For her sophomore project, Emily Hardin wanted to know why and how skin cancer has been skyrocketing this year. She tested the UV protection of different sunscreens, taking the three most popular brands: Hawaiian Tropic, CeraVe, and Elta MD. They were all spf 50. With a UV meter, they were all tested under a UV light. They were each laid out on a piece of plastic. This is a very important project because even though summer is a super fun time of year and usually a positive topic, and you might get a sunburn here and there, it does have a deeper serious meaning. It can affect you when you’re older and also premature. High school student, Madie Snell, stated, “Even though everyone wants that perfect tan I still think having the right sunscreen is very important. A lot of people think they won’t get a tan if they wear sunscreen, the truth is that some sunscreen makes tanning oil and what not for those who want a tan. In the future, a lot of people might regret not wearing sunscreen in their youth.” Another important aspect that was tested was whether or not it was environmentally friendly. This is also another important feature a sunscreen needs to have. Some of the ingredients or chemicals in a sunscreen can affect the environment of water around it. Therefore, its ingredients mustn’t affect both our skin and water. The findings concluded that elta md was the most beneficial sunscreen. It had a good enough UV to protect those who wear it from sunburn, making them less likely to get skin cancer. It has a UV index of 4.5, when placed under the light it went from 20 to 4.5. It was also soluble, meaning it didn’t wear off in the water, and was the best for both our skin and the environment.
