🧼 FREE £7 Face Cleansing Bar on orders £3 🧼
🧼 FREE £7 Face Cleansing Bar on orders over £3 🧼
First Order? 🎯 10% OFF + FREE Skin Protection Guide.
First Order? 🎯 10% OFF + FREE Skin Protection Guide.
Spend £25, we’ll cover shipping 🚛
Spend £25, we’ll cover shipping 🚛

ADD £25.00 GBP FOR FREE SHIPPING! 🚚

LifeJacket Skin Protection
LifeJacket Skin Protection
BUNDLE & SAVE
UVA and its impact on your skin

UVA and its impact on your skin

UVA might not cause sunburn – but don’t be fooled.

You’ve probably heard of UV. It’s short for ultraviolet and it’s the name for the invisible radiation that comes from the sun. UV causes damage to skin. But did you know that UVA is a type of UV? And that it’s by far the most common type that reaches us?

Where UVB is responsible for sunburn, UVA is the one that creeps under the radar. You can’t see it. You don’t feel it. But it still causes damage. It’s the kind of damage that builds up over time. Silent. Invisible. Deep.

Here’s the big problem with UVA: it’s the long-wave form of UV, meaning it penetrates deeper into the skin – further than UVB. This affects cells in the dermis, the second layer of skin, where things like collagen, blood vessels and nerve endings live.

This deep-in-the-skin damage is linked to skin ageing, wrinkling, sun spots, and DNA changes that can lead to skin cancer. And unlike UVB, which varies with the seasons and gives you a warning (sunburn), UVA exposure doesn’t give you much to go on.

So when and where are you exposed to UVA?

UVA is present in daylight – including through glass and clouds – and makes up around 95% of the UV rays that reach your skin. The exact amount of UVA versus UVB depends on the time of day, time of year, and where in the world you are.

UVA exposure in the UK drops in winter – but it's still present and still gets through windows, cloud cover and light clothing. The point is: you don’t need to be in blazing sunshine to be exposed to UVA.

What kind of damage does UVA do?

UVA’s biggest threat is how it builds up damage over time. It causes oxidative stress in your skin cells, triggering chain reactions that mess with cell function, DNA, and skin structure. It doesn’t cause sunburn in the same way UVB does, but it’s still harmful. It’s also linked to persistent pigment darkening – the kind of long-lasting tan that doesn’t mean your skin is healthy.

UV radiation overall is responsible for most visible signs of premature ageing. And UVB, not UVA, is actually the stronger culprit when it comes to skin ageing like elastosis and wrinkles, even if UVA goes deeper.

In short: it’s a tag team. You want to avoid both.

Does sunscreen protect against UVA?

Yes – if you choose the right one. Most good broad-spectrum sunscreens protect against both UVA and UVB rays. In the UK and EU, you can look for a UVA star rating or the ‘UVA in a circle’ symbol, which means it meets the minimum required protection relative to its SPF.


SPF, by the way, mainly refers to protection against UVB (the sunburn rays). It doesn't measure UVA directly. That’s why you want a broad-spectrum sunscreen that clearly states it covers both.

Why is this important?

Because people often forget about UVA. It doesn’t burn. It doesn’t feel strong. It doesn’t leave a mark immediately. But it causes long-term damage, and that damage adds up – even on cloudy days, or when you’re sat indoors by a window.

It’s not about fear. It’s about awareness. It’s about being smart. And if you care about keeping your skin healthy for the long haul, UVA should absolutely be on your radar.

Conclusion

The role of our LifeJournal is to simplify and de-mystify one careful step at a time so that you’re not putting yourself and your family at risk. If you haven’t already read them, now's a good time to check out our other posts.

If we could leave you with one point from today's post, it’s that UVA is everywhere, every day. Forget the concept of temperature being a measure of sun strength. Our skin gets daily light damage NOT sun damage. 

For a bit of practical advice, put an SPF moisturiser next to your toothbrush. Every time you brush your teeth in the morning, just throw a teaspoon of moisturiser onto your head and neck. That way you're protected when you step outside. If you're in strong sun in the middle of summer, use a dedicated sunscreen on any exposed skin and re-apply every two hours. These simple steps will hopefully keep you skin-safe, younger-looking and healthy for years to come. 

Thanks for taking the time to read this. It was an important one.