Which factor protects best? And what should you pay attention to if you want to buy a sunscreen? Your questions answered by KIJK.
1) What is the best sunscreen to use?
Pretty wiedes, you might think now. The higher the factor, the better the protection. But that’s not too bad. “Sunscreen can act as a kind of mirror, but it can also absorb the harmful radiation that can cause skin cancer,” explains Linda Sumner, spokesperson for the Dutch Cancer Society. “Factor 30 blocks about 97 percent of harmful UV rays, while factor 50 offers about 98 percent protection.” The higher factor therefore blocks or absorbs just a little more and therefore offers longer protection. The choice seems simple. Still, factor 30 is the better choice for some people, contradictory as that may sound. “Both factors work very well. But if we lubricate with factor 50, we think we are extra well protected and are therefore less likely to lubricate again,” says Sumner. And re-lubrication is very important. You lose part of the sunburn through, for example, sweat or the friction of your towel. After two hours you have often lost so much that you have to apply a new layer regardless of the factor. Factor 30 is therefore good enough for most people.
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2) Is a more expensive sunscreen always better?
Now that you know which SPF factor to go for, the next question arises: which brand should you buy? For example, is an expensive cream better? Sumner: “The price of sunscreen Doesn’t matter; a cheap bottle gives the same protection as a more expensive one. The costs are often mainly in the extras surrounding it, such as the packaging, the scent or the spreadability.”
It is good to pay attention to the ingredients that are in the cream. Many of the sunscreens we use contain ingredients that are bad for the environment. If you have just applied yourself and then go for a swim in the sea, a layer will wash off. You won’t notice it yourself, but marine life will suffer. The Consumers’ Association investigated which sunscreens are most harmful to the environment.
You can also find the above answers in the extra thick summer issue of KIJK. In this edition we take a closer look at even more summer advice.
3) How long can you keep a bottle of sunscreen?
The Dutch Cancer Society recommends throwing away the spreadable substance after a year. The website states the following: “Sunscreen has a limited shelf life, because the factor (SPF) decreases after opening. The cream will then protect you less well. Therefore, do not store sunscreen for too long.”
Sunscreens contain so-called UV blockers that lose their effect over time. That’s because oxygen bonds with it, changing the chemical composition of those blockers. And when the composition changes, the function changes.
In a bottle, this process is relatively slow – especially if it is still unopened – but still fast enough to have to buy a new one after a year. On your skin, where sunscreen is exposed to oxygen, this goes much faster. That is also the reason why you have to apply yourself several times during the day in order not to burn.
Text: Tim Tomassen, Laurien Onderwater
Sources: KIJK Summer Edition 2023, KWF Cancer Control, Consumers Association, NRC
Beeld: Kinga Krzeminska/Getty Images
2023-07-08 07:00:13
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