This new study shows that many sunscreens don't protect the skin like they claim

Over 40 percent of sunscreen products do not live up to the SPF claim on their bottles, according to a new study.


Researchers at Consumer Reports independently evaluated the Sun Protection Factor value of 104 sunscreen products -- including lotions, sprays and sticks -- and found that 48% of them had less SPF than the label promised.

Any reduction would block fewer UVB rays from sunlight, which can cause sunburn and skin cancer.

The American Academy of Dermatology recommends choosing a sunscreen that is at least SPF 30, which would block 97% of UVB rays.

"Sunscreens should live up to the claim on their label, and in our test we found some of them did not," said Patricia Calvo, Consumer Reports' deputy content editor for health and food, who worked with the researchers to create the report.

The findings are consistent with previous Consumer Reports studies, she said. Over the past four years, since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration updated requirements for how sunscreen manufacturers label and test their products, 48% of sunscreens have fallen short of their SPF claim.

According to the Consumer Protection website,  "the odds are good that your sunscreen may not deliver the sun protection factor—SPF—it promises on the label. This year we tested and rated more than 60 lotions, sprays, and sticks with SPF claims of 30 or higher—30 being the minimum level recommended by the American Academy of Dermatology. But 28 of them­—a full 43 percent—failed to meet the SPF claim on the label. Three of them fell far short, with our tests showing an SPF of less than 15. That’s not enough sun protection, and it could leave you vulnerable to sunburn and possible long-term skin damage, such as wrinkles or skin cancer."

"Those results aren’t a fluke; we’ve observed this pattern in our testing over the past four years. Of all the sunscreens we’ve tested over that stretch of time, fully half came in below the SPF number printed on the label, and a third registered below an SPF 30."