{"title":"FDA — Sunscreen: How to Help Protect Your Skin from the Sun","entity_type":"Source","slug":"fda-sunscreen-how-to-protect-skin","canonical_url":"https://skinknowledgebase.com/sources/fda-sunscreen-how-to-protect-skin","dates":{"date_modified":"2026-05-09","date_reviewed":"2026-05-09"},"mcp_eligible":true,"evidence_sources":[],"product_fact_sources":[],"related_entities":[{"title":"Oxybenzone","url":"https://skinknowledgebase.com/ingredients/oxybenzone"},{"title":"Blue Lizard Sensitive Mineral SPF 50 Sunscreen Lotion","url":"https://skinknowledgebase.com/products/blue-lizard-sensitive-mineral-sunscreen-lotion-spf-50"},{"title":"EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46","url":"https://skinknowledgebase.com/products/eltamd-uv-clear-spf-46"},{"title":"Avobenzone","url":"https://skinknowledgebase.com/ingredients/avobenzone"},{"title":"Titanium Dioxide","url":"https://skinknowledgebase.com/ingredients/titanium-dioxide"},{"title":"Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen SPF 50","url":"https://skinknowledgebase.com/products/supergoop-unseen-sunscreen-spf-50"},{"title":"Mineral Filter White Cast","url":"https://skinknowledgebase.com/side-effects/mineral-filter-white-cast"},{"title":"Zinc Oxide","url":"https://skinknowledgebase.com/ingredients/zinc-oxide"},{"title":"Sun Damage","url":"https://skinknowledgebase.com/concerns/sun-damage"},{"title":"Early Wrinkle Prevention","url":"https://skinknowledgebase.com/concerns/early-wrinkle-prevention"},{"title":"What SPF should I use every day?","url":"https://skinknowledgebase.com/questions/what-spf-should-i-use-every-day"},{"title":"How do I prevent wrinkles in my 20s?","url":"https://skinknowledgebase.com/questions/how-do-i-prevent-wrinkles-in-my-20s"},{"title":"Does sunscreen actually prevent wrinkles?","url":"https://skinknowledgebase.com/questions/does-sunscreen-actually-prevent-wrinkles"},{"title":"Is mineral sunscreen better than chemical sunscreen?","url":"https://skinknowledgebase.com/questions/is-mineral-sunscreen-better-than-chemical-sunscreen"}],"body_sections":[{"heading":"Quick Summary","paragraphs":["The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's consumer-facing sunscreen page. It is the U.S. regulator's plain-language overview of what to look for on a sunscreen label — broad-spectrum coverage, SPF level, water-resistance — and how to use sunscreen correctly. It is the foundational regulatory reference for daily-wear sunscreen guidance in the United States."]},{"heading":"What Studied","paragraphs":["Not a study. This is an FDA consumer-information page that translates the U.S. OTC sunscreen monograph and labeling rules into patient-facing guidance. It compiles what the FDA wants U.S. consumers to know about choosing and using sunscreen."]},{"heading":"Main Findings","paragraphs":["The page recommends a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher for daily use, and SPF 30 or higher for extended outdoor exposure. It frames \"broad-spectrum\" as the label cue tying a product to UVA-and-UVB protection, names the every-two-hours reapplication norm during active sun exposure, and notes that products labeled \"water resistant\" still require reapplication after swimming or sweating."]},{"heading":"Why It Matters","paragraphs":["For a Question on what SPF to wear every day, this is the first regulatory reference any U.S. consumer source builds on. It anchors the broad-spectrum requirement, the SPF floor, and the reapplication cadence that the rest of the page discusses, and it grounds the cosmetic-appearance use case in the FDA's own labeling vocabulary."]}],"source_type":"regulatory","original_source_url":"https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/sunscreen-how-help-protect-your-skin-sun"}