Does a Mineral-Based Sunscreen Block UV Radiation More Effectively than a Chemical-Based Sunscreen with the Same SPF?

Overview

The purpose of the science fair project was to determine whether mineral sunscreen would absorb UV radiation more efficiently while reducing the use of harsh chemicals, rather than using harsh chemical-based sunscreen. The hypothesis for this project is that if mineral-based sunscreen blocks radiation more efficiently than chemical-based sunscreen, then more natural ingredients will work better because it keeps the skin safe and healthy from harsh chemicals while protecting it. The Independent variable is the color of the beads. The color of the beads shows which sunscreens did and did not block UV radiation. A dependent variable is the number of beads used to test the sunscreen. The control is the amount of light it is exposed to. The amount of light never changes, so everything is equally tested. The other control is the amount of sunscreen used for each bead. For every eight beads, we used a teaspoon of sunscreen. The other control is the amount of SPF we used; only SPF 30 was used to test on the beads. The results of this experiment were that chemical sunscreen absorbs UV radiation faster and keeps the skin safe. The results of our experiment show that our hypothesis was incorrect. Chemical sunscreen works better than mineral sunscreen. Rather than our incorrect hypothesis, Mineral sunscreens work more efficiently than chemical sunscreens. If this experiment were to be done again in the future, I would add more time to the experiment because different time stamps would show which sunscreens work faster and which wear off faster than others.

Competition history

• CSEF 2026 Product Science (Junior Division) · Entry J-19-07

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