It’s finally time for summer vacation. For several weeks now, many have been leaving to take their summer vacation. In most cases, French households decide to go into exile in the sun. But the choice of sunscreen can often prove to be a daunting task. This is because there are several factors to consider and your partner or family members may not react the same way you do to the sun. So which cream to choose? What do the FPS ratings displayed on their packaging mean? We take stock with you.

“SPF is short for Sun Protection Factor (SPF). It’s a number that gives an idea of ​​how long sunscreen protects your skin from UV rays. The higher the SPF, the longer the protection lasts,” as the famous cream brand Nivea explains on its website. But what do these indices correspond to? Here’s how to know which one to choose.

This index, which serves as an indication of protection from the sun, is obligatorily displayed on sunscreens. “It actually reflects the time during which it is possible to expose yourself before getting sunburned”, tells us the Biafine brand. To know when you should put the product back on your skin, “you have to take the number of minutes after which the skin generally gets sunburned without sunscreen (15 minutes, for example), and multiply this number by the SPF. With an SPF of 6, for example, we get 15 x 6 = 90. In this case, the sunburn will therefore appear after about 90 minutes”, specifies the brand. However, it is necessary to find out about your skin phototype and the UV rays to which you are exposing yourself before making your choice. Indeed, these calculations are only “theoretical”.