What Is Sunscreen SPF?
SPF is the abbreviation for Sun Protection Factor and is the system used worldwide to determine how much protection a sunscreen provides, applied to the skin at a thickness of 2 mg/cm2. This system calculates how much UV radiation (mostly UVB) it takes to cause a barely detectable sunburn on a given person with and without sunscreen applied. For example, if it takes 10 minutes to burn without a sunscreen and 100 minutes to burn with a sunscreen, then the SPF of that sunscreen is 10 (100/10). Currently there is no internationally agreed-upon test for measuring UVA protection in human skin. An estimate is made by a laboratory test in which the proportion of radiation passing through a measured amount of sunscreen is determined. To ensure some protection against UVA, products with physical blocking agents making up some of the active ingredients are recommended.
