SUNSCREEN

GUIDE
Everything you
need to know
about the
science behind
sunscreen.

PLUS
How to choose
the best BY SCIENCE BECOMES HER
sunscreens!

C Science Becomes Her 2020

 CONTENTS

Introduction Page 3

Basic Skin Anatomy Page 4

UV Radiation & Skin Damage Page 6

How Does Sunscreen Protect Skin? Page 10

How Is The Effectiveness Of Sunscreen

Measured? Page 11

When & How To Apply Sunscreen Page 17

How To Choose A Sunscreen Page 18

Sunscreen Picks Page 22

References Page 23

C Science Becomes Her 2020 Page 2

 INTRODUCTION

Daily sunscreen use is on the rise as people begin to realise just

how damaging UV radiation can be for the skin. However, there is
still plenty of confusion regarding how to choose a sunscreen with
good UV protection. Is a moisturiser with added SPF ok? Are
physical sunscreens better than chemical? How do you know
whether a sunscreen is broad-spectrum? Are higher SPFs always
better? How do you know how good a sunscreen is at protecting
against UVA damage? Do you need to worry about visible light or
infra-red? Should you wear sunscreen indoors?

These are just a small selection of the hundreds of possible

questions that may go through your head when trying to decide on
a sunscreen.

Hopefully, after reading this guide, you will have a better idea of
how sunscreens work, how UV protection is measured, and how to
make an informed decision when choosing a sunscreen.

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 BASIC SKIN ANATOMY

The skin is the largest organ of the body

and our first line of defence against the
environment and its various pollutants. It
also plays a role in regulating body
temperature and is responsible for
preventing excess water loss from the body.
It consists of three main layers – the
epidermis, the dermis, and the
subcutaneous layer (or hypodermis) [1].

EPIDERMIS
The epidermis continually produces a protective layer of skin cells, a process
known as epidermal desquamation (also referred to as skin cell turnover). This is an
active process that occurs without our knowledge. In fact, it is
estimated that a billion skin cells are shed from the surface of the skin every day due to
this process.

The epidermis is made up of four layers – the basal layer, the spinous (squamous cell)
layer, the granular layer, and the stratum corneum (cornified layer) [1].

In the basal layer, the skin cells are

initially attached to a basal membrane
where they rapidly multiply before
detaching from the membrane and
moving outward through the spinous
layer and the granular layer until they
are eventually shed by the stratum
corneum [2].

Within a four-week period, the basal cell is created, developed, and shed from the skins
surface.

Melanocytes, the cells that produce melanin, are found in the epidermis and hair
follicles. The transfer of melanin to keratinocytes (skin cells that make up 80% of the
cells in the epidermis) from melanocytes determines the skins colour and is involved in
protecting skin cells from UV radiation [3].

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 DERMIS
The dermis makes up the bulk of the skin and is responsible for its pliability,
elasticity, and tensile strength. There are two distinct sections in the
dermis; the adventitial dermis (papillary and periadnexal dermis) and the
reticular dermis. The papillary dermis borders the epidermis, while the
reticular dermis borders the subcutaneous tissue.

The main component of the dermis is collagen, which represents 70% of the skins total
dry weight. Collagen bundles are thicker in the reticular dermis than in the adventitial
dermis and, along with elastic connective tissue, form the majority of the dermal matrix.
Matrix remodelling enzymes regulate dermal matrix turnover and degrade collagen
fibres in order for them to be replaced by new fibres.

The dermis also contains the nerves and blood vessels, while sweat glands, hair follicles,
and sebaceous glands are found in the dermal-epidermal junction (a porous membrane
that holds the epidermis and dermis together and allows the exchange of cells and fluids
between the two).

SUBCUTANEOUS LAYER

The subcutaneous layer is made up of fat cells and stores energy for the body. It
varies in thickness depending on the skin site. For example, the subcutaneous
layer is thinnest on the eyelids and thickest on the soles of the feet.

The key point to take away from this is that the epidermis contains a number of
cells that can be affected by UV radiation; basal cells, squamous cells, and melanocytes.
While the dermis is mainly made-up of collagen and elastin.

