A Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS - professional membership body for pharmacists and pharmacy in Great Britain) survey into sunscreen use has revealed a worrying lack of understanding about the degree of sun protection different products provide. RPS is calling for one uniform rating for all sun protection products.
RPS press release
Many consumers are unaware that the SPF rating alone displayed in sunscreen labelling does not guarantee good all round protection from potential sun damage.
In the survey of 2,000 GB adults, only 8% of those surveyed knew that the SPF rating on the product label refers to protection from UVB rays only – and does not also include protection from harmful UVA rays – typically indicated by a separate ‘star’ rating. More than 80% said they either thought the SPF was an indication of levels of protection from both UVB and UVA (56%) or they simply did not know what the rating stood for (25%).
Less than a third of those surveyed said they always checked the UVA star rating when buying sunscreen (31%), and 20% of students and 15% of adults with children in their household admitted that they never checked it.
Chief Scientist for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Professor Jayne Lawrence said:
'This survey indicates that there is a huge amount of confusion around sunscreen labelling that is a barrier to effective sun protection. Clearly many consumers do not realise the SPF rating applies only to the amount of protection offered against UVB rays, not …
