Mia must know…I am freaked out by all the news on skin cancer. Needless to say I’m applying heavy-duty sunscreen to me and my kids, especially while we’re at the beach. I totally understand you have to reapply sunscreen after it washes off but the kids get covered in sand while they’re playing and I’m […]
Mia must know…I am freaked out by all the news on skin cancer. Needless to say I’m applying heavy-duty sunscreen to me and my kids, especially while we’re at the beach. I totally understand you have to reapply sunscreen after it washes off but the kids get covered in sand while they’re playing and I’m constantly brushing it off of them. Does the sand scrub off the sunscreen just like the water washes it away?
The Beauty Brains respond:
The answer is: it depends on how you brush off the sand.
Sunscreen sand-wich
A study published in the July/August 2012 issue of the Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Science was designed to determine if the degree of sun protection is affected by brushing sand off of sunscreen-treated skin. Five different testing sites were marked on the skin of test subjects: one untreated, one treated with sunscreen alone, and the other 3 treated with sunscreen and then sprinkled with 3 different grades of sand (fine, medium, and coarse.) The sand was brushed off of the skin and all 5 sites where exposed to a uniform dose of UV radiation for a set period of time.
The results showed that there was no difference in SPF with or without the sand. While this is only a single study, it does indicate that sand doesn’t remove a significant amount of sunscreen. Of course, we would expect the results to vary depending on how the sand is removed. In this study they literally brushed it away with a paint brush. If you use something more absorbent, like a beach towel, you may find that more sunscreen is removed.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
According to this study, sunscreens are reasonably resistant to removal by sand. However, it can’t hurt to apply more sunscreen if you’re worried that your kids aren’t properly protected.
Reference: “Sand resistance of sunscreens” Michael Caswell, et al. JSCC, Vol 63 No. 4
Image credit: http://farm4.staticflickr.com
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