How much should I pay attention to SPF?

New York dermatologist Fayne Frey reminds us that “no sunscreen is 100% effective at preventing burning and skin damage.” She also notes that sunscreen “can increase the amount of time you can be outside.”

And the amount of time spent outside is somewhat correlated to SPF.

Recent research shows that SPF 100, when compared with SPF 50, makes a real difference in protecting your skin against damage and burns. At a minimum, you’ll want SPF 30.

Frey adds that higher SPFs tend to be stickier, so some people don’t like them as much. But that extra protection is worth it for a beach day, even if you don’t want to opt for it daily.

To recap: “SPF 30 is the minimum I recommend, but higher is always better,” says Frey. Thinkbaby SPF 30 Stick covers the basics without the glue-like feeling. Plus, the stick makes for easy reapplying on the go.