Is sunblock different from sunscreen?

sunblock and sunscreen

Yes!  Sunblock deflects UV rays while  sunscreen absorbs them.  Put it another way, the former refers to a physical sunblock and the latter, a chemical sunblock.  Yet, most of us use both words interchangeably.

In my earlier entry, What’s The Correct Sunblock Dosage?, I’ve already explained that physical sunblocks are those that uses titanium dioxide or zinc oxide to reflect or scatter UV radiation before it reaches our skin.  Chemical sunblocks on the other hand, use organic absorber to absorb UV rays and invalid the damage of UV achieving a full blockage of a broad spectrum UV rays.   

What’s the correct sunblock dosage?

Yuri Ebihara for Anessa

Yuri Ebihara for Shiseido Anessa

I was browsing through a beauty forum and came across some interesting discussions regarding the dosage of sunblock application.  According to some of the girls, we need to apply half a teaspoon of sunblock on our face in order to enjoy the full SPF.  On top of that, we need to reapply every two hours to maintain the protection. 

Badger SPF30 Sunblock product review

badger sunscreenFinally, after many months of waiting, Badger SPF30 Sunblock will be available during mid December here in Singapore. 

Surprising, I am not as keen on the product anymore probably because I now have Keys Solar Rx SPF30+.  But I will likely still purchase it for my kid since it looks like the 2007 formulation is now again rated the safest and most effective over at EWG Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database.

Is higher SPF in sunblocks better?

Yoon Eun Hye for DHC suncare range

Yoon Eun Hye for DHC Suncut

A lot of us are probably under the impression that the higher the Sun Protection Factor or SPF of a sunblock, the better the protection.  In theory, that is suppose to be so but in reality, studies have shown that products with a SPF over 50 do not provide any significantly better protection than one over 30. 

Protecting against UVB
According to The Skin Cancer Foundation, most sunblocks with an SPF of 15 or higher do an excellent job of protecting against UVB.