Confused About Your Sunscreen Label? You’re Not Alone!

20 Aug Confused About Your Sunscreen Label? You’re Not Alone!

New sunscreen labels offer clearer sunburn, skin cancer information

From Harvard Health Publications

While most people instinctively grab the highest SPF factor that they can buy, most really don’t know the difference between a 6 SPF and a 50 SPF.  Does the higher number necessarily provide more protection?  What about the difference in Ultra Violet rays?  Does a higher number protect from UVA as well as UVB?  How does waterproof sunscreen affect the protection?  Well, fear not, intrepid sun seeker.  New labeling from the FDA aims to clarify this somewhat confusing situation, as outlined in this post from Harvard Medical School.

Here is an excerpt from the post:

With the unofficial start of summer just a few days away, many people will soon be stocking up on sunscreen. The products they’ll be seeing in stores look different than they have in the past. That’s because new rules for sunscreen labels are now in effect. The changes are good ones for consumers.

The new rules, mandated by the FDA, are making sunscreen more informative with less misleading information. For example, the term “sunblock” is banned because none of these products can block all of the sun’s ultraviolet rays. “Waterproof” is also banned, replaced by “water-resistant”—which must be accompanied by a set time for reapplication. Another big change has to do with SPF, or sun protection factor.

When sunlight hits your skin, it is being exposed to ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. UVB rays are the main cause of sunburn, while UVA can prematurely age and wrinkle skin. Both contribute to skin cancer. Sunscreens vary in their ability to protect against UVA and UVB.

The best protection comes from a sunscreen that provides broad spectrum protection, meaning it filters out much of the UVA and UVB. Under the new FDA rules, if a label says “broad spectrum,” the product must pass tests proving that it truly protects against both UVA and UVB rays.

SPF is a measurement of how much longer it takes for your skin to turn red from the sun after applying the sunscreen. Say your skin turns red after 10 minutes in the sun. Sunscreen with an SPF of 15 would prevent your skin from turning red for 150 minutes under the same conditions. You’d think that an SPF of 30 would work twice as well as an SPF of 15. But that’s not necessarily the case. While SPF 15 filters out approximately 93% of all incoming UVB rays, SPF 30 filters out 97% and SPF 50 boosts that to 98%.

Click here for the entire post