So the light is getting through, but it's not affecting your skin. This doesn't make sense to me.
Physical sunscreens are opaque formulations such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.
They completely block sunlight but their cakey appearance tends to make you look like a clown in the circus so they're used mostly by lifeguards and such. Chemical sunscreens reflect or absorb the ultraviolet light that causes tanning and burning. The absorbed energy is reemitted in a harmless form, either heat or fluorescence, neither of which is perceptible. Thus, if ten minutes in the sun without sunscreen will produce a modest tan, a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 will produce the same results in 150 minutes. But there are numerous qualifications and exceptions, so don't push your luck.