Members Mark Sport Spf 50 Continuous Spray Sunscreen Reviews

The research

• Why you should trust us
• Who this is for
• Consider UPF clothing
• What does SPF mean?
• What'south in sunscreen?
• Are chemic sunscreens safe?
• Benzene in sunscreens? What y'all need to know
• How we picked
• How we tested
• Our pick: Coppertone Ultra Baby-sit Sunscreen Lotion SPF seventy
• Too great: Thinksport SPF 50+ Sunscreen
• Also great: Banana Boat Sport Performance Clear UltraMist Sunscreen SPF 100
• What lab testing can (and cannot) reveal about sunscreen efficacy
• How much sunscreen should I utilise?
• Do I need a face up sunscreen?
• What about "reef-safe" sunscreens?
• Does sunscreen elapse?
• Why is my sunscreen stinging my optics?
• Why is my sunscreen staining my clothes?
• Sunscreen and Vitamin D
• Other sunscreens we like
• The contest
• Footnotes
• Sources

Why you should trust u.s.a.

To discover the best sunscreens, nosotros talked to corrective chemists Ron Robinson, Akshay Talati, and Perry Romanowski, and to Lisa Quale, a health educator at the University of Arizona Cancer Heart. We also consulted 9 dermatologists: Jenna Lester, at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine's section of dermatology; Vinod Nambudiri, a dermatologist at Brigham and Women'southward Hospital in Boston; Belinda Tan, a dermatopathologist and cofounder of People Scientific discipline; Lawrence Eichenfield, chief of the pediatric and adolescent dermatology division at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego; Rachel Herschenfeld of Dermatology Partners in Wellesley, Massachusetts; Steven Wang of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, who leads the Skin Cancer Foundation'due south photobiology commission; Lindsey Bordone of ColumbiaDoctors in New York City; Erin Warshaw, a professor of dermatology at the University of Minnesota Medical School; pediatric dermatologist Patricia Treadwell of Indiana University; and dermatologist Henry Lim, a Detroit-based Skin Cancer Foundation spokesperson. Nosotros also spoke with toxicologist Luoping Zhang, an adjunct professor at the Academy of California, Berkeley, and environmental toxicologist Bernard D. Goldstein, former dean of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.

We read a lot of scientific papers, including studies on the risks of feeding sunscreen chemicals to rats, investigations on how people apply sunscreen (spoiler: poorly), studies comparing active ingredients, and literature reviews.

We too read through sunscreen reviews from non-academic publications—and so tossed most of them out because of their utter lack of ground in science. Although we previously considered contained SPF testing from Consumer Reports, nosotros've concluded that lab simulations can tell us very niggling well-nigh sunscreen efficacy during real-earth employ.

Who this is for

Sunscreen is for everyone over half-dozen months of age, including people with dark skin. (Experts recommend keeping young infants out of the sunday altogether; if that'due south impossible, using sunscreen is better than not using information technology.) "Only because some cultures don't have a longstanding history of wearing sunscreen doesn't mean in that location can't be a benefit from wearing it," said Dr. Nambudiri. "Darker-skinned people tin can admittedly get skin cancer as well as other skin problems caused by UV ray impairment." Applied properly, sunscreen lowers your run a risk of skin cancer and helps prevent wrinkles; it'southward arguably the near effective anti-aging production available. You're getting hit past a fair amount of the sun'southward rays every twenty-four hours, even overcast ones, "unless yous are a spelunker," dermatologist Rachel Herschenfeld told us. "I put it on every single twenty-four hours," she said. "I will leave the house in evil-smelling conditioning wear, but I never leave the house without my sunscreen."

Every single dermatologist we spoke with mentioned that fugitive the sun—plus wearing protective clothing and/or sunscreen when you tin't—is the best mode to protect yourself from potentially harmful ultraviolet radiation. When sun abstinence is not an option, covering upwards is ideal, said cancer educator Lisa Quale: "There's no user error."

Considering bundling up in the shade isn't always applied, everyone should exist using sunscreen every bit a 2d line of defense.

Many sunscreens run across our basic requirements. If you're satisfied with what you already use, and it's not past its expiration date, continue using it. Particularly if you lot have developed an allergic reaction to a given formula in the past, you ultimately know which sunscreen is all-time for y'all.

