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Does daily sunscreen prevent wrinkles? A 903-person trial found 24% less skin ageing

Does daily sunscreen prevent wrinkles? A 903-person trial found 24% less skin ageing over 4.5 years, but it remains the only large trial.

Published November 2026

Short answer

Yes, in one good trial: daily sunscreen users had 24% less skin ageing over 4.5 years than people using it when they chose. It is a single trial, so the evidence is limited. Evidence grade C (Limited). One large randomised trial (903 people) plus a systematic review that found only one other small photoageing study; downgraded for single-trial evidence and missing outcome data.

Key takeaways

  • In a 4.5-year trial of 903 adults, daily broad-spectrum sunscreen users had 24% less skin ageing than people who used sunscreen when they chose [1].
  • The daily sunscreen group showed no detectable increase in skin ageing over the 4.5 years [1].
  • This is essentially one trial: a 2021 systematic review found only two photoageing studies, both favouring sunscreen, and called the evidence limited [2].
  • The comparison group also used sunscreen at times, so the trial tests a daily habit against occasional use [1].
  • A newer trial found that routine SPF 50+ use lowered vitamin D levels over a year, so regular users may need to check theirs [3].

The short version

Does daily sunscreen prevent wrinkles? In the one large trial that tested it, yes: people told to put sunscreen on every day showed 24% less skin ageing after 4.5 years than people who used it only when they chose to [1]. That trial followed 903 adults and is the main evidence we have, so treat it as a promising, well-run single result rather than a settled fact [1][2].

What the studies show

The trial was run in Nambour, Australia, a sunny place. Researchers randomly picked adults younger than 55 and split them into groups. One group used broad-spectrum sunscreen every day. The comparison group could use sunscreen whenever they liked [1].

Skin ageing was measured by changes in the skin's surface pattern (microtopography) between 1992 and 1996, graded by assessors who didn't know who was in which group [1]. The daily sunscreen group showed no detectable increase in skin ageing over 4.5 years, and skin ageing was 24% lower than in the discretionary group [1].

A 2021 systematic review looked for every controlled trial of sunscreen. It found only two studies on photoageing (sun-related skin ageing), and both saw less of it with sunscreen. The authors still called the overall evidence limited [2]. We searched for newer trials of everyday sunscreen and skin ageing and did not find a second large one. Newer skin-ageing trials we found tested creams, serums or sunscreen filters rather than plain daily sunscreen use.

The nuances

It is mostly one trial. The trial's authors note that some outcome data were missing and that the study had modest power to detect moderate effects [1]. A Cochrane review of sunscreen and skin cancer also found that this same Nambour trial was the only suitable one [4]. More trials would make the answer firmer.

"Daily" was compared with "when you choose". People in the comparison group used some sunscreen too, so the trial compares a daily habit with occasional use [1].

It measured skin ageing, not wrinkles you can count. The result is a graded change in the skin's surface pattern, which is a close but not identical measure to how many wrinkles you see in the mirror [1].

The trial was run in a sunny country. It took place in Nambour, Australia, at latitude 26 degrees south, so results in a cloudier place are untested [1].

Vitamin D. The 2021 review found no significant effect of sunscreen on vitamin D [2], but a newer trial of 639 Australian adults found otherwise. Using SPF 50+ sunscreen routinely for about a year left vitamin D levels 5.2 nmol/L lower than discretionary use, and 45.7% of the daily users were vitamin D deficient versus 36.9% of the comparison group. The authors say regular users may need a vitamin D supplement [3]. See Vitamin D.

Skin and eyes. Sunscreens and their bases sometimes caused side effects affecting skin and eyes [2].

What this means for you

If you want to slow the visible effects of sun on your skin, daily broad-spectrum sunscreen is the habit with trial support for slowing skin ageing, though that support is a single trial [1][2]. The 2021 review still treats sunscreen as a second-line measure behind protective clothing and shade [2]. If you use it every day, ask a doctor whether your vitamin D needs checking [3]. For creams that aim to improve skin that is already aged, see our articles on retinol and tretinoin and vitamin C serum, and for skin cancer prevention see nicotinamide. Our Sunscreen page has the full evidence.

Go deeper

  • Sunscreen — Daily broad-spectrum sunscreen slowed skin ageing by 24% over 4.5 years in one large trial, but that is almost the only trial; routine high-SPF use also lowere…
  • Vitamin C — Taken every day, vitamin C shortens colds by about 8% in adults and 14% in children and makes them less severe - a 2023 meta-analysis found severity fell 15%.
  • Nicotinamide (Vitamin B3) — Taken by mouth, nicotinamide (vitamin B3) at 500 mg twice daily lowered new non-melanoma skin cancers by 23% in a trial of 386 people with earlier skin cancers…

References

  1. Sunscreen and prevention of skin aging: a randomized trial.. Ann Intern Med, 2013.
  2. The Preventive Value of Sun Protection.. Curr Probl Dermatol, 2021.
  3. Effect of daily sunscreen application on vitamin D: findings from the open-label randomized controlled Sun-D Trial.. Br J Dermatol, 2025.
  4. Sun protection for preventing basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers.. Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2016.