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sun damage sunscreen
I come from a small tourist town on the coast of Dalmatia in Croatia. This region has over 100 sunny days per year (although it feels like more).

Needless to say, I grew up with frequent sun exposure and have learned how to behave accordingly (I think I’ve burned only twice in my life).

It may come as a surprise, but I don’t see sunscreen as the “holy grail” of sun protection at all. Sadly, the unforgiving numbers seem to agree with my experience, too.

Non-melanoma skin cancer rates have increased by 77% from 1994 to 2014 (source) especially in young adults (source), despite increasing awareness about sun exposure and wearing more sunscreen. In the UK, melanoma skin cancer incidence rates have increased by 50% over the past decade.

What are we doing wrong?

Applying sunscreen prior to sun exposure is important, but we must also understand how sunscreens work and what they actually protect us from.

Here is what you need to know before you buy your next sunscreen.

UVA ARE “AGING” RAYS, UVB ARE “BURNING” RAYS

We can divide sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays into UVA and UVB.
 
UVB rays stimulate vitamin D and melanin production. Melanin gives your skin pigment (tan), acts as an antioxidant and scatters UV rays. Melanin production is your skin’s attempt at protecting itself from subsequent sun exposures.
 
When we are exposed to the sun more than melanin can protect us, our skin begins to burn and turns red. This is inflammatory for the skin, causing skin damage (sunburn).
 
You can think of UVB rays as “burning rays” because they cause sunburn. These rays can contribute to melanoma over time, but they are more associated with non-melanoma skin cancer.
 
It might sound strange, but UVB rays are actually helpful because they signal to you that your skin has had enough sun (and enough vitamin D production) and that you need to get out of the sun – now!
 
On the other hand, UVA won’t cause sunburn.
 
They’ll do more dangerous, at first invisible damage because they penetrate deeper into the skin than UVB rays, causing oxidative damage to the cells and their DNA (yes, scary!). This leads to photoaging, fine lines and wrinkles and sagging skin (collagen loss).
 
UVA also cause damage to the melanin-producing cells, which is why they are associated with malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
 
What’s worse, 95% of UV rays that reach the earth’s surface are UVA rays. They pass right through clouds and glass, and the strength is pretty much the same year round. 

SPF MEASURES HOW WELL A SUNSCREEN PROTECTS YOU FROM SUNBURN – NOT UVA RAYS! 

The higher the SPF, the better? It depends.
 
SPF is just a measure of how well a sunscreen protects you from sunburn, which you get only from UVB rays. In other words, it is a measure against UVB protection.
 
It doesn’t tell you how well your skin is protected against UVA rays.
 
Also, remember that SPF 30 is not 2 times stronger than SPF 15. Product with SPF 15 blocks about 94% UVB rays, a product with SPF 30 97%, and a product with SPF 50 about 98%.
 
No SPF-containing product offers 100% protection against UV rays.

DO SUNSCREENS PROTECT US EQUALLY WELL FROM BOTH UVA AND UVB?

The short answer is no.

Just how well a sunscreen protects us against UVA depends on the formulation, and how we use it – whether we apply enough and reapply regularly. Still, a sunscreen rarely (if ever) offers equally good protection against both UVA and UVB.

Today we have “mineral” and “chemical” sunscreens (a mix of both are also available).

Chemical sunscreens contain one or more organic substances such as oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate and octinoxate. They mostly work by absorbing UV rays and releasing small amounts of heat because of it.

Mineral sunscreens contain inorganic compounds such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which can absorb and scatter UV rays.
 
In the U.S., there are just two UVA-blocking molecules available today – avobenzone and zinc oxide (a few others block UVA to a much lesser degree).
 
EWG sunscreen UVA UVB
UVA/UVB protection ability of substances used in sunscreens. Image credit: Environmental Working Group (EWG).

Avobenzone has been approved in 2006 by FDA, after which the Broad Spectrum testing was developed. Broad Spectrum indicates the presence of both UVB and UVA filters in a sunscreen. 

