac agrees, noting that this three-in-one product "is clutch for vacation because it saves you so much room in your toiletries bag."

This is especially beneficial for women over 50, according to Pinkson Mañas, because "skin over 50 tends to lose moisture faster." She adds, “The additional hydration not only keeps skin feeling and looking replenished, the added protection helps minimize the damage caused by sun exposure.”

Massac recommends looking for an SPF serum that offers not just protection, but hydration and tinting too. “That’s a multitasking winner,” she says. "SPF will obviously protect from UVB (burning rays) or the rays that can worsen dark spots, but also UVA or the rays that cause aging and collagen breakdown."

Another great thing about a multitasking SPF serum is it can also function as a base layer for makeup, according to Massac. So you can apply makeup over it.

Dermatologists and skincare researchers agree that a broad-spectrum sunscreen that offers both UVA and UVB protection is essential, with an SPF of at least 30. This, along with a gentle cleanser and a moisturizer, is all you really need for healthy skin. Everything else is optional, according to Dr. Saranya Wyles, a dermatologist and researcher specializing in skin longevity.

Cosmetic chemist Kelly Dobos also recommends finding a sunscreen with a built-in moisturizer for convenience. If not, apply the moisturizer first since, according to dermatologist and dermatologic surgeon Michelle Henry, "if you put a thick product on first, then the thinner product can't penetrate." Experts also recommend reapplying every two hours, especially when outdoors.

It is also important to note that sunscreens labeled "broad spectrum" are meant to protect you from both UVB and UVA rays, but not all of them meet the same standards. Experts recommend looking for sunscreens that have minerals like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.