Physical Wellness

Nearly Half Of Sunscreen Products Don’t Meet Their SPF Claim

By Megha Kedia | Update Date: May 18, 2016 06:34 AM EDT

People are recommended to use sunscreens to protect themselves from harmful UV rays, but, what if sunscreens aren't doing their work well. A new study has found that more than half of sunscreen lotions and sprays don't live up to their SPF claims.

Consumer Reports recently tested around 65 water-resistant lotions, sprays, and sticks with SPF claims of 30 or higher to find out if they are true to their customers. The test found that 28 of the sunscreen products didn't meet the SPF claim on their label, according to NYPost.

According to test results, two of the sunscreen products namely Banana Boat Kids Tear-Free Sting-Free lotion and CVS Kids Sun Lotion, which claim to have an SPF of 50, weighed in with an SPF of just 8.

"Yet again, our sunscreen testing has shown that consumers may not be getting the protection they're paying for," Trisha Calvo, Deputy Editor of Health and Food for Consumer Reports, said in a statement, according to CBS Detroit.

"Just because a sunscreen claims to offer a certain level of protection doesn't mean it does. We create and release these ratings to ensure that consumers are informed about what sunscreens work best so they can protect themselves and their families from damaging sun exposure."

The sunscreens tested included both mineral and chemical types. It was found that only 44 percent of mineral-based sunscreens met their claim of SPF 30 or higher as compared to chemical-based sunscreens.

Fortunately, the SPF test results of some of the sunscreen products were satisfactory. La Roche-Posay Anthelios 60 Melt-in Sunscreen Milk lotion, with an SPF of 60, and Trader Joe's Spray with an SPF of 50-plus earned a perfect score in the test.

Some of the other recommended sunscreen products include Pure Sun Defense SPF 50, Banana Boat SunComfort Continuous Spray SPF 50+, Neutrogena Beach Defense Water + Sun Protection SPF 70, No-Ad Sport SPF 50, Equate Sport Continuous Spray SPF 50 and Caribbean Breeze Continuous Tropical Mist SPF 70, reported Web MD.

Calvo recommends consumers to opt for any one of the 17 sunscreens that performed well in the tests. He added that in case a consumer can't find one of the recommended sunscreens, the best alternate option will be to use a chemical sunscreen with a claimed SPF of 40 or higher as using a high SPF sunscreen increases the likelihood that it will deliver at least the minimum protection recommended by dermatologists.

Could your sunscreen make it to dermatologist's recommended sunscreen product list? Let us know in comments below.

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