We see commercials and hear about cosmetic products such as sunblock creams and moisturizers. More often than not, these products claim to have SPF 15 or SPF 30. Common misconceptions include one where people think that SPF 15 indicates that the sunscreen would allow them to be out in the sun for 15 hours without them getting sunburn. But have we ever asked ourselves what it is?
SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. SPF is a laboratory measurement that describes how effective a sunscreen is at blocking UV-B rays. These are the rays that are actually the cause of sunburn. The higher the SPF count, the more effective the sunblock is.
