What is SPF and Why Should you Care About It?

If you have been looking for information on sunscreens, definitely you have come across the term SPF. SPF is short for sun protection factor. It is an indicator of the efficacy of a sunscreen product. Sunscreen products with low SPF are said to have low protection, those with a moderate SPF are said to offer moderate protection, while those with a high SPF are said to offer high protection.
This is how FDA classifies sunscreen products:

• Minimal protection:      2 to 11
• Moderate protection:    12 to 29
• High protection:            30+

It is important to note that a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 is not stronger than a sunscreen with an SPF of 15. What the SPF indicates is the length of protection and not the strength of protection. For example, a sunscreen with an SPF of 20 offers 20 times protection while a sunscreen with an SPF of  2 SPF offers 2 times protection. However, products differ in the amount of harmful UV rays that they block. For example, a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 protects against 97% of all harmful rays while a product with an SPF of 15 provides protection against 93% of harmful rays. As you can see, the difference is negligible.

It is also important to note that SPF shows protection against UVB rays; it is not indicative of protection against UVA rays

Why should you Care About SPF?
Because the protection you get is proportional to the SPF. You should always select a sunscreen based on your skin type.
Related: Matching your Skin Type to SPF