This summer, you have to remember to reapply sunscreen. Wear sunscreen Essential for protecting your skin from harmful UV rays. Experts agree that you should reapply sunscreen every two hoursMaybe sooner if you’re swimming or sweating outside. Sometimes it can be hard to keep track of it, but there are new UV stickers that claim to help you remember.
I tested a few brands of uv labels that help you know when sunscreen is no longer protecting you. For the most accurate results, i tested these uv labels with different types of sunscreen (Mineral, chemical, and a combination of both). The results were unexpected. Keep reading to find out what you should know about reapplying sunscreen and what to expect when using UV stickers.
What are UV stickers?
UV stickers detect ultraviolet rays coming from the sun. When applying sunscreen on the label, it should go clear, which means you are protected from harmful rays. Stickers that turn purple alert you that you’ve lost that protection and you should reapply sunscreen. The idea is that these stickers will tell you when you need to reapply long before you get alerted the old-fashioned way – red sunburn.
I tested SpotMyUV UV stickers. They are readily available on Amazon And Goal for about $15. It should be noted that I tested for the first time UVIFY UV stickers, a budget alternative to SpotMyUV. Those labels didn’t work for me and they won’t come on clear, even after multiple layers of sunscreen. Fortunately, the SpotMyUV stickers turned out to be colorful for me.
Remind yourself to reapply sunscreen.
SpotMyUV labels do not necessarily test sunscreen effectiveness or SPF level. That’s up to specialized, high-tech labs. However, it can tell you when your sunscreen is no longer protecting you or not, either.
How do you use UV stickers?
I tested these on my sunny balcony.
Caroline Eggo/CNET
I followed the directions on the back of the bag. First, lift the stickers off the paper and apply them to your upper arm or other sun-exposed skin. Then cover exposed, patched skin with sunscreen, wait 30 seconds and gently rub the sunscreen in. After a minute in the sun (or longer if there is cloud coverage), the stickers should turn from dark purple to translucent. The clear label means you are protected.
In my own experience, I applied a tester to the upper part of my arm, then applied four stickers to the upper part of my leg. Then I waited 30 seconds to allow the sunscreen to absorb before rubbing it on. However, I have Seen on TikTok Some people wait a full 15 minutes before applying sunscreen and going outside. Regardless, I think we got similar results.
Rate my uv stickers under the sun
Caroline Eggo/CNET
I tested these SpotMyUV stickers on a hot day when the UV rays were 9 and there was minimal cloud coverage. During my two-hour experiment, I sat in the sun on my porch and took my dog for a walk.
I tested four different brands of sunscreen with four labels to reveal. The sunscreen was two chemicals, one mineral and the other was a mixture of minerals and chemical.
Chemical sunscreen
I covered the top left of the UV sticker Superjob! Invisible sunscreen. It contains avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate and octocrylene and has an spf of 40. This sunscreen is a little different from most chemical sunscreens, as it is mild and light. I was interested to see if this formula would still work with these uv stickers.
The lower right label has been covered with Everyday Humans Oh My Bod sunscreen. Similar to Supergoop, this sunscreen contains avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, and octocrylene. However, Everyday Humans has the look and feel of a traditional sunscreen. It also has an SPF of 50.
Mineral sunscreen
The lower left UV label has been covered with Venus Williams Eleven Serum is like no other sunscreen. It contains zinc oxide and SPF 40. I picked this product not only because it’s the best mineral sunscreen, but because I wanted to test a mineral formula with labels.
Combo sunblock
Finally, I got used to it EltaMD UV Daily sunscreen on the lower right label. This lightweight sunscreen contains both zinc oxide and octinoxate. It was a good sunscreen to compare to the results of an all mineral sunscreen.
My unexpected results
UV stickers when you first applied them.
Caroline Eggo/CNET
I was shocked (and a little confused) by my results. I should first note that after waiting 30 seconds and gently rubbing the sunscreen onto the stickers, a sticky film came off. I thought maybe it was the sunscreen, but that happened on every single label. I’ve searched SpotMyUV for answers but haven’t found anything; I’m not sure if that is supposed to happen. According to the siteEach sticker has three layers. This could have been the first layer that came off when i rubbed the sunscreen on and this could have skewed my results. Regardless, this is what I found.
My results in the first minute:
Caroline Ego/CNET Invisible (Chemical, SPF 40): A light purple color like no other sun serum (Mineral, SPF 40): Just turned lighter. Almost completely clear
My results in the first 5 minutes:
Caroline Ego/CNET Unseen (Chemical, SPF 40): Turned clear with a streak of purple, Unparalleled Sun Serum (Mineral, SPF 40): Turned just a shade lighter. (Chemical, SPF 50): Completely visibly transformed
The stickers stayed that way until about half an hour. The mineral sunscreen label started to turn purple, so I reapplied with Everyday Humans Oh My Bod on three of our four testers.
My results after 30 minutes and a second application of chemical sunscreen:
Caroline Ego/CNET Unseen (Chemist, SPF 40): Transforming Totally Pure Unparalleled Sun Serum (Mineral, SPF 40): Transforming Totally Pure EltaMD UV Daily (Combo, SPF 40): Transforming Totally Clean
My results after an hour:
CNET/Caroline Ego Invisible (Chemical, SPF 40): Sliver Turned Light Purple, Incomparable Sun Serum (Mineral, SPF 40): A totally clear shade EltaMD UV Daily (Combo, SPF 40): Turning to light purple Turning light purple
Then I went out for a walk in the sun. I noticed that the bottom left label with a layer of mineral sunscreen and a layer of chemical sunscreen stayed clear. The bottom right label of just one layer of chemical sunscreen is starting to turn purple. The upper left label with two layers of chemical sunscreen was a sliver of dark purple, and the upper right label was with one layer of sunscreen and a layer of chemicals almost entirely purple.
My results after 2 hours:
By then, the sun had set.
Caroline Ego/CNET Unseen (chemist, SPF 40): Sliver turned dark purple. : turned mottled purple
It is recommended to use 2 hours to reapply sunscreen. This ended my experience.
Do UV stickers really work?
The uv stickers i tested turned clear when covered with sunscreen and exposed to the sun. In this aspect, I would say that these stickers work. However, the results i got did not accurately reflect how well each sunscreen protected from the sun. First, i could not get the label that had mineral sunscreen in it to be completely clear. This could be user error – I may not have applied enough the first time. The brand claims it works with both mineral and chemical sunscreen, but I can’t find any studies to back this up. Also, Supergoop didn’t turn out as clearly as the poster with Everyday Humans. I wonder if this has something to do with the formula, which is so different from traditional sunscreen. Looking at their website, it appears that it was designed to work with a typical thick, white sunscreen.
I will not just rely on these UV stickers. Especially since I’ve found that it doesn’t quite work with mineral sunscreen. However, they can’t hurt if they help you remember to reapply. The best sunscreen you can get is any sunscreen you wear and reapply.
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق