A customer recently asked us this question so we turned it into a blog post, in case someone else wonders: How much UVA protection does Waxhead Sunscreen have?
Zinc Oxide (used in all Waxhead Sunscreens) has what's know as a flat absorption curve, meaning it protects equally well through the entire UVB range and crucially, the UVA range.
So if you're getting a 30 SPF on the surface (against the UVB rays), you're getting the equivalent of 30 against the deeper tissue UVA rays.
This is not true of ANY other active sunscreen ingredient, including titanium dioxide, which although it does as well as zinc oxide against UVB rays, begins to lose effectiveness in the first half of UVA, and has almost no effect in the 2nd half of the UVA range.
In other words, zinc oxide is the only ingredient which doesn't produce a disconnect between the effects on the skin's surface and deeper tissue effects.
So with zinc oxide, if you're beginning to get damage in deeper tissues, you'll also start to feel the direct effects on the surface, which is nature's way of telling the user to reapply, cover up, go inside for lunch, or seek shade.
(Products that rely on petrochemicals or titanium dioxide DO have this disconnect, so users often DON'T feel affects at the surface, even as they receive deep tissue damage that only becomes clear many years later at the dermatologist.)
I hope this helps, and if you need any more info, just let us know at mac@gowaxhead.com.
25% Zinc Oxide
Our travel-friendly, pocket size field tins contain the thickest, toughest, healthiest, non-nano zinc oxide sunscreen you'll find.
Stays on face to defend and nourish skin through through saltwater, pool water and sweat.
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Ask us anything!
Email Mac questions about sunscreen, skincare or anything outdoors > mac@gowaxhead.com
NEXT STEPS
1. Know your ingredients — Flip over your sunscreen and read the ingredients. We want everyone to know what good ingredients are, regardless of whether they use our products or not. Your health is worth it.
2. Buy safe sunscreen — Waxhead is dedicated to using only the healthiest, safest, most effective ingredients in our sunscreens. Shop Safe Sunscreen here.
3. Teach a friend — If you know someone who might still be buying sunscreen with questionable ingredients, please share this post with him/her.