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 UV RADIATION & SKIN DAMAGE

SOLAR RADIATION

The radiation produced by the sun (solar

radiation) that is able to reach our skin
is mainly made up of:
Infrared radiation (780-5000nm
wavelength; approximately 53% of solar
radiation).
Visible light (400-780nm wavelength;
approximately 39-44% of solar radiation).
UV radiation (290-400nm wavelength; 3-
7% of solar radiation) [4].

UV radiation can be further broken down into UVA (340-400nm), UVB (290-320nm), and
UVC (200-290nm). UVC rays are the shortest of the three types of UV rays and are
entirely absorbed by the atmosphere. This means that they are unable to reach
our skin in order to damage it [5].

However, UVA and UVB rays are able to penetrate skin and cause damage. A general rule
of thumb is that UVA rays cause Aging and UVB rays cause Burning but, as you can
imagine, it’s not quite as simple as that.

UVA rays account for the majority (95%) of UV radiation, are relatively constant all year
round, and can penetrate deeper into the skin due to their longer wavelength. In the
dermis, UVA rays can cause damage to DNA and break down collagen and elastin. This
damage is usually an accumulative effect and invisible to the naked eye. UVA rays are also
able to pass freely through glass.

UVB rays account for less than 5% of total UV radiation and are stronger in the summer.
Due to their shorter wavelength, UVB rays are only able to penetrate the epidermis and
are not able to pass through glass. In the epidermis, UVB rays cause DNA damage that
causes an inflammatory response and is visible almost immediately as sunburn [5].

UVA rays are still able to cause sunburn but the dose required is one-thousand times that
of UVB rays [6].

UVA = Aging | UVB = Burning

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 HOW DO UVA & UVB RAYS DAMAGE DNA?
As mentioned earlier, UV radiation makes up the minority of solar radiation yet it
causes the most damage. This is due to the fact that shorter wavelengths of
light/radiation have more energy than longer wavelengths. For this reason, UVA rays
have less energy than UVB rays.

This energy is transferred to light-absorbing molecules in the skin called chromophores.

In human skin, especially the epidermis, there are several key naturally-occurring
chromophores that absorb UV radiation – DNA, urocanic acid, amino acids, and melanin
[7].

When UV radiation is absorbed by DNA it can cause damage that can lead to genetic
mutations. Usually, our cells correct this damage seconds after it has occurred, however,
if the damage goes uncorrected, the genetic information may be permanently mutated
[8].

One of the key cell regulators that can end up mutated as a result of DNA damage is
the p53 tumour-suppressor gene which, as you may have guessed from the name,
prevents the formation of tumours. If the key regulatory genes fail, cells with mutated
genes can multiply uncontrollably and eventually result in skin cancer [9].

In fact, mutations in the p53 tumour-suppressor gene have been found in more than 90%
of all squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) skin cancers and in approximately 50% of all basal
cell carcinoma (BCC) skin cancers [9].

UVA and UVB rays damage DNA in slightly different ways. Due to UVAs longer
wavelength and lower energy, it is not directly absorbed by DNA. Instead, it is
absorbed by other, non-DNA, chromophores and causes the production of reactive
oxygen species (ROS; a type of free radical). It is the ROS that then damage
DNA rather than UVA itself [10].

In contrast, UVB radiation is directly absorbed by DNA [9], which suggests that it plays a
larger role in the development of skin cancers than UVA radiation [11].

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 HOW DOES UV RADIATION AFFECT MELANIN?
There are three main steps involved in the increase in skin pigmentation after
exposure to UV radiation – immediate pigment darkening (IPD), persistent pigment
darkening (PPD), and delayed tanning or delayed pigment darkening (DT/DPD) [12].

IPD is a temporary darkening of pigment that occurs within minutes of UV exposure.

It initially appears as a greyish colour before fading to a brown colour over a
period of minutes to days and is a result of melanin oxidization and melanosome
redistribution. It doesn’t appear to have any protective effect from UV
radiation and is particularly activated by UVA rays.

