Seems to me like we should’ve easily invented something that lasts indefinitely by now
In: Chemistry
Sunscreen absorbs intro the skin (albeit shallowly), and so will inevitably absorb out of the skin, additionally any on the skin will eventually be washed off.
Sunblock on the other hand stays on the outside of your skin and newly completely blocks any UV light, but can be easily rubbed off or washed off (think like the white zinc lifeguards apply to the nose).
We could create something (probably sunblock) that lasts significantly longer, but we’d (at the very least) have to make it not soluble in water, and not easily rubbed off (so sticking to the skin). So it would have to be removed with alcohol, acetone etc. which is not ideal. It would essentially be like a spray (or rub) on second skin that would be a pain to remove.
Most people wouldn’t want that, and would prefer the much easier option of just wearing clothes (or swimwear) that block out UV light well, this could be done very easily, as most clothes already block out a lot of UV (which is why people have “farmers tans”).
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