Consider UPF clothing

Our sunscreen picks piece of work for most everyday outdoor activities. If you lot experience the outdoors in more extreme ways, such every bit surfing, swimming, or marathon running, you may not be able to apply sunscreen at the recommended frequency (hourly) and in the recommended quantity (1 ounce over your more often than not naked torso). If that is the case, your amend bet for protection is to cover up with clothing such as a rash guard, a shirt and pants, or a wetsuit. The Peel Cancer Foundation offers guidelines on sun-protective wearable; every bit a rule of thumb, darker, tightly woven clothing is ameliorate than lighter-colored material that you can see through. If you need to protect your face, our beach guide and kids beachwear list have several recommendations for hats.

What does SPF hateful?

All sunscreens accept a lord's day protection factor, or SPF. Information technology's a measure of how well sunscreen protects against UVB rays, the type that cause sunburn. The relationship between SPF and protection is non linear: SPF 15 filters 93 pct of UVB rays, while SPF 30 filters 97 percent and SPF 50 filters 98 percent. Cypher blocks 100 percent of UVB rays. The American University of Dermatologists recommends choosing sunscreens that list a minimum SPF of 30.

It'south likewise disquisitional to have a sunscreen labeled as broad spectrum. This means the sunscreen has ingredients that protect against both UVB and UVA rays—the latter of which can penetrate glass, and lead to wrinkles. Both types of radiation can lead to cancer. In that location'due south no SPF-rating equivalent for UVA rays (of which there are ii types, UVA2 and UVA1, representing different wavelengths), simply a sunscreen that passes the FDA'southward wide-spectrum test has UVA coverage proportional to its UVB coverage.

Yous might consider going with an SPF significantly above thirty for another reason. Although the FDA requires that companies bear witness their sunscreens help preclude sunburn, the manufacturers are ultimately "responsible for ensuring the quality of their products," an agency spokesperson wrote in an e-mail. Your chances of getting an effective SPF above 30 regardless of what the label claims are better if you buy a sunscreen labeled SPF 50 or even 70.

Still, higher SPF doesn't option up the slack for poor application. Researchers who reviewed several studies found that there are discrepancies betwixt how much sunscreen volunteers utilise in the lab versus how much people use in real-earth scenarios, specially with higher SPF formulas. In an article for The Skin Cancer Foundation, Steven Wang warns confronting a fake sense of safe from super-high SPFs: You can't put on SPF 100 and then be invincible against the sun forever. An SPF xv lotion that you lot apply liberally and ofttimes can protect y'all better than an SPF 50–plus balm you lot put on just once in eight hours. (Wang estimates that most people typically apply a tertiary of the sunscreen they need.)

What's in sunscreen?

Photo: Rozette Rago

You can find two main kinds of sunscreen formulas: concrete (reflects rays away from your skin) and chemical (soaks up rays so your skin doesn't). Some companies also make combination sunscreens, which take some chemical filters and some concrete.¹ Chemical sunscreens tend to be greasier but continue translucent. Concrete sunscreens tend to be thicker and go along whiter. Well-nigh combination sunscreens strike a balance between those textures and appearances.

Ingredient/filter	Type	UVB	UVA2	UVA1
Avobenzone	Chemical	❌	❌	✅
Ecamsule (Mexoryl SX)	Chemical	❌	✅	❌
Octocrylene	Chemical	✅	✅	❌
Oxybenzone	Chemical	✅	✅	❌
Titanium dioxide	Concrete	✅	✅	❌
Zinc oxide	Physical	✅	✅	✅

FDA-approved agile ingredients/UV filters ordinarily found in sunscreens available for buy in the The states.

Concrete sunscreens deflect UV rays using the active ingredients zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, oft in tandem.

• Zinc oxide protects confronting both UVA and UVB. These blockers tend to make sunscreen whiter. Dermatologists oftentimes recommend this agile ingredient because it does a dandy chore protecting confronting the whole spectrum. Expect for formulas with 5 percent or more zinc oxide.
• Titanium dioxide protects against UVB and some UVA rays.

These agile ingredients often come in "micronized"—finely ground—nanoparticles, which, according to cosmetic pharmacist Ron Robinson, are easier to employ and are more sheer on the pare. Sunscreens that rely on not-nano particles of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide tend to be thicker and more chalky, but the trade-off is that the particles cannot penetrate the skin (although there is no published bear witness that nanoparticles are harmful).