PPD follows IPD and is a longer phase of tanning that appears brown in colour.
Similarly to IPD, PPD is thought to be caused by melanin oxidization and is more strongly
activated by UVA than UVB. However, PPD lasts at least 3-5 days. (PPD can be used to test
the protection factor that sunscreens offer against UVA radiation).

The last phase of tanning (DPD) is caused by an increase in melanin production, an

increase in the number and activity of melanocytes, and increased transfer of
melanosomes. DPD can be caused by either UVA or UVB and is first noticeable 2-3
days after sun exposure and usually lasts for at least 3-4 weeks before
beginning to fade. DPD caused by UVB radiation seems to have a photoprotective
effect while DPD caused by UVA radiation does not [12].

Melanin absorbs both UV radiation and visible light. When melanin is transferred from
melanocytes to keratinocytes, it can create a ‘cap’ (a supranuclear melanin cap) above the
cells nucleus (where the DNA is stored). These melanin caps can reduce UV transmission
to DNA by absorbing the majority of UV radiation before it is able to reach the cells
nucleus. This is concentration dependent in that the more melanin present in the ‘cap’,
the more UV radiation is absorbed by the melanin and the less UV radiation is able to
cause DNA damage [13].

Because darker skin contains more melanin, darker skinned individuals have a higher
natural protection from UV-induced DNA damage as more melanin is available to
absorb UV light before it is able to damage DNA. However, melanin itself only offers a sun
protection factor (SPF) of about 1.5-4. Specifically, darker skin only appears to allow 7.4%
of UVB and 17.5% of UVA to penetrate, while fairer skin allows 24% of UVB and 55% of UVA
to penetrate [12].

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 HOW DOES UV RADIATION AGE SKIN?
UV radiation is responsible for approximately 80% [14] to 90% [15] of facial skin aging. This
is due to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by UV radiation, particularly by
UVA radiation. UV-light-induced ROS activate the transcription factors that regulate
matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) leading to an increase in MMPs. MMPs are enzymes
that degrade matrix proteins such as collagen and elastin. This means that increases in
MMPs lead to the destruction of collagen and elastin. Because of this, the destruction of
collagen is considered a trademark of premature aging due to UV exposure
(photoaging/photodamage) [16].

As mentioned earlier, UVA rays are able to penetrate into the dermis (where collagen and
elastin reside) which is why the association between premature aging and UVA is
stronger than the association between premature aging and UVB.

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 HOW DOES SUNSCREEN PROTECT
SKIN?
Sunscreens work in combination with biological photoprotection (melanin production)
by absorbing or scattering UV radiation and preventing it from reaching DNA and
other skin components that are prone to damage from UV radiation [17].

Sunscreens can be organic (chemical), inorganic (physical), or a combination of the two.

Chemical sunscreen filters are absorbed into the skin where they act as exogenous
chromophores. This means that the chemical filter molecule absorbs UV radiation
instead of the naturally occurring chromophores (e.g. melanin and DNA). As it has no
biological purpose, the chemical filter dissipates the energy it absorbs from UV
radiation in the form of heat. Chemical filters can offer protection against the UVA
and/or UVB spectrums.

Physical sunscreens act as a barrier on top of the skin and, like chemical filters, display
broad absorption across the UVA and UVB spectrums. However, they also scatter the
incoming UV radiation away from the skin. The absorption and scattering efficiency of
physical sunscreen filters largely depends on the particle properties (e.g. diameter,
surface, coating, etc.) [18].

Because of their scattering properties, physical sunscreens are considered photostable.

However, if chemical filter molecules are unable to dissipate the energy from absorbed
UV radiation fast enough, they may lose their photoprotective qualities and become
unstable.

Basically, the chemical filter absorbs a photon of light and becomes energised. If it is
unable to lose this energy, it is not able to absorb the next photon of light. This means
that the second photon of light may be absorbed by DNA or melanin instead, which
defeats the object of the chemical filter in the first place.

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 HOW IS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF
SUNSCREEN MEASURED?
The effectiveness of a sunscreen against UV radiation has traditionally focussed on the sun
protection factor (SPF) which is accepted as a world-wide standard. However, SPF is only a measure
of a sunscreens protection against UVB radiation. Until relatively recently, UVA-induced skin
damage has been overlooked and, as a result, there is currently no single standardised measure of
UVA protection.

