Jan 16, 2024 at 12:00
In practice, sunscreens provide much less protection than stated on the packaging, the RIVM concludes. When the so-called Sun Protection Factor (SPF) is tested in a lab, a much thicker layer of sunscreen is tested than consumers apply.
The test concerns 2 milligrams per square centimeter. People who apply sunscreen to their skin reach approximately 0.5 milligrams. This creates a difference between the results in the lab and reality.
“SPF50, SPF30 and SPF20 indicate that people can sit in the sun fifty, thirty or twenty times longer without burning than without applying sunscreen,” says the RIVM. “In practice, this is only seven, four and two times longer.”
The RIVM emphasizes that proper application is important, because burned skin increases the risk of melanoma. That is a dangerous form of skin cancer.
Beeld: Getty Images
Read more about:
Health
2024-01-16 11:00:04
#Sunscreen #works #practice #laboratory #NU.nl