The more expensive concrete sunscreens can have a higher zinc oxide content. More zinc oxide is more protective, Lisa Quale explained, but it tin can also become on pastier. "Baby" sunscreens can be toll-effective concrete options. (Co-ordinate to The Skin Cancer Foundation, most sunscreens marketed for use on babies are concrete formulas—containing zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, or both—because these are less associated with skin irritation.)

Chemical sunscreens blot the photons of the sun's rays before they reach your skin; the photons' free energy goes into breaking down those chemicals rather than into penetrating your skin. Avobenzone, oxybenzone, and ecamsule are the iii principal filters (PDF). (In that location are several other active ingredients that piece of work similarly.)

• Avobenzone, like zinc oxide, protects against UVA1—most other UV filters in chemic sunscreens do not. It'southward likewise what causes some sunscreens to stain white and light-colored clothing yellowish. According to scientists at Merck, it protects as well as zinc oxide does, though in a more express range of the UV spectrum. Avobenzone too goes past the name Parsol 1789. Look for formulas containing 3 percent or more avobenzone.
• Oxybenzone protects confronting a portion of the UVA spectrum that avobenzone does non, plus it protects confronting UVB rays. Nearly chemical sunscreen formulas contain oxybenzone. (People who feel photoallergic contact dermatitis may have an allergic reaction to oxybenzone or some other sunscreen ingredient. See besides "Why is my sunscreen stinging my eyes?")
• Ecamsule protects confronting some UVA rays and also goes by the name Mexoryl SX.
• Homosalate protects against some UVB rays.
• Octisalate, or octyl salicylate, protects against UVB radiation.
• Octocrylene protects against UVB and some UVA rays.

In add-on to their agile ingredients, sunscreens contain a preservative to prevent microbe growth (more on those preservatives beneath). Some sunscreen makers too boast that their formulas incorporate antioxidants, which are theoretically nice because they can soak up costless radicals that can damage cells, but according to chemist Perry Romanowski, they're not nowadays in lotions in a quantity that can be helpful to y'all. Many sunscreens likewise contain added fragrance. You may want to avoid fragrances as they can be irritating, and what makes a good fragrance is largely personal. That said, the sunscreen chemicals themselves still take a scent, so information technology's difficult to find a sunscreen that smells like absolutely null.

What to avoid

If you lot take sensitive skin, there's no need to look for formulas advertised as "not-irritating." As Romanowski told usa: "Every lotion out there has the potential to be irritating to somebody." Keep in listen that "hypoallergenic" is another unsubstantiated marketing term. In fact, if y'all have a peel reaction, the cause is probably non the UV filter itself merely additives such equally fragrance or methylisothiazolinone, a preservative.

Are chemical sunscreens condom?

Researchers take long known that some chemical UV filters tin reach the bloodstream, and have detected varying amounts of these active ingredients in urine and chest milk. In a May 2019 written report, researchers at the FDA confirmed that avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene, and ecamsule—iv of the near common ingredients in chemical sunscreens and combination formulas—remained in the bloodstreams of 24 adult study participants who were assigned to reapply 1 of four commercially bachelor sunscreens iv times a day for four days in the lab. (The participants were not exposed to the lord's day for up to seven total days.) In some cases, these active ingredients were however detectable in varying concentrations in the participants' claret for days later their last application. The researchers write that further studies are needed to determine the clinical significance of this finding and note that their findings to engagement "do not indicate that individuals should refrain from the use of sunscreen."

In January 2020, FDA researchers released results from a follow-up written report, which showed that—in addition to avobenzone, oxybenzone, and octocrylene—homosalate, octisalate, and octinoxate in sunscreen creams, lotions, and sprays can also attain and remain in the bloodstream. "Without further testing, the FDA does not know what levels of absorption can be considered safe," states a printing release from the agency.

The FDA is working with sunscreen makers to further establish the rubber and efficacy of 12 UV filters that have long been approved for sale in the United states and remain on store shelves (including those examined in the May 2019 and January 2020 studies). In the meantime, the agency says it does non have reason to believe that whatsoever of these are unsafe and points to 2 physical UV blockers—zinc oxide and titanium dioxide—as proven safe and effective active ingredients. (Equally The New York Times Magazine notes, "In Europe, newer formulations that are broader-spectrum have been in use for years, but the F.D.A. won't consider them without more data, leaving the U.Due south. marketplace with 1970s-era ingredients that, except for mineral varieties, the F.D.A. has non deemed safe and effective, either, but that information technology also can't remove without eliminating a valuable form of skin-cancer protection.")