SPF
As mentioned, SPF measures a sunscreens ability to protect skin from UVB radiation which, in theory,
means that products with higher SPFs should provide more protection than lower SPFs. SPF is
measured as a ratio of the amount of UVB radiation required to burn the skin when it is protected with
sunscreen divided by the amount required when there is no sunscreen protection. The dose of
radiation required to cause skin to burn is referred to as the minimal erythema does or MED [19].

SPF = MED of protected skin/MED of unprotected skin

If all other factors are equal, then this means that a sunscreen with an SPF of 50 will allow skin to be
exposed to 50x more UVB radiation than unprotected skin before burning. However, sunscreen needs to
be applied in the correct amount (2mg/cm2), reapplied frequently (every 2-hours), and reapplied after
swimming or excessive sweating in order to achieve and maintain a stated SPF.

So, the measure of a sunscreens ability to protect the skin from UVB radiation is relatively straight
forward – higher SPF = higher UVB protection. However, a sunscreens ability to protect the skin from
UVA damage is a little less clear.

Some research suggests that if a sunscreen has an SPF of 11 or above then, mathematically speaking, it
must provide some amount of UVA protection [20].

In addition, shorter UVA wavelengths (UVA-2) also cause skin erythema which means that if a sunscreen
is able to block erythema-inducing UV radiation then it is also blocking some amount of UVA-2. This
means that the protective effects of a sunscreen against UVA radiation may be able to be mathematically
predicted from the erythema action spectrum, the emission spectrum of the UV source, and the
absorption spectrum of the test product [21].

The SPF method is an example of an in vivo evaluation of sunscreen efficacy, meaning that the test is
performed on humans. There are three in vivo methods that have been suggested to measure UVA
protection; IPD, PPD, and UVA-PF (UVA Protection Factor).

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 IPD
As mentioned earlier, IPD stands for Immediate Pigment Darkening which is the skins
initial response to exposure to UV radiation. It is a result of melanin oxidization and the
redistribution of melanosomes. IPD is a temporary darkening of pigment that occurs
immediately after UV exposure, doesn’t appear to have any protective effect for the skin,
and is particularly activated by UVA radiation.

The IPD method measures the amount of UVA radiation required to produce darkening
of the skin with a clearly defined margin, observed immediately after exposure [22].
The IPD protection factor (IPD-PF) is the ratio of the UVA dose required to produce IPD
when skin is protected with the sunscreen to the dose required when skin is not
protected [21].

One benefit of the IPD method is that it is able to use low doses of UVA which
means less UVA-induced skin damage for test subjects. However, it is not known how
clinically significant these results are and responses are often highly variable. In addition,
the IPD-PF method is usually only performed on Fitzpatrick skin types III-IV [19].

PPD
Persistent Pigment Darkening (PPD) is a skin response to UV radiation that occurs after
IPD, lasts around 3-5 days, is particularly sensitive to the entire UVA spectrum and
decreases very slowly with longer wavelengths. The PPD response requires large doses of
UVA (>10 J cm-2 – the equivalent of 40mins midday summer sunlight) which means that
the PPD method can also challenge a sunscreens stability.

The PPD method measures the amount of UVA radiation required to produce the first
unambiguous pigmented reaction. The PPD protection factor (PPD-PF) is the ratio
of the minimal UVA dose to produce PPD when skin is protected with the sunscreen
(MPDp) to the dose required when skin is not protected (MPDu) [23].

PPD-PF = MPDp/MPDu

The PPD-PF method has demonstrated reliability by proving consistent with other
measures of UVA protection [23]. However, it is also considered a questionable biological
end-point in that PPD to UVA is not as relevant as erythema is to UVB [24].

The PPD method is the basis for the PA +++ UVA protection rating system used in
Japan, Korea, and China. A PPD-PF of 2-4 is given a rating of PA+, a PPD-PF of 4-8 is
given a rating of PA++, and a PPD-PF of 8 or more is given a rating of PA+++ [19][25].

In 2013, this rating system was updated to include a PA++++ category, which requires a
PPD-PF of 16 or more.