So, for many years before that, people slathered only UVB-blocking sunscreen, while UVA rays penetrated freely. No doubt, plenty of damage can be done without your skin ever burning!

While many U.S.-made sunscreen products claim “broad spectrum” sun protection, implying protection from UVB and UVA rays, they actually vary substantially in the degree of UVA protection they offer. ~ EWG
 
Sadly, many sunscreens fail to properly protect your skin against the UVA rays, including those marked as “broad spectrum”.
 
And the higher the SPF, the higher the chance you will prevent sunburn and spend more time in the sun and be more exposed to the damaging UVA rays! Not only that, high SPF-containing sunscreens (SPF 50+) are likely to have more imbalanced UVA protection compared to UVB.

UVA PROTECTION OF SUNSCREENS BETTER IN EUROPE THAN THE USA

 
It actually doesn’t sound like much, right? Unfortunately, it gets worse if you live in the U.S.
 
In 2017, researchers tested 20 sunscreens for UVA protection standards set by the U.S. and the European Union. Nineteen sunscreens passed the U.S. criteria, while only 11 passed the EU criteria.
EWG sunscreen chart EU US
Image credit: Environmental Working Group (EWG).
 
EWG suggests that many products bearing the “broad spectrum” label could not be sold in Europe due to its stricter requirements:
British researcher Brian Diffey evaluated the UV protection of four U.S. sunscreens and four sold in Europe, each of which had an SPF value of 50 or 50+. He found that the U.S. sunscreens allowed, on average, three times more UVA rays to pass through to skin than European products, which included the modern UVA filters. ~ EWG
The FDA considered a similar system for rating UVA protection, but instead set weak rules in 2011 that enabled nearly every product to achieve a passing grade, permitting those products to advertise “broad spectrum” protection.
 
For more on how FDA regulates sunscreens, go here.
 
If you live outside U.S. and Europe, it is worth checking what the regulations are surrounding sunscreen.

HOW I CHOOSE A WELL-FORMULATED SUNSCREEN

So how do we protect our skin without being afraid of the sun (which is also a bad idea)? 15 minutes or so of sun exposure daily (over a larger area of your body) is crucial for adequate vitamin D production.

Plus, it feels good to get some sun on your skin, wouldn’t you agree?

Using a well-formulated sunscreen year round and practicing responsible sun exposure can help protect your skin against sun damage, hyperpigmentation, early aging, sagging skin, skin dehydration, and acne.

I like to have either fully zinc-oxide sunscreen or a mix of zinc oxide with titanium dioxide, where zinc oxide percentage is over 15% (preferably close to 20%). In addition, you will rarely see me outside during peak sun hours (11am-3pm) or without a hat (during summertime).

I avoid avobenzone, the “chemical” UVA-blocking ingredient, because it is unstable – it degrades when exposed to the sun. Manufacturers aim to improve its stability by mixing avobenzone with other active ingredients, such as octocrylene or inactive ingredient stabilizers, with varying degrees of success (source).

Furthermore, certain substances in “chemical” sunscreens, such as oxybenzone, are potential hormone disruptors.

Since I have acne-prone skin, I also avoid heavy and comedogenic ingredients in my skincare products, including the natural ones. You can get the full list in this blog post:

Related: How I Choose Non-Comedogenic Makeup

In summary, to protect your skin from both UVB and UVA as much as possible, without compromising your health and wondering whether a formulation of a “chemical” sunscreen is good enough, aim for a ~20 % zinc oxide sunscreen.

Use it every day at the end of your morning skincare routine every day of the year. Try reapplying it throughout the day (powder sunscreens are a good option) and using protective clothing and hats when in direct sun.

In radiant skin health,

Sara

Questions! What are your fave sunscreens for acne-prone skin? Have you tried any powder sunscreens (looking for a recommendation)!

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About Sara

Hi there! My name is Sara. I am a molecular biologist who has spent 15 years figuring out the perfect skin care for sensitive, acne-prone skin and now I want to teach you all about it!