The New SPF Filter Is Here! Plus: Decoding Mineral Sunscreen Labels & The Truth About Ultra Violette’s “Sunscreen Gate” with Co-Founder Ava Matthews

Carlene Higgins (0:01)

The following podcast is a Dear Media production. Welcome to Breaking Beauty, the podcast all about the breakthrough people, products, and moments in beauty.

Jill Dunn (0:14)

We're your hosts, Jill Dunn and Carlene Higgins.

Carlene Higgins (0:22)

Welcome back to Breaking Beauty Podcast, everyone. I'm your co-host, Carlene Higgins.

Jill Dunn (0:27)

And I'm Jill Dunn, and we are two long-time beauty editors, turn beauty podcasters. We're in your feed every single Wednesday talking about the breakthrough people, products, and moments in beauty.

Carlene Higgins (0:36)

This week, we are in New York City with a founder who came all the way from Melbourne, Australia. We are welcoming the co-founder of Ultra Violette, Ava Matthews.

Jill Dunn (0:47)

Hi, Ava.

Carlene Higgins (0:48)

Hi.

Now, Ava calls herself a reformed sunscreen delinquent with, and we quote, over 100 moles to prove it. So she's passionate about sun safety. Ava co-founded Ultra Violette, the Aussie sunscreen brand, in 2019 with her business partner, Beck Jefford, and it officially landed stateside in 2025

Jill Dunn (1:12)

And before adding founder to her resume, Ava spent two decades working in fashion and beauty and shaping some of beauty's most influential products.

Carlene Higgins (1:21)

And what I appreciate about Ultra Violette is that they thought about sunscreen in the context of your daily routine. So what you layer it under, how it plays with makeup, all of that.

Jill Dunn (1:32)

I mean, the packaging just, it just stands out so much.

Carlene Higgins (1:36)

It's the best.

Jill Dunn (1:37)

It's color blocking bold hues like electric royal blue, instantly recognizable in beach totes. It's sort of built this cult following in a very short amount of time.

Carlene Higgins (1:47)

Yeah, we definitely heard about it before it landed stateside. Yeah.

And their best selling Supreme SPF 50 formula sells every 30 seconds around the globe. So this week, we're breaking down how Ultra Violette broke through in a category previously ruled by French Pharmacy and K-Beauty formulas. And we're getting Ava's best tips for layering SPF with makeup. Let's hear the real talk on that recall that made headlines last year and what to expect from their newest launch.

Jill Dunn (2:18)

Which hallelujah is made for us acne prone girlies. And it's formulated with, let me try to say this everybody, say it again guys, say it with me.

Ava Matthews (2:30)

BEMT-Risenol.

Jill Dunn (2:32)

It's formulated with BEMT-Risenol, which is the first at Sephora in the US to be formulated with this new filter that we keep hearing about. So we've been waiting for this. We can't wait to learn more. So officially welcome to Breaking Beauty, Ava.

SPEAKER_4 (2:46)

Thank you so much.

Ava Matthews (2:47)

Thank you.

Jill Dunn (2:48)

So I love following you on Instagram because not only do you share SPF tips, but your mom is a very iconic stylist, fashion stylist in Australia.

Ava Matthews (2:59)

Yeah.

Jill Dunn (3:00)

First of all, she looks like your sister.

Ava Matthews (3:01)

Yes, and she loves to remind me of it.

Jill Dunn (3:05)

And she kind of like rates your outfits on Instagram. And it's like no filter.

Ava Matthews (3:11)

Yeah.

Carlene Higgins (3:13)

As moms do, yes, they have no filter.

Jill Dunn (3:16)

What's the most like brutal note she's given you? And did you take it or?

Ava Matthews (3:21)

Look, there's so many. And my mom is not that kind of like, you know, you're going to be the prettiest girl in the room.

You're just going to kill it every day. Like she's just, she's not that kind of person. She's a real talker. A real talker. And she obviously loves me very much. And we have a great relationship. And I appreciate the honesty. Oh God, she said so many.

We have polar opposite styles, but she does tell me that I wear the wrong shoes with every outfit. I'm like, I have cheap shoes. And she's like, you wear a really nice outfit and then you'll wear these terrible shoes and they let you down.

Carlene Higgins (3:57)

Is your mom maybe a minimalist? Because for people who aren't watching this on YouTube, Ava is wearing the prettiest like coral outfit with palm trees on it and like parrots. There's a lot of print. And then she's doing the purposeful mismatch with the Fendi logo shoes, like the F with the F on it. So it's like a deliberate kind of mismatch, right? I feel like you're a maximalist. Yeah, no, let's go with that.

Ava Matthews (4:22)

And is your mom a minimalist?

She's a full minimalist. See, that's what I'm sensing. And I don't know what she'd say about these shoes with this outfit. She'd probably say it's wrong. I think she'd say it's wrong.