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 UVA-PF
UVA-PF stands for UVA protection factor and is a measure of how much UVA protection
is offered by a sunscreen. Both IPD-PF and PPD-PF are UVA-PFs, however, PPD-PF
(the PPD method), is generally considered the standard in vivo UVA-PF measure. In fact,
it is recommended that UVA-PF should be determined using the in vivo PPD method or
any in vitro (literally meaning 'in glass' a.k.a. using cell/tissue samples) method able to
provide equivalent results [25].

There are three different in vitro methods for assessing UVA-PF; one from the United
States (USA; FDA), one from the European Union (EU; COLIPA), and one from the United
Kingdom (UK; Boots) [22].

In vitro testing determines the amount of protection a sunscreen offers by spreading the
sunscreen onto a quartz, acrylic, or plastic (PMMA) slide and measuring how much UV
radiation passes through the slide. The less radiation that passes through the slide, the
higher the protection factor.

USA FDA CRITICAL WAVELENGTH METHOD

The FDA uses the critical wavelength method to determine whether a sunscreen can be
classed as broad-spectrum. The critical wavelength method measures the breadth
of a sunscreens protection across the UV spectrum (290-400nm). For a sunscreen to be
considered broad-spectrum, it must have a critical wavelength of 370nm or more. This
means that 10% of the protection that the sunscreen offers has to be for wavelengths
above 370nm [22].

However, the critical wavelength method does not offer much information about the
amplitude of UVA protection offered by a sunscreen, merely that it offers some UVA
protection.

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 EU COLIPA METHOD UVA-PF/SPF RATIO
In addition to requiring a critical wavelength of 370nm and above, the EU also require
that the UVA-PF offered by a sunscreen be at least 1/3 of the stated SPF. For example, a
sunscreen with an SPF of 60 must have at least a UVA-PF of 20 [25]. UVA-PF ratings from
this method appear to correlate well with the in vivo PPD-PF ratings [22].

UK BOOTS METHOD UVA/UVB RATIO

The UK Boots method also calculates the UVA/UVB ratio using the final UVA-PF value and
the SPF value (UVA-PF/SPF). However, this method goes a step further and classifies
products into categories from 0-5 stars based on the initial mean UVA/UVB ratio and the
post-exposure mean UVA/UVB ratio. This means that it can also provide a better idea of
how stable the UVA protection is [25].

In order to achieve the highest rating (5 stars) The UVA/UVB ratio is required to be at
least 9/10. In other words, a sunscreen would have to offer a UVA-PF of more than 90% of
the stated SPF [24]. (80-90% would be 4 stars and 60-80% would be 3 stars) [26].

HOW CAN I FIND OUT A SUNSCREENS UVA-PF?

Unfortunately, unless a sunscreen brand advertises their UVA-PF rating, there is no way
to tell what the exact UVA-PF is. However, due to the regulations discussed above, we can
tell what the minimum UVA-PF value is depending on rating method.

First of all, we know that any sunscreen labelled as broad-spectrum in the US has to
contain both UVA and UVB protection with a minimum critical wavelength of 370nm.
However, this alone does not tell us how good the UVA protection is.

If a sunscreen displays the UVA seal (i.e. the letters U, V, and A in a circle) and/or is
labelled as broad-spectrum in the EU, then we know that the UVA-PF is at least 1/3 of the
SPF value (in addition to the critical wavelength requirements stated above).

For example:
SPF 15 = UVAPF 5
SPF 30 = UVAPF 10
SPF 50 = UVAPF 16
SPF 50+ (a.k.a SPF 60) = UVAPF 20

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 The PA+++ rating system for UVA-PF, determined by the in vivo PPD method, correlates
well with the in vitro COLIPA method used by the EU (the UVA-PF ratings mentioned
above) to the point that PPD response can be predicted by the COLIPA method with
relative accuracy [27].

If a sunscreen has a PA+++ rating, then we have a rough idea of its UVA-PF.

PA+ = UVAPF between 2 and 4

PA++ = UVAPF between 4 and 8
PA+++ = UVAPF more than 8
PA++++ (added in 2013) = UVAPF more than 16

If a sunscreen has a star rating according to the Boots rating system, then we can work
out the minimum UVA-PF that it should contain according to its SPF value and star
rating.

