Another beauty site recently asked the question, "What's the difference between sunscreen and sunblock?" Many people think that both are the same thing to the point that the US FDA has recently banned the word sunblock because it is so confusing. Bye bye sunblock. So what is the difference between the two?
There IS a difference and it really comes down to whether the product protects against both Ultraviolet A radiation, which causes cancer, and Ultraviolet B radiation which is beneficial to the body to produce Vitamin D. Too much UVB can lead to cancer as does UVA however not enough of it can cause medical problems such as the body not producing enough Vitamin D which in turn can cause diseases like Rickets. Sunscreen, under the old rules, did not provide protection from both UVA and UVB while sunblock did. There is no product on the market that protects from Ultraviolet C as there has been little study on the effects of UVC on the skin.
Under the new rules, the word sunblock has been banned and manufacturers of any type of sunscreen can no longer use that word to describe their product. ALL sunscreen must now provide equal coverage of both UVA and UVB radiation. You won't see sunblock disappear from the market right away as the new rule does not go into effect for another year.
According to the N.Y. Times article, the FDA "will also ban sunscreen manufacturers from claiming their products are waterproof or sweatproof because such claims are false. Instead, they will be allowed to claim in minutes the amount of time in which the product is water resistant, depending upon test results. And only sunscreens that have a sun protection factor, or SPF, of 15 or higher will be allowed to maintain that they help prevent sunburn and reduce the risks of skin cancer and early skin aging."
So what else does the new FDA rules state about sunscreen? From the FDA website on the new changes.
Stay safe out in the sun folks! 
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There IS a difference and it really comes down to whether the product protects against both Ultraviolet A radiation, which causes cancer, and Ultraviolet B radiation which is beneficial to the body to produce Vitamin D. Too much UVB can lead to cancer as does UVA however not enough of it can cause medical problems such as the body not producing enough Vitamin D which in turn can cause diseases like Rickets. Sunscreen, under the old rules, did not provide protection from both UVA and UVB while sunblock did. There is no product on the market that protects from Ultraviolet C as there has been little study on the effects of UVC on the skin.
Under the new rules, the word sunblock has been banned and manufacturers of any type of sunscreen can no longer use that word to describe their product. ALL sunscreen must now provide equal coverage of both UVA and UVB radiation. You won't see sunblock disappear from the market right away as the new rule does not go into effect for another year.
According to the N.Y. Times article, the FDA "will also ban sunscreen manufacturers from claiming their products are waterproof or sweatproof because such claims are false. Instead, they will be allowed to claim in minutes the amount of time in which the product is water resistant, depending upon test results. And only sunscreens that have a sun protection factor, or SPF, of 15 or higher will be allowed to maintain that they help prevent sunburn and reduce the risks of skin cancer and early skin aging."
So what else does the new FDA rules state about sunscreen? From the FDA website on the new changes.
So what does the bottle of sunscreen will look like under the new requirements? Here's a picture from the FDA.
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