--- title: SPF 30 Sunscreen May Cut Cancer Risk by 80% description: The latest research shows that when SPF 30 sunscreen was applied prior to UVB exposure, it significantly reduced the risk of melanoma. canonical: https://time.com/4297623/spf-sunscreen-melanoma-cancer-risk/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-04-18T15:31:06.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:55:50.102Z article:section: Health og:title: SPF 30 Sunscreen May Cut Cancer Risk by 80% og:description: It significantly reduces the risk of melanoma og:url: https://time.com/4297623/spf-sunscreen-melanoma-cancer-risk/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: SPF 30 Sunscreen May Cut Cancer Risk by 80% twitter:description: It significantly reduces the risk of melanoma twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # SPF 30 Sunscreen May Cut Cancer Risk by 80% > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Health Matters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Health Matters is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The latest health news and expert advice on living well. Health Matters makes the fast-moving world of health more useful, surprising and human, from the latest science and medical breakthroughs to practical ideas for living better. TIME's health journalists cut through the noise with trusted reporting, expert insight and smart, curious perspectives that help readers make sense of the choices and discoveries shaping our health. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## Video: Know Right Now: Melanoma Rates Have Doubled in 30 Years [Watch (HLS stream): Know Right Now: Melanoma Rates Have Doubled in 30 Years](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Jrs2Lzbh.m3u8) (1:01)  _Published 2015-06-03. Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, has been on the rise in the past 30 years. Watch Know Right Now to find out more._  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Apr 18, 2016 3:31 PM UTC  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Apr 18, 2016 3:31 PM UTC If you aren’t a regular[ sunscreen](http://time.com/4082272/coral-reefs-sunscreen-oxybenzone/) user, you may want to think twice and lather up when you go outside this summer; a new study found that [applying sunscreen](http://time.com/3715036/sunscreens-after-dark/) drastically [reduces the risk of skin cancer](http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/04/18/wearing-spf30-sunscreen-has-strong-ability-to-prevent-deadliest-skin-cancer-study-finds.html). The latest [research out of Ohio State University](http://cancerdiscovery.aacrjournals.org/content/4/12/1418.abstract), which was done on mice, showed that when SPF 30 sunscreen was applied prior to UVB exposure, it significantly reduced the risk of melanoma, the deadliest kind of skin cancer. “We have developed a mouse model that allows us to test the ability of a sunscreen to not only prevent burns but also to prevent melanoma…. We hope that this model will lead to breakthroughs in melanoma prevention,” Christin Burd, assistant professor of molecular genetics at Ohio State University, said in a statement. The study tested multiple different SPF 30 sunscreens, and found that they all delayed the onset of melanoma and reduced the incidence of tumors. The study had some limitations. Besides the fact that it was done on animals, it also looked only at a short but intense dose of UVB rays—UV rays across the spectrum can contribute to cancer risk, and the average person is not exposed to that much UVB in one sitting. The lead researcher says that she is currently seeking funding to conduct more studies to explore additional scenarios. The research was presented Sunday at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2016. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4297623/spf-sunscreen-melanoma-cancer-risk/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4297623/spf-sunscreen-melanoma-cancer-risk/"},"headline":"SPF 30 Sunscreen May Cut Cancer Risk by 80%","datePublished":"2016-04-18T15:31:06.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:55:50.102Z","description":"It significantly reduces the risk of melanoma","url":"https://time.com/4297623/spf-sunscreen-melanoma-cancer-risk/","keywords":["Cancer","Disease","sunscreen","melanoma"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tessa Berenson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/cancer/","name":"Cancer"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4297623/spf-sunscreen-melanoma-cancer-risk/","name":"SPF 30 Sunscreen May Cut Cancer Risk by 80%"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Know Right Now: Melanoma Rates Have Doubled in 30 Years","description":"Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, has been on the rise in the past 30 years. 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