For example:
SPF15:
3 stars = UVAPF between 9 and 12
4 stars = UVAPF between 12 and 13.5
5 stars = UVAPF more than 13.5
SPF30:
3 stars = UVAPF between 18 and 24
4 stars = UVAPF between 24 and 27
5 stars = UVAPF more than 27
SPF50:
3 stars = UVAPF between 30 and 40
4 stars = UVAPF between 40 and 45
5 stars = UVAPF more than 45
SPF50+ (SPF 60):
3 stars = UVAPF between 36 and 48
4 stars = UVAPF between 48 and 54
5 stars = UVAPF more than 54

The highest four and five star categories, according to the Boots star system, are
considered to be very close to the ideal sunscreen due to their near even protection
across both the UVA and UVB spectrums [24].

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C Science Becomes Her 2020
Page 16
 Now that we know what UV radiation does to our skin, how sunscreen can help prevent this UV-
induced damage, and how the effectiveness of a sunscreen is measured, we can better understand why
and how we need to apply sunscreen, as well as how to choose the best sunscreens...

WHEN & HOW TO APPLY SUNSCREEN

DO YOU NEED TO WEAR SUNSCREEN EVERYDAY?

You should wear sunscreen every day. Not only is sunscreen scientifically proven to reduce the risks of
certain types of skin cancer, but up to 80-90% of all facial skin aging is due to UV radiation.

Although most people think sunscreen is only necessary on days when it is hot and sunny and the risk
of sunburn is high, sun damage can occur in all weathers. This is due to the fact that UVA rays account
for the majority of UV radiation and are relatively constant all year round.

UVA rays have less energy than UVB rays but are able to penetrate deeper into the skin. Although UVA
radiation is not directly absorbed by DNA like UVB radiation is, it causes indirect damage via the
production of free radicals. These free radicals also cause the break-down of collagen in the skin.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU APPLY SUNSCREEN?

To achieve and maintain the SPF and UVA-PF/PPD values stated by a specific sunscreen, sunscreen
should be applied every 2 hours. This is due to the stability of the UV filters used within the sunscreen.
UV filters absorb UVA and/or UVB radiation to reduce the amount of radiation absorbed by DNA or
melanin.

The UV filters need to be able to absorb and disperse the UV energy before they can absorb more
energy. If they are unable to disperse the energy fast enough then they become ‘de-stabilized’, meaning
that they are unable to absorb further UV radiation. This is why sunscreen needs to be reapplied after
prolonged exposure to UV radiation.

In this sense, sunscreen needs to be re-applied every 2-hours of sun exposure. This means that if you
are wearing sunscreen daily but your only sun exposure is during your lunch break, you are probably
ok! (That is unless you’re directly next to a window as UVA rays pass through glass).

Sunscreen should also be reapplied after excessive sweating, showering, swimming, or any activity that
may cause sunscreen to be physically removed from the skin.

HOW MUCH SUNSCREEN DO YOU NEED TO APPLY?

In order to achieve the stated SPF and UVA-PF/PPD values stated on a sunscreen, you need to be using
2mg of sunscreen per cm2 (2mg/cm2). This is because this is the standard amount of sunscreen used to
calculate the SPF and UVA-PF/PPD values during testing.

2mg/cm2 is pretty hard to visualise, but it is approximately a nickel-sized (or ten-pence-sized) dollop
for the face, or the equivalent of a shot-glass (or two tablespoons) for the exposed areas of the face and
body.

Most people don’t apply enough sunscreen which means that they do not receive the stated UV-
protection. This is particularly the case when people use ‘moisturizers with added SPF’. In addition,
these moisturizers often contain no UVA protection.

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 HOW TO CHOOSE A SUNSCREEN

ARE PHYSICAL SUNSCREENS BETTER THAN CHEMICAL

SUNSCREENS?
As mentioned earlier on in this guide, chemical sunscreens (e.g. Avobenzone, Tinosorb S) work by
absorbing UV radiation, while physical sunscreens (Zinc Oxide & Titanium Dioxide) work by reflecting
and dispersing UV radiation, as well as by absorbing it.

