More specifically, does spf sunscreen work by reflecting UV or absorbing it?
I always assumed it reflected UV waves away from the body to protect the skin underneath, but then I see those “UV camera” photos where the sunscreen shows up dark which I was taught (if I remember correctly) means the sunscreen is absorbing all the UV and therefore not showing up on the image (no light being bounced into the lens). If it is being absorbed, does it disparate the energy somehow to stop it from harming the skin cells underneath? This has been bugging me for quite some time. Please help.
In: Physics
Physical sunscreens like zinc and titanium dioxide form a physical barrier and reflect the UV rays away from the skin.
Chemical sunscreens such as avobenzone, octinoxate and oxybenzone go into the skin and absorb the UV rays and converts into heat.
I don’t think this fully answers your question but hopefully someone else can chime in and answer what happens after it is absorbed
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