The sun’s UV rays are ultraviolet, meaning they are undetectable to the naked eye. Those ultraviolet rays cause skin cancer because the sun sends out radiation and which burns and eats up your skin. How does sunblock block those UV rays? There are two types of sunblock. Physical sunblock contains a material called titanium oxide as well as zinc oxide and minerals. Those materials are reflectors, so they reflect the sun away from your skin. The other type of sunblock is called chemical sunblock. Chemical sunblock(aka organic sunblock) uses chemicals that absorb the UV rays, so it doesn’t go into your skin. The chemicals that do that are oxybenzone, octinoxate, homosalate, avobenzone, and octocrylene.
What sunblock is the best? Overall, people tend to lean towards the spray-on sunblock because it is easier and mess-free, but unfortunately, spray-on sunblock doesn’t have an accurate spread across your body, and has less UV protection. It also does more damage to coral reefs. Although lotion sunblock is harder to put on, it is the one that best protects you because you’re getting better accuracy when putting on sunblock. And better for the ecosystem. The Sunblock that works the best is a lotion, also any sunblock with an SPF higher than 30.
Comment down below if you learned anything new about sunscreen and what your favorite summer activities are. Have a nice day, Bobcats!
