QuestionI WAS TOLD BY A CHEMIST THAT SEEMED VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE ON THE SUBJECT THAT SUNSCREENS DON'T REALLY OFFER A HIGHER DEGREE OF PERTECTION THAN SPF 30. SUPPOSEDLY, ANYTHING OFFERING ABOVE AN SPF 30 IS JUST "CLEVER MARKETING" BY MAKING PEOPLE THINK THAT THEY ARE GETTING A HIGHER DEGREE OF PROTECTION??? CAN YOU PLEASE SHED SOME LIGHT ON THE TRUTH OF THIS MATTER FOR ME? THANK YOU!!
JUSTIN NICHOLS
AnswerHello Justin,
The topic of sunscreen is a very delicate one, so I don't think I can offer you the perfect answer you would like, but I am going to share what I've learned about sunscreens. Please remember that I am not a chemist, but a biologist.
First, here is a definition of SPF: The SPF is the amount of UV radiation required to cause sunburn on skin with the sunscreen on, relative to the amount required without the sunscreen. So if you wear a SPF 30 sunscreen, it will take 30 times the usual amount of sunlight to burn your skin. But everything depends on the sensitivity of your skin, the amount of sunlight, the time of the day, the wind factor etc...
Each country or group of countries have their own regulations about SPF labeling. Recently, there was even a scandal because the SPF shown on lots of commercial sunscreens were not at all the actual ones, which were much less.
What sunscreens do is absorb or reflect UVB or UVA and UVB. So to answer your question, think about titanium dioxide, which is a fine white powder. If you get a very concentrated cream of titanium dioxide and you butter yourself up to the point of being white, I think you will get a SPF higher than 30. So maybe, what your chemist meant was that in commercial sunscreens, the max SPF is 30, because of the limitations in the amount of sunscreen chemicals manufacturers can put in and sell their products. Basically, no one is going to buy something which is going to make them sticky and all white just to get a SPF higher than 30.
The other parameter you may want to consider is that sunscreens block very little of UVA, which also causes cell and DNA damage and aging; along with this issue, UVB, which are very blocked by sunscreens, are vital to us because they're the catalysts of our vitamin D production in our skin. And vitamin D is crucial for lots of body functions.
Finally, I know that new sunscreen chemicals have been released on the market last year I think and I know nothing of these new molecules. I am very careful with new molecules in the cosmetic market as the toxicity testing for cometic chemicals is much less thorough than with drugs.
I hope this helps you, and I am sorry I cannot offer you more as I would have to analyze each sunscreen chemical individually to give you a perfect answer and I cannot do that.
I hope you find this answer satisfactory enough.
Have a beautiful day,
Take good care
Caroline-Morgane
http://www.naturepurity.com
http://blog.naturepurity.com
