Effectiveness of Nivea Sunscreen under Ultraviolet Light

The relationship between a sunscreen’s SPF and its absorbance for UV light of wavelength 240 to 320 was investigated. The investigation was conducted by diluting sunscreens with SPFs of 20, 30 and 50 and placing the solution in a spectrophotometer where the absorbance was measured under UVA, UVB and UVC light. It was shown that the sunscreen was effective over the whole range of wavelengths, with increased effectiveness at wavelengths 240 and 300. The results also show that as the SPF increased, the absorbance increased proportionally.