The truth about sunscreen Saving your skin means getting the facts straight hen you shop for sun- show that SPF isn’t always carved in stone. both UVB rays and the more deeply penetrat- screen, what do you look for? That’s just one of many misconceptions ing UVA rays—which can cause skin aging If you’re like half of the sun- people have about sunscreen. Our report and contribute to skin cancer, including mela- screen wearers in a recent debunks some other commonly held myths. noma, the most deadly type—are called broad Wsurvey of 1,000 adults in the U.S. by the spectrum. In our tests, we found a wide vari- Consumer Reports National Research Cen- Myth The FDA tests sunscreens ability of effectiveness against UVA rays (see ter, SPF (sun protection factor) is the feature before they hit store shelves. Ratings, on page 23). The FDA says that a sun- that influences your decision most. You The Food and Drug Administration requires screen must have a critical wavelength of at can’t always rely on that claim, however. sunscreen manufacturers to test their prod- least 370 nanometers to be labeled broad spec- We tested 20 sunscreens, and though we ucts, but it doesn’t verify the testing, require trum. Alba Botanica Very Emollient Sport SPF found seven to recommend, only two— manufacturers to report results, or do pre- 45 and Up & Up (Target) Kids SPF 50 came in BullFrog WaterArmor Sport InstaCool market testing itself. “If the FDA suspects a slightly below that in our tests. Although we SPF 50+ and Coppertone Sensitive Skin SPF problem with a certain manufacturer, they can’t say that the products we tested are incor- 50—provided the SPF protection promised can ask for their results,” says David C. Stein- rectly labeled, we’re submitting our critical- on their packages after water immersion. berg, president of Steinberg & Associates, a wavelength and SPF results to the FDA. Beyond Coastal Natural SPF 30 came in at personal-care-products consulting company Our findings underscore the importance less than half of its claimed SPF, and we in Plainsboro, N.J. “But for the most part, it’s of choosing from our seven recommended ING:WOOD BRITNEY L weren’t able to get a reading on Banana Boat a self-regulated industry.” sunscreens. If none are available, a product STY P Kids SPF 50. The others came in 4 to 40 per- The FDA does require sunscreen manufac- rated Good will provide adequate protection. RO P cent below their claims. That doesn’t mean turers to meet certain standards for the use Using any sunscreen is better than using the sunscreens aren’t protective. Even an of three terms on labels: SPF, broad spectrum, none, but it’s just one part of a smart sun- SPF 30 sunscreen that comes in, say, 40 per- and water-resistant. SPF refers to a sun- protection strategy. “We tend to rely too cent below its claim gives you an SPF of 18. screen’s ability to shield you from ultraviolet much on sunscreen,” says Sophie J. Balk, And we can’t say why our test results differ B (UVB) rays, which can cause sunburn and M.D., a professor of clinical pediatrics at the PHOTOS: CATHERINEPHOTOS: LEDNER; from the manufacturers’ claims, but they skin cancer. Sunscreens that protect against Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New JULY 2014 ConsumerReports.org 21 York City and a former chairwoman of the doctor recommended it. And some products avobenzone. Some kids’ products do, how- American Academy of Pediatrics’ Council on carry such claims as “# 1 pediatrician recom- ever, contain chemical sunscreens. Environmental Health. “We need to rely more mended brand” (Coppertone) and “pediatri- on clothing and hats to cover ourselves.” cian tested” (Banana Boat) that imply an Myth A little goes a long way. extra level of safety. Those terms aren’t regu- It takes an ounce (about 2 tablespoons) to Myth Kids need a special formula. lated by the FDA, however, and they aren’t cover your face and body adequately. Most Our survey found that 30 percent of sun- necessarily meaningful in terms of safety. people apply about half that much. Accord- screen users and parents of young children Coppertone surveys pediatricians to ask ing to our tests, using half the sunscreen who wear sunscreen buy kids’ sunscreen. which brand they recommend, and they gives you half the SPF. Timing matters, too. Of those, about half thought that it was recommend Coppertone products most, ac- Our survey found that 29 percent of people “safer” and “gentler” than others, and cording to Patricia Agin, Ph.D., director of using sunscreen waited until they were in 20 percent assumed it was regulated by the scientific affairs and research and develop- the sun to slather it