Everyone loves buying these products, since they symbolise the relaxation and well-being to come. However, it's sometimes difficult to make the right choice with such a vast selection. What does SPF mean? What kinds of filters are used? And what is photostability?
SPF is the abbreviation for Sun Protection Factor. It tells you the product’s level of protection against the sun and it appears in an easy-to-see location. A sun care product never protects 100% against the sun. However, starting at SPF 50, a sun care product protects against 98% of solar radiation. This action is made possible by the filters found in the sun care products’ ingredients.
These filters can come from 2 sources: mineral (Titanium dioxide), in which case UV rays are reflected by the product, which acts like a mirror, or organic (Tinosorb S, Parsol 1789, Uvasorb HEB), in which case the rays are absorbed by the filters. The two can be combined to optimise their tolerance and protective qualities.
Photostability is another important concept in protection. A product is considered to be photostable if it doesn’t degrade over time when exposed to the sun. A photostable product can thus provide skin with effective, long-lasting protection from the sun. It’s a gauge to measure a product’s effectiveness and safety. Be careful though--it’s essential that you reapply your product every 2 hours, particularly after swimming, in order to stay well protected!
Lastly, a good sun care product must be water resistant. In practical terms, this means that the sun care product's SPF after swimming must be at least 50% of its SPF before swimming. If the sun care product retains this percentage after swimming twice for 20 minutes, it is considered to be “water resistant”. Very resistant products will endure even 4 20-minute swims...
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