A sun protection label can be read in a fixed order, and the order matters
Reading a label in sequence, period after opening and expiry, heat and storage, sunscreens against products with an SPF in them, and what the symbols mean.
How to read a sun protection label, in order, and what each step tells you
A sun protection pack can be read as a sequence rather than as a picture. The order matters, because the most prominent element is not the most informative one.
The pack · 13 minPeriod after opening and minimum durability: two markings that measure different things
One is a date, one a duration starting when the pack is opened. Which appears depends on minimum durability, and neither accounts for the drawer it has sat in.
The pack · 12 minHeat, storage and degradation: what the storage instruction is actually about
The instruction to keep a product out of direct sunlight and away from heat is not decorative. It relates directly to the assumptions behind the durability marking and the tested figure.
The pack · 12 minA sunscreen and a product with an SPF in it are not the same category of thing
One is formulated and packaged to be applied in the quantity the test assumes. The other carries a tested figure obtained the same way and is used in a completely different manner.
The pack · 12 minSPF in make up and moisturiser: why the label figure rarely reflects real use
Foundation, tinted cream and lip products carry figures obtained at the same fixed quantity as any sunscreen, and are used in quantities their own design keeps small.
The pack · 12 minThe symbols on a sun protection pack, and what each one actually records
The open jar, the hourglass, the hand and book, the circled letters and the packaging marks. Some are regulatory, some are metrological, some are commercial schemes.
The pack · 12 minThe wording note
One email a fortnight on sun protection claim language: what changed in the codes, what a published ruling turned on, and one phrase examined in full. Written for people who write, approve or check labels and advertising. Unsubscribe whenever you like.
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