Frequently Asked Questions

Without sunscreen, SPOTs™ can change from clear to purple in approximately 30 seconds in direct sunlight! With sunscreen, the reverse change from purple to clear can take up to 1.5 minutes in direct sunlight.

With sunscreen applied to SPOT™, there are many factors that affect the speed of the color change:

• UV index 
• Time spent in the sun vs. shade
• Your sunscreen's SPF
• How much sunscreen you applied
• How long you let your sunscreen dry on your skin and SPOT™
• Activities you're doing (swimming, sweating, sunbathing, etc.)

All sunscreens recommend to reapply after swimming or toweling, so expect to see a color change when you get out of the water.

There're many possible reasons that your SPOT has changed colour quickly. These include  how you use your sunscreen, where you are, what you're doing, and what type of sunscreen you use.

For example, sunscreens say to wait 15 minutes before doing any sort of swimming/activity so that they can dry. If you put on sunscreen, & started doing activity before letting your sunscreen dry, SPOTMYUV may change quickly and show you that your sunscreen didn't dry properly and that it's already worn off. "80 minute water resistant" sunscreens only hold true under very specific conditions, so it's best to reapply every time you get out of the water.

Furthermore, Our clinical trials show that the amount of sunscreen on your SPOT™ and the amount of sunscreen on your skin are the same! Any purple means you're in danger, and that you should protect your skin from UV.

Your SPOT™ should start purple, showing you the color you'd see when you're not protected.

If you've followed the directions and your SPOT™ is still clear, check the following:

1. Make sure that you've applied enough sunscreen to your SPOT™. Allow the sunscreen to soak into the SPOT™ before rubbing in completely. You might learn that you haven't been using enough sunscreen. On average, people will use only 25% the amount of sunscreen required to get the advertised SPF on the bottle. 
   
   
2. Make sure that your SPOT™ and sunscreen are exposed to direct sunlight. SPOTMYUV™ requires sunlight to change color. While SPOTs™ will eventually change color indoors or in the shade, the change will take MUCH longer without direct sunlight.
   
   
3. Avoid touching SPOT™ after sunscreen has been applied. Continuous rubbing will remove sunscreen.

There're a few reasons your SPOT™ may never turn purple, one of which being that you're doing a great job putting on your sunscreen and are protected! Another popular reason you may never see it return to purple is because you're not facing SPOTMYUV to direct sunlight to do a SPOT Check

Other reasons could be a low intensity of UV in your region at that time or other environmental conditions.

If your SPOTMYUV started off purple, and it turned clear, then we can guarantee you that it's working. Please contact our customer support email (info@spotmyuv.com) for any questions or problems you've experienced.

The purple color means that the color-changing ink has been exposed to UV light.

There are many color-changing inks out there, but our R&D team selected this purple ink for a few reasons:

1. The color purple had one of the highest contrasts across all skin tones, so it's easy to see the color when you're in UV danger.

2. The ink is completely non-toxic and safe, proven by 3rd party experts and labs.

3. The ink is only sensitive to UV and visible light, so you can always be sure that the color means you've been exposed to UV. Other color changing inks can change color with heat, which isn't helpful if you're outside on a hot day!

No! SPOTs™ are designed to last through multiple sunscreen applications. The colour change is reversible, and SPOT™ will be accurate for an entire day of activity.

We recommend that each person uses ONE SPOT™ PER DAY. If a SPOT™ changes to purple, and you apply sunscreen over top of it, it will change back to clear and let you know that you're safe again. At the end of the day, remove your SPOT™ and throw it out!

After a day of use, SPOT's™ adhesive isn't as strong. To ensure it won't fall off, we recommend that you use one SPOT™ for a single day of activity. Make sure you take your SPOT™ off before you go to bed and stick on a new one after your morning shower!

SPOTs™ are water resistant, sweat resistant, and towel resistant. When you're outside at the beach, don't worry about it falling off; SPOTs™ are designed to last through your wear and tear. We rate each SPOT™ for one day of use.

