LEVELS OF PROTECTION

On the front of every sunscreen bottle is its SPF score, which stands for Sun Protection Factor.

This score is an indicator of how well a particular sunscreen protects against one type of UV radiation the skin is exposed to, called UVB. The higher the score, the more protection against UVB the sunscreen offers. UVB exposure causes the most damage to your body and can damage cellular

DNA, potentially leading to the development of skin cancer. Protection against the other type of UV radiation, called UVA, is not accounted for in SPF scores. However, in the UK sunscreen bottles also have a five-star rating system to gauge UVA protection levels. The NHS recommends the use of sunscreens with an SPF score of 30 or above and at least a four-star rating for UVA protection.