Much to many people’s confusion, sun protection labelling is changing. This is due to a new EU initiative to standardise the way that sun protection is described and labelled, eventually meaning that you, the customer, can make an easier and more informed decision on which product to buy.

Sun lotion used to be marketed purely on its SPF, or Sun Protection Factor. This indicates the time it would take a person to become sunburnt compared to the time it would have taken if not using sun protection. So, if a person would usually burn in 10 minutes, by using an SPF 20 product, they could stay in the sun 20 times longer, or in this example, 200 minutes.

The EU Initiative now places sun protections into 4 categories. They advise this is to be used in conjunction with the SPF for a clearer explanation of the level of protection offered:

In addition, a new logo with the letters “UVA” circled has been introduced, and often replaces any “star ratings” previously used. This logo aims to give consumers the opportunity to choose sunscreen products offering not only UVB protection, but also against UVA radiation as both are harmful to human health. Further information on the effects of these rays is explained in more detail below. The new logo ensures a there is at least the minimum UVA protection requirement in the sunscreen.

The new EU initiative also prevents the use of words such as ‘Total Protection” and “Once a Day”. They feel this may lead people to seeing such products as a ‘licence’ to lay out in the sun all day everyday. As the main aim of this initiative is to protect people’s skin, even a formula such as our very popular Ultrasun, which always was and still IS a once a day application, can no longer advertise this fact on the label. Instead, the EU Initiative encourages phrases such as “Reapply Frequently’ instead, even on products previously labelled as “All Day Protection”.

So what does UVA and UVB mean? These 2 terms relate to the waves emitted by the sun. It was once thought that only UVB rays were the only culprit when it came to skin cancer, but more recent studies have shown that this is not the case.

UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin, meaning the damage is done at the base level – the kind which we can’t see in the mirror. This is he kind of damage which causes premature ageing and increases the onset of wrinkles. It has also recently been discovered that UVA rays are too responsible for the onset of skin cancers, meaning protection from them is much more important than first thought.

The UVB rays cause the damage we can see, in the form of the burning and reddening of the skin due to excessive sun exposure. In a vice versa effect to UVA rays, UVB rays play the key role in the potential development of skin cancer and a smaller, but still very real role in skin ageing.

Therefore, they key is to use a sun protection which offers both good UVA & UVB protection.

Check out our sun protection range to view our huge range of sun protection products. Alternatively, call us on 0870 861 6000.

Why buy sun protection from ifsogo.com?
We offer a huge range of sun protections for all budgets and skin types, even some of the more specialist products such as Ultrasun and The Sun Mousse Proderm.

We also offer free express delivery on ALL orders and do our best to despatch all orders placed by 4pm the same day. Our website displays as much information as possible about each sun protection, but we also try to arm ourselves personally with all the knowledge we can so that if you’d like a bit more info, we are able to help. If you catch us out and ask us a question we don’t know the answer to, we will happily nip into the warehouse and grab a bottle of the actual product you are asking about (all products are in stock) or get straight onto the manufacturer and ring you right back.