According to a new study from Consumer Reports, 43 percent of sunscreen products do not live up to the sun protection factor (SPF) claims on their bottles. Wow – that is a lot!
Consumer Reports found that 13 out of the 35 sunscreen lotions tested had an SPF of less than 30, despite claiming to have at least an SPF of 30 on their labels. The majority of products that fell short on their SPF numbers did so by 10 to 15 points. However, some products were labeled as SPF 50, and were only found to have an SPF of 8.
The study found that sunscreens with active chemical ingredients like avobenzone and ecamsule performed better during testing than those with natural ingredients like zinc oxide.
For more information about the report and to see the top performers, click here. To promote further sun protection, the American Academy of Dermatology encourages people to wear protective clothing when going outdoors and to stay in the shade when possible to reduce the risk of skin cancer.
Remember – that some sun screen is better than none! Apply regularly.
Thanks for reading! Stay safe out there!
