Sunscreen is a sun protection product which, protects one’s skin from Ultraviolet (UV) sun’s rays that cause sunburns. Sunscreen products work by penetrating your skin then absorbing UV rays before reaching your skin for protection, so the importance of sunscreen is highly required.

It’s Time to Figure out Which Sunscreen to Use

In our sunscreen guide steps, the first step you should use sunscreen with a broad spectrum protection label which gives you a protection against both UVA and UVB sun’s rays where “A” is related to Aging which, causes wrinkles when penetrating your skin and “B” is related to Burning. So if you choose a sunscreen labelled with a broad spectrum protection then you should be ensured that you have a skin protection for both UVA and UVB. The broad spectrum sunscreen has an active and an inactive ingredients and if we take a broad spectrum sunscreen such as “Neutrogena – Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 100+” as an example, we’ll find it has active ingredients with specific concentrations:

Avobenzone 3%

Homosalate 15%

Octisalate 5%

Octocrylene 10%

Oxybenzone 6%

These active ingredients must be existed in sufficient concentration to make the sunscreen effective, also the inactive ingredients are necessary for the overall effectiveness and those inactive ingredients play as:

Stabilizer: prevents sunscreen degradation while sunlight exposure for maintaining the sunscreen protection effectiveness and the most important stabilizer ingredients are “cetearyl alcohol, octinoxate and octocrylene”. Preservative: Fights bacteria and microorganisms which, harmful to your health and skin. The most common preservative ingredient is Phenoxyethanol.

Second step, sunscreen should have a higher SPF (Sun Protection Factor) which, gives you a measuring indication for a skin protection from UVB rays and it is recommended to be 30 or higher.

Third step, water resistant label which, means the sunscreen should ensure retaining on your skin for a long period and gives the appropriate SPF while swimming or sweating and it is recommended to be lasted for 40 or 80 minutes. There are other features are important such as PABA-free which means Free of para-aminobenzoic acid which, causes skin allergies.

Sunscreen is very important product provides sun protection for your skin so you should always wear sunscreen after choosing a sunscreen which, guarantees the three features we are talked about.