But a study done in 2018 and published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that 'SPF 100+ sunscreen was significantly more effective in protecting against sunburn than SPF 50+ sunscreen in actual use conditions.'Įven with this knowledge, it’s still a heated topic (no pun intended) among dermatologists. While you can’t fault them for practicing sun safety, it’s normal to wonder if wearing SPF 100 is really necessary - especially since it feels like every summer there’s conflicting advice on what level of SPF is sufficient enough. Everyone has that friend who compulsively applies the highest SPF they can find on anytime they step outside.