418 Views
micho
Oily/Resilient
Basically from my understanding, you can never assume that just because a SPF uses low percentages of UV filters means it doesn't provide adequate protection.
Sunscreen formulation is tricky and it depends on various factors, not just how much UV filters they use. There's a lot of ingredients that boost the SPF protection of UV filters (see butyloctyl salicylate).
But yeah, can't judge a SPF based off it's percentage of UV filters.
Hope this helps.
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Hinarushi
Dry/Sensitive
Thanks for your response. I know that manufacturers include ingredients that stabilise some UV filters but I've never heard of any ingredient that can stabilise zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. I've only found some information about this 20% zinc oxide content. Of course that I am obviously not a chemist, I just find it fishy for some skin experts and enthusiasts to claim this percentage is a requirement for optimal sun protection.
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Bazz
Dry/Resilient
what’s bn cream?
Did you mean BB cream? if you could link the product in this post it would clarify the questions.
If it is BB cream, it’s basically tinted moisturizer with more coverage that regular tinted sunscreen.
If It is from Australia, then their sunscreen testing and requirements is quite high, so I know they will provide the labelled SPF protection.
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Hinarushi
Dry/Sensitive
I made a typo, meant to be BB cream heh. Here is the link: https://australiangold.co.uk/collections/best-sellers/products/botanical-spf-50-tinted-face-lotion
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Bazz
Dry/Resilient
Ahhh Yes. That is the same one.
Yup it is very fishy that some of these people
only claim 20% is the right amount.
Since zinc oxide is a white insoluble powder, 20% it’s not gonna be as elegant or something you want to wear each day.
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Hinarushi
Dry/Sensitive
Exactly. I just hope that this information gets out more to the consumers. I personally avoided purchasing some sunscreens out of fear that they seemed to have a low percentage of active ingredients. Just as micho has mentioned, products are formulated differently. When it comes to mineral based filters though, I got confused what ingredients could boost the efficacy of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide (as opposed to chemical filters). But now I am aware that there are more things that come into play in a formulation (I'm thinking specifically at the size of the particles, either nano or non-nano). I think that there are some consumers who are in the same boat where they don't have enough knowledge to make an informed purchase and just go with the highest percentage of active ingredients. Unless they perform outdoor sports and/or don't mind about the cosmetic elegance or white cast, this is problematic as they won't end up using the product lol. I want high protection. Everyone needs to be clever when it comes to their SPF purchases.
/rant
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mdute
Oily/Resilient
Michelle has a lot of videos about SPF, this is one of them: https://youtu.be/4JOWwwEFI8A It shows research that’s been done on around 6% zinc. She also has videos explaining how different zinc coatings change the SPF factor and why DIY sunscreen doesn’t work.
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Hinarushi
Dry/Sensitive
Thanks for linking that! :) The other day I read in a local magazine how to create DIY "natural" sunscreen. It made me very angry because people will try these DIY projects and get a bad burn!
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