Sun Care

The sun care industry is comprised of those establishments who are primarily concerned with the retailing of sun protection, after-sun exposure, and self-tanning products. Sun care consists of product lines designed to reflect or absorb the ultraviolet radiation emitted from the sun, so that the skin exposed to this sunlight and its affects are protected against burning. Physical sun care products are those that reflect the sun’s rays, while chemical sun care products absorb the rays.

Sun care products are often referred to as sun block, block out, sun lotion, sun cream, or sun screen, and are typically available in gel, spray, or lotion forms. As lighter skin pigmentations are more susceptible to enduring damage from sun exposure than darker skin pigmentations, there are sun care products focused on light skin types, and sun screen is also available in a variety of SPF (Sun Protection Factor) degrees.

The SPF of a sun screen is equivalent to its effective nature. The higher the SPF, the more sun protection it is capable of providing again the ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Though commonly though that the SPF degrees dictates how long the wearer can be safely exposed to sunlight, this is not the case. Sun protection is dependent upon not only the SPF of sun screen, but also the amount of sun block that has been applied, the skin type of the consumer wearing the block, the activities a wearer is participating in during that time period, and how much of the sun screen has been absorbed by the skin. For the most effective usage of sun screen, it is recommended that sun block be applied up to thirty minutes prior to sun exposure, and then reapplied once after having been in the sun for fifteen to 30 minutes. Though SPF 30+ was once considered adequate for sun protection, recent developments have manufacturers creating sun care products with SPF 100 capabilities, and conscientious consumers are purchasing the new increased protection product.