Always follow the best application practices with SPOTMYUV to ensure this strong adhesion, such as applying to clean, dry, flat, hair-free skin.

SPOTMYUV® works with spray sunscreens, lotion sunscreens, roll-on & stick sunscreens, as well as gel sunscreens.

For a sunscreen to work with SPOTMYUV®, it must block UVA & UVB light - which you may see labelled on your sunscreen as being "broadband". The SPF scale only refers to the amount of UVB light being blocked, so you can quickly look for 3 ingredients to look for UVA coverage. On the label, look for Avobenzone*, Titanium Dioxide, or Zinc Oxide. Any one of those 3 indicates that you are getting sufficient UVA protection. 

If you have any questions about a specific sunscreen, please email info@suncayr.ca and we will get back to you!

*Avobenzone may also be called Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane

Place SPOT™ on an area of your body that's exposed to the sun. We recommend the upper arm, as long as it doesn't get covered by your clothing.

Avoid excessive hair, oily or sweaty skin, skin with lotion, and edges of clothing. Remember, apply sunscreen after sticking on your SPOT™, not before!

Apply your sunscreen after sticking on your SPOT™, not before.

SPOTs™ are designed with a medical-grade adhesive to ensure you're protected from the sun all day! Be sure you've placed your SPOT™ on clean, dry skin. If not covered by clothing, your upper arm (below your shoulder) is the best place to stick your SPOT™. 

Follow these additional tips to keep your SPOT™ in place all day.

• When sticking your SPOT™ on your body, avoid excessive hair, oily or sweaty skin, skin with lotion, and edges of clothing.
• After a swim or washing your hands, be careful drying off and don't rub the towel too hard over your SPOT™.
• Avoid touching your SPOT™, aside from when applying sunscreen.

SPOTMYUV® Detection Stickers (SPOTs) are a breakthrough for anyone who enjoys time outdoors. SPOTMYUV stickers help you monitor when your skin needs more sunscreen.  SPOTMYUV® reacts to sunlight and sunscreen - just like your skin – and it changes color when it's time to reapply your sunscreen. A clear SPOT indicates your sunscreen is protecting your skin adequately from harmful UV sunlight. A purple SPOT means your Sunscreen is no longer protecting you, and it's time to reapply. 

SPOTMYUV is Clinically Proven, Dermatologist & Pediatrician Tested, Hypoallergenic Certified and Latex Free. The colour change signal, powered by patented Dermatrue™ technology, has been proven by researchers from the Queensland University of Technology to help people to remember to reapply sunscreen all day long.

Read the clinically published research here!

SPOTMYUV® is designed to measure the effectiveness of your sunscreen against damaging UVA & UVB sun rays. The innovation starts with Dermatrue™. Our patented Dermatrue™ technology lies on top of SPOT. It acts just like your skin and absorbs sunscreen at the same rate as your skin does.

If your sunscreen layer is too thin* then UV will begin to pass through your sunscreen, damaging your skin. Within 1 minute of SPOTMYUV® sensing that you don’t have enough sunscreen, your sticker will turn purple. The Dermatrue™ technology means that this purple colour change is giving you a good indication in real-time that your skin also needs more sunscreen. SPOTMYUV® makes it fun to spot precisely when to reapply your favorite sunscreen so you and your loved ones can play in the sun all day!

*For those curious to know, SPOTMYUV generally turns purple when your sunscreen layer is around 0.6-1.0mg/cm2, instead of the recommended 2.0mg/cm2 of sunscreen. The threshold depends on the SPF of your sunscreen and its active ingredients.

By doing a simple SPOT check, you can see whether you are protected. If you expose SPOTMYUV to direct sunlight and your SPOT is clear, then it means you are protected. If your SPOT turns purple instead, then it means you are not, and that it’s time to protect your exposed skin.  SPOTMYUV® reliably changes color in response to sunlight! 

Yes! Even on a cloudy day, there is still enough UV present to activate the SPOT.  Being outside is where you are exposed to damaging UV sun rays and at the most risk of overexposure, sunburn, premature ageing, skin damage and skin cancer. This is why our SPOTs are for EVERYDAY outdoor use! SPOT check and know when to reapply!

