Everyone likes to spend time outdoors, but with one of the harshest climates in the world, Australians need to be particularly careful. The reality is that we have one of the highest rates of skin cancer worldwide and about two in three of us will be affected during our lifetime.1
Choosing the best sunscreen for your skin type is an important element for your skin care regimen and especially relevant.
The importance of sun protection
What many people don’t realise is that sun damage can occur in less than 15 minutes, even when doing everyday things like hanging out washing or taking the dog for a walk. Protection is necessary even on cloudy days, since up to 80% of the sun’s UV rays can penetrate light cloud cover.2
How do you choose the best sunscreen?
We get asked this question all of the time. And although we believe we make the best sunscreens with SunSense, let’s have a look at what goes into making sunscreens to get a better picture.
Sunscreens work in different ways to help protect us against the rays of the sun. They can have a chemical absorber or physical blocker or have a mixture of the two.
- Chemical absorbers penetrate the skin and absorb the sun’s rays so they don’t reach down into the lower layers of skin and cause damage. They work by absorbing UV light.
- Physical blockers lay a thin film on top of the skin that reflects the sun’s rays back. Examples of physical blockers include titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. They work primarily by reflecting and scattering UV light.
Formulators often combine UV absorbers and physical blockers for a synergistic effect. In fact, that is how most sunscreens are capable of achieving very high sun protection factors (SPF 50+ according to AS/NZS 2604:2012).
Over 25 years of Australian research and development ensures that SunSense sunscreens are tailored for real Australian conditions and real Australian lifestyles. Developed to suit individual needs, SunSense sunscreensprovide the highest SPF available in Australia* and offer both UVA and UVB (broad spectrum) protection.
The SunSense range is specifically formulated using high quality ingredients and leading technology to provide specialised choices for different ages and skin types, including sensitive skin and the delicate skin of young children. We also offer sunscreens with different durations of water resistance and sunscreens tailored for the face and for the body.
So really, the question should be how do you choose the best sunscreen for your skin and your lifestyle?