Often people consider physical sunscreens to be better because they are ‘natural’. This is largely to do
with a wide-spread fear of chemicals. The thing is, everything is chemicals! In fact, zinc oxide and
titanium oxide are also chemicals – just naturally occurring ones.

Physical sunscreens do tend to be more stable than chemical sunscreens as they work by reflecting and
dispersing UV radiation rather than by only absorbing it. In addition, they are well-suited to those with
very sensitive skin or those prone to contact allergies.

However, newer chemical filters are a lot more stable than their predecessors and offer superior UVA
protection. In fact, if you are looking for a sunscreen with very high UVA protection (e.g. an SPF50+ with
a 5-star Boots rating – UVA-PF 54), it is highly likely that you will only be able to find a chemical
sunscreen with certain UV filters. (Unfortunately, the majority of newer sunscreen filters are yet to be
approved by the FDA and are, therefore, harder to get ahold of in the US).

At the end of the day, the choice between a physical or a chemical sunscreen is down to one thing -
Personal preference!

ARE THERE ANY SUNSCREEN INGREDIENTS THAT

SHOULD BE AVOIDED?
There are some chemical sunscreen filters that may be better avoided where possible. This is because
there is some limited research to suggest that they may damage marine ecosystems and alter human
oestrogen levels. In particular, oxybenzone and octinoxate have the most research supporting their
avoidance.

However, there isn’t a huge amount of research and nothing to prove conclusively that these
ingredients pose any health threats. In other words, if you are currently using a sunscreen that you like
that contains these ingredients, there is no need to panic but you may wish to opt for a different
sunscreen when it runs out.

As mentioned above, the newer chemical UV filters are better at protecting against UVA radiation,
which is something to consider if your focus is primarily on preventing premature-aging. In addition,
these filters are generally considered safe, although they are yet to be approved by the FDA for sale in
the US.

See the next page for some common chemical (organic) sunscreen filters and their alternate names...

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 WHAT SPF SHOULD I BE WEARING EVERY DAY?
The majority of the original research that demonstrated that sunscreen was protective against some
forms of skin cancer used a sunscreen with SPF15. For this reason, only sunscreens with an SPF of 15 or
higher are legally able to claim that they can help protect the skin against cancer or premature aging.

Because of this, sunscreens should be at least SPF15 but the higher the SPF, the more UVB-protection
offered. (This is discussed in more detail below).

IS A HIGHER SPF ALWAYS BETTER?

Higher SPFs are better to a certain extent. As mentioned above, a sunscreen can only claim to be
protective against skin cancer and premature aging if it is SPF15 or above.

For this reason, the sunscreen you use should be at least SPF15 but preferably SPF30 or higher. This is
because the percentage increase in additional UVB protection is smaller the higher the SPF value. For
example, there is a 3.3% difference between the protection offered by SPF15 and SPF30, but only a 1.4%
difference between the protection offered by SPF30 and SPF50.

Usually, you will hear that the 1.4% difference between SPF30 and SPF50 is so negligible that there isn’t
much additional benefit in choosing an SPF50 over an SPF30. However, if you look at this in terms of
how much UVB radiation is still able to penetrate skin, you may see things in a different way.

This is due to the fact that SPF30 allows 3.3% of UVB radiation to penetrate, while SPF50 allows only 1.9%
- That’s nearly double the amount of UVB able to penetrate skin (1.7x the amount to be specific).

In addition, as the European regulations require that sunscreens contain a UVA-PF or PPD of at least 1/3
of the stated SPF value, a higher SPF will have a higher level of UVA protection (if being sold in Europe).
The Boots star rating system is also worked out based on the ratio of SPF to UVA-PF (UVB/UVA to be
exact).

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 HOW CAN YOU WORK OUT HOW MUCH UV
RADIATION SUNSCREENS BLOCK?
Above, we mentioned the percentage increases in UVB protection offered by higher SPFs. You may have
also heard people mention that SPF15 blocks 93.4% of UVB rays, SPF30 blocks 96.7%, and SPF50 blocks
98.1%, but where do these values come from?

