We spend a great deal of time out in the sun, especially during the hot summer months.
While it is true that sun can be a great source of Vitamin D, the UV rays from the sun can be extremely damaging.
Sunscreen and sunblock can help to protect your skin from these harmful UV rays.
It is important that you are aware of the Difference Between Sunscreen And Sunblock so you can effectively choose the product that is right for you.
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Properties of Sunscreen vs Sunblock
Sunscreen has ingredients that are made to absorb the UV rays of the sun so that very little of it reaches the skin.
On the other hand, sunblock is made to actually stop the UV rays from reaching the skin.
When applied to the skin, sunscreen is transparent while sunblock is visible.
Protection of Sunscreen vs Sunblock
Both sunscreen and sunblock is designed to protect your skin from UVA and UVB rays from the sun.
Sunscreens contain SPF factors that tell you how long you can stay in the sun before getting sunburned.
The higher the level of SPF, the more protection you have from harmful UV rays.
You can read all about SPF here.
Sunblock gives you more protection from UV rays than sunscreen does but there are no SPF units in sunblock.
This is a very important difference between Sunscreen and Sunblock.
Active Ingredients of Sunscreen vs Sunblock
Sunscreen is loaded with an array of ingredients but you want to choose sunscreen that contains benzophenone, oxybenzone, methyl anthranilate or octinoxate.
The active ingredients you should look for with sunblock include iron oxide, titanium oxide or zinc oxide.
It’s also beneficial if your sunscreen contains some soothing ingredients.
Choosing between Sunscreen vs Sunblock
When using sunscreen, if you have fair skin, you want to use one with an SPF of 15 or higher. If you are very sun-sensitive, you want to use sunblock instead of sunscreen.
Sun protection products are usually available in creams, lotions and oils.
With oil products, you won’t have sufficient UV protections since they contain lower SPF levels, when compared to creams and lotions.
