UVA, UVB, SPF, Broad Spectrum: What Do Sunscreen Labels Really Mean?

Did you know that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime?

While it’s important to make using sunscreen part of your daily routine, staying out of the sun, seeking shade and wearing protective clothing provide better protection than sunscreen. I’m still always surprised when people tell me they didn't know that the majority of how our skin ages (roughly 80%) comes from the amount of sun exposure we take in and how often we use proper sun protection.

Misconceptions about how protective sunscreens are can be dangerous because they lead people to spend too much time in the sun which increases their risk for skin cancer. Don’t get me wrong…sunscreen can play a vital role in helping to prevent skin cancer and skin damage, but some manufacturers have hyped their products with vague and sometimes misleading claims on the labels.

When it comes to sunscreen labels, how much do you really know and understand them? With so many products on the market, it’s often hard to know which ones work best for your skin. UVA, UVB, SPF, broad spectrum, sunscreen, sunblock…what do these labels mean? Findings suggest that despite recent efforts by the FDA to clarify sunscreen labels, they still remain a mystery to most people.

What should you look for on the label when purchasing sunscreen? Here is my simple breakdown below.

Sunscreen vs. Sunblock

Sunscreen or sunblock – is there a difference between the two? The truth is they are both equally effective, just made up of different ingredients.

Sunscreens are chemical-based and work like a sponge to soak up the sun’s harmful rays. Many of the chemicals used in sunscreens such as PABA, benzophenones and cinnamates can irritate the eyes or skin for people with skin sensitivity issues.

Sunblock, on the other hand, is mineral-based containing ingredients such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. It creates a reflective, mirror-like shield to help deflect the sun’s damaging rays from your skin. Sunblock is sometimes much thicker than sunscreen, but I have to say many brands are doing a better job in creating formulations that absorb more quickly into the skin without leaving a pasty and chalky white residue. This may be a better choice for people with sensitive skin since titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are less irritating than the ingredients found in sunscreen.

Some brands use a combination of both sunblock and sunscreen ingredients, so always make sure to read the label if you have sensitive skin and are looking for a true sunblock.

UVA and UVB Rays

We should use sunscreen or sunblock that blocks both UVA and UVB rays. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, here are the main differences between them.

UVA is the dominant tanning ray, whether outdoors or in a tanning bed. UVA rays penetrate the skin deeper than UVB rays and can also penetrate clothing and glass, causing cumulative skin damage over time. Studies over the past two decades show that UVA damages keratinocytes, skin cells located in the basal layer of the epidermis.

UVB rays are the main cause of skin reddening and sunburns. They tend to damage the skin's more superficial epidermal layers. UVB rays do not significantly penetrate glass.

In summary, exposure to UVA rays is the major cause of skin aging, wrinkling and tanning, while UVB rays are the main cause of sunburns. However, both types of rays play a role in the development of skin cancers including melanoma, basal cell cancer and squamous cell cancer.

SPF

Sun Protection Factor (SPF) provided by sunscreens and sunblocks is the number on a scale ranging from 2 to 100 for rating the degree of protection to screen or block out the sun’s burning rays. However, it only measures UVB rays, not UVA rays.

The higher the SPF, the better…right? This is not necessarily true. Just because a product has an SPF of 100 does not mean it is going to protect your skin more. It is not necessary to use anything higher than an SPF 50. According to the American Melanoma Foundation, “If you use a sunscreen with an SPF 15, you can be in the sun 15 times longer than you can without sunscreen before burning. However, consumers need to be aware that SPF protection does not increase proportionally with an increased SPF number. While an SPF of 2 will absorb 50% of ultraviolet radiation, and SPF of 15 absorbs 93% and an SPF of 30 absorbs 97%.”

Not all SPF levels have been found to reduce skin cancer risk. Products that are not broad spectrum or have an SPF below 15 are now required to have a label warning that the product has not been shown to prevent skin cancer. Only broad spectrum sunscreens and sunblocks with an SPF of 15 or higher can state on the label that the product decreases the risk for skin cancer and premature skin damage.

An SPF of 15 or higher is recommended. The FDA says there's no evidence that SPFs of higher than 50 provide additional protection. You may be lulled into a false sense of security with products that have an SPF above 50 and be tempted to stay in the sun for longer periods of time or be less diligent about seeking shade and wearing protective clothing…not a good idea at all!

Broad Spectrum

To know if a sunscreen or sunblock helps ward off skin cancer, look for the term "broad spectrum" on the label. This means the product offers protection against both UVA and UVB rays. Until recently, brands were allowed to label their products broad spectrum even if it contained such a small amount of UVA-blocking ingredients that it didn’t really do any good. With the new regulations, sunscreens and sunblocks must absorb significant amounts of UVA and UVB rays in order to be labeled broad spectrum.

Skin cancer and skin damage can affect anyone, no matter your skin type or color. Stay out of the sun as much as possible but if you are going to be outside, find a shady spot to hang out and make sure to use a broad spectrum sunscreen or sunblock with at least an SPF of 15. And if you are going to be out in the sun, remember to reapply sunscreen or sunblock every 1-2 hours if you’re not in the water but every 30-40 minutes if you are in the water.

I hope you found this article helpful when purchasing your next sunscreen or sunblock. If you have any questions or comments for me, I'd love to hear from you in the comments section below.

Looking for a good broad spectrum sunscreen or sunblock to use? Check out Rodan + Fields products, which are backed by the Skin Cancer Foundation. All R+F regimens contain a sunscreen or sunblock for individual skin types and issues while the ESSENTIALS line contains broad spectrum products for the body and lips.