June 1, 2018

Health Canada would like to remind Canadians to protect themselves and their families from the sun. Exposure to the sun’s harmful UV rays without sunscreen can cause much more than a sunburn. It can lead to sun damage (such as skin wrinkling and hardening, dark patches, precancerous skin changes) and can increase the risk of skin cancer.

There are many sunscreen products available in Canada. It is important to choose a sunscreen with the level of sun protection factor (SPF) that is right for you. The SPF tells you the level of protection that the sunscreen provides against sunburn. It also tells you the length of time that your sunscreen-protected skin can be exposed before it starts to get red.

Health Canada recommends using a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher. At this time, Health Canada does not have enough scientific information demonstrating that products with SPF higher than 50 provide additional protection.