As it turns out, this is what is called a logarithmic expression, which basically means that we can work
out the percentage of UVB blocked with an equation if we know the SPF value.

This is due to the way in which the SPF value is determined. As mentioned above, SPF is worked out by
dividing the amount of time taken for a UVB source to cause a sunburn response when the skin is
protected by the amount of time taken when the skin is unprotected.

SPF = MED Protected/MED Unprotected

Essentially, this means that the SPF is a measure of how much longer a person can stay in the sun
without burning when they are wearing sunscreen. Of course, it is not this simple as the strength of
UVB rays varies throughout the day.

In theory, this means that a sunscreen with an SPF of 2 blocks 50% of UVB radiation as it takes twice as
long for the skin to burn.

We can arrive at this percentage by using the following calculation:

100% - (100%/SPF) or 100 – (100/2) = 100 – 50 = 50%

For example, SPF 50:

100 – (100/50) = 100 – 2 = 98%

When it comes to measuring UVA protection, the PPD method uses the same method as SPF but with a
different end point. In this case, it’s the amount of time taken for pigment to darken when protected
with sunscreen divided by the time taken for pigment to darken when there is no sunscreen protection.
For this reason, we can work out the % of UVA blocked by a sunscreen in a similar way if we know the
PPD value.

As you can see in this chart:

PPD 2 Blocks 50% of UVA

PPD 4 Blocks 75% of UVA
PPD 8 Blocks 87.5% of UVA
PPD 16 Blocks 93.8% of UVA

As the PPD method of determining UVA protection has been shown to be highly correlated with the in
vitro EU Colipa method (a.k.a. UVA-PF), the values are usually roughly similar. So, in theory, this means
that we can also work out the highest regulated UVA rating – An SPF50+ sunscreen with 5 Boots stars
(a.k.a. UVA-PF 54) as:

100 – (100/54) = 100 – 1.85 = 98.2%

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 WHAT ELSE SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR IN A
SUNSCREEN?
Unfortunately, sunscreens can only prevent approximately 55% of the free radicals generated by UV
radiation and offer no protection against visible light or infrared radiation. As free radicals can damage
DNA and break-down collagen, this is not ideal. Fortunately, a lot of sunscreens are now formulated with
added antioxidants.

Antioxidants are able to neutralize free radicals and offer additional skin benefits. In fact, when
antioxidants are added into sunscreens, they can reduce the amount of free radicals generated by up to
78% [28].

Antioxidants that are particularly effective at preventing sun-damage include vitamin C (particularly
when combined with vitamin E and ferulic acid), green tea, and niacinamide.

Another ingredient that can enhance the protection offered by sunscreens is iron oxide, particularly in
the case of physical sunscreens. This is because iron oxide can extend the protection of physical
sunscreens into the longer UVA and visible light spectrums. The combination of iron oxide with zinc
oxide is especially beneficial for individuals who experience melasma and hyperpigmentation [29].

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 SUNSCREEN PICKS

HIGH UVA
Uriage Bariesun Creme SPF50+
Bioderma Photoderm Sensitive Extreme Milk SPF 50+
La Roche-Posay Anthelios 50+ Shaka Fluide
Altruist Dermatologist Sunscreen SPF50
Reimann P20 Seriously Reliable Suncare SPF50

ANTIOXIDANT

Purito Centella Green Level Safe Sun SPF50+

Replenix Sheer Physical Sunscreen Cream SPF50+
Derma E Antioxidant Natural Sunscreen SPF30

IRON OXIDES
SkinMedica Essential Defense Mineral Shield SPF35 (Tinted Version)
Neostrata Sheer Physical Protection SPF50
MDSolarSciences Mineral Creme Broad Spectrum SPF50 Sunscreen

Note: Some of these sunscreens fall into more than one of the above categories.

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Page 22
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IMAGES
The stock images used in this guide are courtesy of Canva Pro and are not owned by the
author (please see [Link] for their own copyright policy). However, all diagrams
and charts belong to the author/[Link], are subject to copyright, and
should not be used without explicit permission.
Please contact info@[Link] for details should you wish to use any of
these images.

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