Euro SPF vs. US SPF?

[iheartcolor]

Pardon me if this has been covered already, as I searched and found nothing that answered my question: Does European SPF differ then US SPF? I have seen several Euro products that have SPF of like, 6 or 8. Someone told me it "translates" into like 20 or 25 here in America, but I am not totally convinced. Does anyone know the answer? I have a Korres face cream I *adore*, but the SPF is only 6 and I would really love it if it came with a higher rating (like 15).

Thank you!

 

[Aprill]

the conversions may be different, but the formulas are the same

 

[iheartcolor]

Right...I guess my main question was "Is there an accurate conversion?" if there really is a conversion at all. :kopfkratz:

Lauren

 

[Aprill]

I will look and see for you

this is what I found:

SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. The number is determined experimentally indoors by exposing human subjects to a light spectrum meant to mimic noontime sun. Some subjects wear sunscreen and others do not. The amount of light that induces redness in sunscreen-protected skin, divided by the amount of light that induces redness in unprotected skin is the SPF. It is mainly a measure of UVB protection and ranges from 1 to 45 or above.

A sunscreen with an SPF of 15 filters 92% of the UVB. Put another way, a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 will delay the onset of a sunburn in a person who would otherwise burn in 10 minutes to burn in 150 minutes. The SPF 15 sunscreen allows a person to stay out in the sun 15 times longer.

There is currently no uniform measure of UVA absorption. There are broad-spectrum sunscreens that protect against UVA and UVB radiation although it is important to remember that the SPF does not predict UVA protection. The UV Index is a public health education tool reported by meteorologists in 58 U.S. cities. It offers a daily report of UV light levels on a scale from 1-10+.

The "protectiveness" of clothing can also be measured by SPF. The following are SPF's of various types of clothing:

Nylon Stockings - SPF 2

Hats - SPF 3-6

Summer-weight clothing - SPF 6.5

Sun-protective clothing - up to SPF 30

so there are no conversions to it, some things have better protection than others

one more edit: i looked up the face cream by that brand, it is just a low SPF product, they have some with higher SPF's than that

 

[iheartcolor]

Thanks a million..I can't seem to find an answer! /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[Aprill]

i posted the answer

 

[iheartcolor]

Thanks again. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

I also managed to find this: The starting point for the European SPF system is the period of time in which pale Northern European skin can remain in the sun without getting red and tender - which is normally 20 minutes at the beginning of the sunbathing season

If, for example, an SPF 8 sunscreen is applied, this means the skin can remain in the sun for 8 x 20 minutes (160 minutes) without getting burned

I think I understand now. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 

[magosienne]

i know there isn't one way to measure the spf, but i think you can trust labels. i mean a spf 15 will always be a lower spf than 40 for example, so according to that and the place where you're going, you can choose a different spf.

 

[katrosier]

I think that was a long time ago , apparently new formulas are a universal measure as in SPF 15 european is the same SPF in the US. The old forumlas were there just to protect you from burning , whereas now we know you need to wear sunscreen whether you burn or not.

HTH

 

[Kathy]

I have never heard of them being different. I think an SPF 15, for example, means you can stay in the sun 15 times longer whether it's in Europe or in the states. Math tends to be the "universal language" so, IMO I don't think they would be any different.