Now In: Broad Spectrum UVA Sunscreen Protection Info by Badger
Broad Spectrum UVA Sunscreen Protection
In Brief
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UVA rays damage skin and can contribute to skin cancer. You should choose a sunscreen that protects from UVA rays.
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Only a few active sunscreen ingredients (like Badger's zinc oxide) adequately protect your skin from UVA rays.
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UVA protection is not required of sunscreens in the US and Canada. Does your sunscreen offers UVA protection?
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 Just because a sunscreen has a high SPF does not necessarily mean that you are being protected from damaging UVA rays. SPF is only a measure of how well a sunscreen protects you from UVB rays. UVA (ultraviolet-A) is a longer wavelength of sunlight that makes up 95% of all UV light reaching the earth’s surface. It passes right through clouds and glass, and it is pretty much the same strength throughout the day and the year.
UVA penetrates deeper into the skin than UVB does and will cause immediate suntan, not sunburn, but it also generates free radicals in living skin which contribute to skin damage, wrinkling and skin cancer.
 Currently the US and Canada do not require sunscreens to offer any UVA protection, and many sunscreens, even those intended for babies and kids, do not protect from UVA rays. Badger sunscreens use zinc oxide, which provides broad spectrum protection from UVA and UVB, even UVC rays! We had our sunscreens tested and they earned "Superior UVA Protection" based on European and Japanese rating systems. In the next few  years, the FDA will start requiring UVA protection in sunscreens sold in the USA and they will enact a rating system, like there currently is in Europe and Japan. Badger is already doing this!
Critical Wavelength and UVA Protection
The critical wavelength is the wavelength at which the sunscreen allows 10% of the rays to penetrate. A sunscreen with a critical wavelength over 370nm is considered by the FDA to provide excellent UVA protection. Badger sunscreens have a critical wavelength of at least 377nm offering excellent protection from UVA rays (see chart below).
 UVC: Very short-wavelength solar rays of 200-290nm. UVC rays are blocked by the ozone layer atmospheric oxygen and do not reach the surface of the Earth in significant amounts. UVC is harmful to your skin (the next smaller wavelengths are X-Rays) but they are only a threat to astronauts and high flying pilots. Badger sunscreens are truly broad spectrum and effectively block UVC rays!
UVB: Short-wavelength solar rays of 290-320 nm, mostly absorbed by the ozone layer. UVB rays have different strengths, depending on sun's location, and can be lessened when deflected by clouds. UVB rays penetrate only the epidermis (outer skin) causing sunburns and are considered to be the main cause of basal and squamous cell carcinomas, and are a significant factor in melanomas. Badger’s active sunscreen ingredient, zinc oxide, effectively blocks all wavelengths of UVB rays.
UVA: Long-wavelength solar rays of 320-400nm. UVA rays are not blocked by glass, clouds or the ozone layer and thus they comprise the vast majority of UV radiation reaching the Earth’s surface .UVA rays are the same strength year-round and they penetrate the skin more deeply (into the dermis, 2nd layer of skin), causing photo aging, actinic damage (wrinkled, leathery, variously pigmented skin), and contributing to skin cancers including melanoma. The active ingredient in Badger sunscreens, the mineral zinc oxide, is an excellent UVA blocker.
Read more about Broad Spectrum UVA Sunscreen protection and Critical Wavelength.
American Academy of Dermatology Sunscreens Page
Skin Cancer Foundation's UV Information Page
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