on. But you should ap- government. But the FDA doesn’t make a ment leader for Merck, Coppertone’s manu- ply it 15 to 30 minutes before then for full distinction between kids’ sunscreen and facturer. But many sunscreen manufacturers protection and reapply it every 2 hours. others, or hold it to a higher safety stan- market heavily to dermatologists and pedia- dard. Manufacturers use the same active tricians. “They give them samples, take them Myth ‘Natural’ sunscreens are ingredients, sometimes in the same con- to events, and set up displays at medical con- safer than ‘chemical’ sunscreens. centrations, in both types. “There’s only a ferences,” Steinberg says. As it is on food packaging, “natural” is short list of active ingredients that can be As for “pediatrician tested,” a doctor may meaningless on sunscreen labels. Generally, used,” say Dennis Lott, president of Florida be involved, but he doesn’t conduct the study. it’s used when a product’s only active ingre- Suncare Testing in Bunnell, Fla., which “Our testing is monitored by clinical profes- dients are titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide tests sunscreens. In fact, when we asked sionals, such as dermatologists, pediatricians, (though some also contain chemical sun- Coppertone and Banana Boat what makes a and ophthalmologists,” says Grace Riccardi, screens, such as octinoxate). But those min- kid’s sunscreen a kid’s sunscreen, they con- a manager in Sun Care R & D at Energizer in erals aren’t pulled out of the earth, ground firmed that the active ingredients they use St. Louis, the company that makes Banana into a powder, and mixed into a lotion. are the same as those used in adult prod- Boat. “They are part of the team making the They’re refined and sometimes coated with ucts. (Neutrogena declined to be inter- conclusion that products are mild, sting-free, compounds in processing. “There’s nothing viewed.) Kids’ sunscreen may be formulated and tear-free.” natural about them,” Steinberg says. “If to be tear-free or sting-free, however. But Some sunscreens for children (and adult manufacturers used zinc or titanium in in some cases, a side-by-side comparison of sunscreens for sensitive skin) contain only their natural form, they’d be pitch black and ingredients lists shows the same active and the minerals zinc oxide and/or titanium contain high amounts of lead.” inactive ingredients. dioxide as the active ingredients, because People think that mineral-based sun- In our survey, 18 percent of people who they may be less irritating to skin than sun- screens are safer because they sit on the bought kids’ sunscreen did so because a screens containing chemicals, such as surface of the skin and aren’t absorbed the way chemical sunscreens are. But that’s not always true. Titanium dioxide and zinc ox- ide are often broken down into nanoparticles Is ultrahigh SPF really any better? so that they go on clear instead of as the In our survey, almost one-third of adults and almost 60 percent of children used thick, white paste you used to see on life- sunscreens with an SPF of 50 or more. Some products worked well; two of our guards’ noses, and nanoparticles may be highest-rated sunscreens have very high SPFs—Banana Boat Ultra Defense Max absorbed. Some experts are concerned about Skin Protect SPF 110 and Neutrogena Ultimate Sport SPF 70+. But that doesn’t the health effects of those compounds. mean you’re getting twice the benefit of an SPF 30 or 50—or that you can stay When it comes to sun protection, miner- in the sun longer without reapplying it. As the illustration shows, the difference in als are no better than chemicals. In fact, in the protection provided by an SPF 15 and SPF 50 is very small. No sunscreen blocks 100 percent of the rays, and remember that SPF only refers to UVB rays, not UVA. some cases they perform less effectively. “Sometimes the particles of titanium diox- ide and/or zinc oxide clump together,” Stein- 2x the SPF ≠ 2x the protection berg says. “That can lower their SPF.” Beyond Coastal Natural SPF 30 and Banana Boat Kids 100 SPF 50, which each contain zinc oxide and SPF 50 = 98% SPF 100 = 99% titanium dioxide, received Fair and Poor SPF 30 = 97% Ratings, respectively, in our tests. California Baby Super Sensitive 30+ with titanium di- SPF 15 = 93% oxide was rated Good. Myth Spray sunscreens provide the best coverage. IRD DESIGN IRD B They’re protective if used correctly; four N Percentage of UVB protection of Percentage W sprays are at the top of our Ratings. But it RO B 80 can be hard to judge the amount of sun- 0 20 40 60 80 100 screen you’re using, and that could lead to SPF USTRATION: LL much less protection.