When it is cloudy outside, the colour change takes longer. Expect to wait 5 minutes.

With proper sunscreen application, the SPOT is transparent and won't leave a suntan mark. So, this summer, #GetSpotted with SPOTMYUV – Your Sunscreens New BFF! 

Protection from UV starts with using enough sunscreen - the average person only uses 25% of the recommended amount of sunscreen.  Many things may cause sunscreen to be less effective and change the color of your SPOT, such as:

• Not applying enough sunscreen initially
  
• Swimming and towelling off remove a lot of sunscreen
• Exercise & sweating remove sunscreen
• Time spent in direct sun vs time spent in the shade
• Your sunscreen may be expired – check the expiry date
• Your sunscreen might not be broad spectrum – check if it blocks UVA & UVB
  

We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you are unhappy with your order, please contact info@spotmyuv.com within 30 days, and we will work with you to find a solution.

SPOTMYUV™ is currently available in retail in Australia, Canada, and the United States.

Head to our "Shop Spot" page to learn more where you can find SPOTMYUV near you.

To be notified when SPOTs™ are available where you live, please subscribe to our mailing list!

For the US, we ship with USPS. Please allow 5-10 business days for delivery.

In Canada, we use Canada Post. Please allow 5-10 business days for delivery.

Safety has been our main focus from the start. We've undergone rigorous testing to verify that SPOTs™ are safe to use. 

Think of SPOT™ as a 3-layer system:

1. Top layer: our patented skin-mimicking material that we have shown through clinical trials to accurately interact with sunscreen like human skin
   
2. Ink layer: both the colour-changing dye and any inks we print for designs, printed on top of the adhesive base
   
3. Base: adhesive substrate (polyester or LDPE plastics) which sticks to the skin with a medical-grade adhesive
   

All ingredients, apart from the colour-changing dye, have been previously used in products such as cosmetics or for consumer applications. Thus, those ingredients are approved and safe for use.

For the colour-changing dye, we completed six standard tests to show the safety of that material, as it was a new material for use in consumer applications.

All tests passed successfully at the highest potential safety threshold.

The colour-changing dye is completely safe, even though it will never actually touch the user's skin. It is sandwiched between the base layer, and the top layer. For the base layer, the adhesive substrate is certified as a medical-grade adhesive. 

The medical-grade adhesive substrate is hypoallergenic and non-sensitizing.

For more information about our safety and testing information, please email us at info@suncayr.ca

We have completed clinical trials proving that SPOTMYUV® changes colour at the correct time (when your SPF 50 sunscreen is only giving you SPF 10), and that the top layer (skin-mimicking material) loses sunscreen at the same rate as skin.

We use the same techniques that the world’s leading academics use for measuring sunscreen on skin, which are detailed at a high-level in our reports. In short, we use alcohol swabs to measure the sunscreen on skin, and quantify using UV/Vis spectroscopy.

We compare

1. The amount of sunscreen taken off of the alcohol swab
   
2. The amount of sunscreen on a SPOT (right beside the swabbed area of skin)
   
3. The colour of the SPOT in sunlight
   

We check to see that (1) and (2) have an equivalent amount of sunscreen. We also then check if that amount of sunscreen is above or below 0.8mg/cm^2, and compare that to the colour of the SPOT in sunlight (3). The test is a pass if (1)=(2), and if the colour of (3) reports the correct colour for the surface coverage (purple if <0.8mg/cm^2, otherwise clear)

When we do this over time, we can track how sunscreen comes off both skin and SPOT.

We show that when SPOT turns purple, it means that there is an effective SPF of 10 on SPOT, and thus on skin, so the user should reapply sunscreen soon.

Right here! These two clinical trials showed the behaviour change resulting from using SPOTMYUV. They were published by Dr. Elke Hacker from the Queensland University of Technology in the journal Preventative Medicine

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31077722/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211335520301261

Our clinical trial for efficacy is also available to read as a

For wholesale or custom SPOT opportunities, please email info@spotmyuv.com