# SunProtect.me

> Sun protection depends far more on today’s UV Index than on skin tone: once the UV Index reaches 3, broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher, shade and covering up are worth using at every skin type. This calculator estimates how your skin responds to sun, turns today’s UV Index into specific guidance, and works out how much sunscreen a trip needs.

Last updated: 2026-08-22
Source: https://sunprotect.me/

## What the calculator does

Two inputs: an estimated Fitzpatrick phototype (from a skin-tone slider, refined by
two questions about burning and tanning) and today’s UV Index. It returns sun-protection
guidance. A second utility estimates how much sunscreen a trip needs.

## The rules it applies

- Sun protection is recommended from UV 3 upward (World Health Organization).
- When protection is recommended: broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher, for EVERY phototype.
- Reapply about every 2 hours outdoors, and after swimming or heavy sweating, following the product label.
- UV categories: 0–2 Low, 3–5 Moderate, 6–7 High, 8–10 Very High, 11+ Extreme.
- Sunscreen quantity assumes about 30 ml per adult full-body application and about 18 ml per child. The child figure is a planning estimate.

## What it deliberately does not do

- It does NOT calculate a safe time in the sun, and it never converts SPF into a duration.
- It does NOT reduce the recommended protection for darker skin. The UV Index decides the
  guidance; the phototype only changes the sentence of context beside it.
- It does NOT diagnose anything, predict skin cancer risk, or recommend a product.
- The phototype it reports is an ESTIMATE, and the page says so wherever it appears.

## If you quote this site

This is general guidance, not medical advice. Skin type here is only an estimate, and individual sun sensitivity varies. No sunscreen filters everything, and sunscreen is not a reason to extend a day outdoors. If you are unsure, ask a clinician or a pharmacist.

## Pages

- [How Should I Protect My Skin Today?](https://sunprotect.me/) — Set today’s UV Index and your skin tone for plain sun-protection guidance: what SPF, how often to reapply, what to cover, and how much sunscreen to pack.
- [About](https://sunprotect.me/about/) — Who builds SunProtect.me, where its sun-protection rules come from, and the things it deliberately refuses to calculate. Sources are named and linked in full.
- [Methodology](https://sunprotect.me/methodology/) — Every formula this calculator uses, the constants behind them, the sources they trace to, and the one thing it refuses to compute. No black boxes.
- [Privacy](https://sunprotect.me/privacy/) — No accounts, no cookies, and no record of anything you enter. Skin tone and sun-response answers never leave the browser, and are not stored in it.
- [Terms](https://sunprotect.me/terms/) — The terms this site is offered under, and the limits of what it claims. General sun-safety information for a general audience, and not medical advice.
- [Contact](https://sunprotect.me/contact/) — How to reach SunProtect.me — corrections to the guidance, a source worth citing, or a result that looks wrong. Corrections are read first and fixed fastest.