Video Transcript:

Voiceover: This consumer update is brought to you by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Sunscreen can be an important part of protecting our skin from the sun’s harmful rays. But how do we know which sunscreens provide the greatest protection?

We all need protection from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. Also called UV radiation, it includes both UVB and UVA wavelengths. Sunburn is primarily caused by UVB. Both types of ultraviolet light can cause skin cancer and early skin aging.

So how does sunscreen work? Let’s think of our sunscreen as if it were a beach umbrella.

Does it help protect against both UVA and UVB rays, or does it let some wavelengths through?

No sunscreen completely blocks UV rays. But by using the right product as directed, and in combination with other measures including wearing protective clothing, you can reduce your risk of skin cancer and early skin aging. To begin providing adequate protection, sunscreens should have a Sun Protection Factor – known as SPF – of at least 15. But that’s not enough. This will stop some UVB rays but may not stop UVA rays. To protect against both, you need something called broad spectrum protection.

So let’s increase the protection by adding “BROAD SPECTRUM” to our SPF 15 sunscreen. Now we’re protecting against UVA and UVB rays.

OK, what happens if we increase the SPF to 50 but leave out “BROAD SPECTRUM?” The higher SPF provides more protection against UVB rays – but without “BROAD SPECTRUM” this may not adequately protect against UVA rays.

So what does all this science boil down to? For greater protection, sunscreen should have an SPF value of 15 or higher and be “BROAD SPECTRUM.”

Changes take a little time, so you may not see sunscreens labeled this way in 2011. But starting in the summer of 2012, for the greatest protection look for sunscreens with an SPF of at least 15 and “BROAD SPECTRUM” on the label.

For more about sunscreen labels and how to best to protect yourself, go to fda.gov/sunscreen.