SPF and sunscreen are terms used interchangeably most of the time and even by skin care professionals. However, this can be misleading to the consumer, making people assume that their skin is protected against sunlight because a product they use has SPF.
Very often in clinic I hear clients saying that they do not need a sunscreen product because their moisturiser, foundation, BB cream, etc has SPF in it.
The truth is that SPF is not broad spectrum sunscreen, which is what your skin needs if you want to prevent about 85% of premature skin ageing, minimise inflammation, redness and hyper-pigmentation. And let's not forget that 86% of melanoma skin cancer is preventable just by protecting your skin against the sun.
Firstly let's understand what broad spectrum protection is.
There are four different types of light that come from the sun and affect our skin. These are UVA, UVB, infrared-A and HEVL (High-Energy Visible Light).
UVA is commonly known as the ageing rays, UVB as the burning rays, HEVL and infrared-A cause further damage to the skin.
A study from Newcastle University published in The FASEB Journal concluded that HEVL and infrared-A dramatically contribute to skin damage when UV light is present, which is the case with sunlight. The study noticed that fibroblasts, the cells that make collagen and elastin, were much more damaged with the inclusion of HEVL and infrared-A light.
So ideally, you want a sunscreen that offers UVA, UVB, infrared-A and HEVL protection. Most broad spectrum sunscreen products offer only UVA and UVB protection, so look for a sunscreen that also offers infrared-A and HEVL protection.
Now let's understand what SPF is.
SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor and it relates to UVB protection only. This is the why it cannot be interpreted as broad spectrum sunscreen.
The number that follows the SPF relates to time. For example, a SPF15 means that it would take 15 times longer for your skin to burn compared to if you were not wearing any SPF at all.
Now let's think of a foundation with a SPF20, for example. Firstly the product does not have to be tested for its SPF efficacy, it's a foundation after all. So it leaves room for false claims.
Secondly, for you to get the UVB protection only stated in the product, you would need to apply a huge amount of it. So a foundation with a SPF20 is only giving you some UVB protection, nothing else. The same applies to any other products with SPF only.
Considering that sunscreen is vital in any skincare routine due to its multiple protective and preventative benefits for the skin, this is a product you want to get right. So be picky next time you buy a sunscreen product and make sure it ticks all the boxes, UVA, UVB, Infrared-A and HEVL.