Some people develop a pare reaction called photoallergic contact dermatitis when using sure sunscreens, peculiarly those containing the agile ingredients oxybenzone and/or octocrylene.

Some organizations—including the Environmental Working Group—run across oxybenzone in item as a crusade for concern. In a 2001 fauna report (PDF), researchers at the Academy of Zurich fed rats a loftier dose of oxybenzone and constitute that information technology accumulated in the rodents' livers, kidneys, spleens, and testes; in female rats, the very loftier dose fabricated their uteruses grow larger. The chemical acted as what's chosen an endocrine disruptor—basically, it messed with the hormones in those rats.

Every expert we've spoken with and every review paper we've read has ended that, known allergic reactions aside, in that location is no reason to worry about slathering yourself with oxybenzone. Studies on people have shown that oxybenzone absorbed through the pare flushes out in pee.

Well-nigh people are fine with any mix of agile ingredients or UV filters. Although some doctors nosotros spoke with said they were neat on physical or combination formulas, the consensus was that having a formula you lot like, with a listed SPF of 30 or college, is the most important consideration.

Steven Wang pointed out that you can't only look at the ingredients on a sunscreen canteen and figure out how good the protection is. Though experts we spoke with agreed that zinc oxide and avobenzone are ii of the best UV filters, how well they protect you lot depends not just on their amount in the sunscreen but also on the inactive ingredients in the formula that help these active ingredients stick to your peel (and for avobenzone, forestall it from breaking down).

Parabens, a common kind of preservative that is nowadays in many sunscreens and other skincare items, accept lately been vilified with rumors claiming they can penetrate the peel and encourage cancer growth or disrupt hormones. A 2013 study (PDF) from the European Commission Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety concluded that most parabens are rubber for normal cosmetic utilize. A 2002 study that suggested they might be harmful to the reproductive systems of rats was the source of some paraben fears, but follow-up studies could not confirm the results. Co-ordinate to the American Cancer Gild, carefully designed studies on breast cancer and parabens accept found no connection.

Paraben fears are causing cosmetic companies to plough to other preservatives, such every bit methylisothiazolinone, every bit an alternative. "It'southward a shame because paraben is a cracking preservative," said dermatologist Erin Warshaw. Very rarely, people can have an allergic reaction to methylisothiazolinone. (Well-nigh sunscreens, including some of our picks, include parabens.)

Benzene in sunscreens? What you need to know

A May 2021 study from Valisure, an advocacy-focused online pharmacy that tests prescription drugs and over-the-counter products, raised alarm about the presence of benzene, a known carcinogen, in dozens of batches of commercially available sunscreens and after-sun peel-care products. Experts we spoke with acknowledged that the lab'south findings, while preliminary and non independently confirmed, are worthy of business concern. "Nosotros know that benzene can cause leukemia and other types of cancers, and the loftier levels detected in all these sunscreens is apropos and surprising," said Luoping Zhang, an offshoot professor of toxicology at the Academy of California, Berkeley. "There is probably no safe level of benzene anywhere or in annihilation."

Valisure requested "a recall of the contaminated batches" and that the "FDA better ascertain limits for benzene contagion in drug and cosmetic products."

While the company did not examination samples of all of the sunscreens nosotros recommend in this guide, among those it did test, none were found to contain benzene. (Still, that doesn't hateful all of our picks are benzene-gratis.) The Valisure report is "a whistleblower event that helps things change and regulations to happen," said Akshay Talati, an contained cosmetic chemist who has worked with a variety of cosmetics companies, most recently L'Oreal.

In July 2021, Johnson & Johnson issued a voluntary recollect of 14 aerosol sunscreen sprays from five Neutrogena and Aveeno lines after detecting "low levels of benzene in some samples" of these products. These include Neutrogena Beach Defense sunscreen sprays (SPFs thirty, 50, 60+, seventy, 100), Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist sunscreen sprays (SPFs 30, 45, lxx, 100+), Neutrogena CoolDry Sport sunscreen sprays (SPFs l, seventy, 100), Neutrogena Invisible Daily Defense SPF threescore+ sunscreen spray, and Aveeno Protect + Refresh SPF 60 sunscreen spray. While the company said use of the recalled sunscreens "would not be expected to crusade adverse health consequences," Johnson & Johnson is request consumers to stop using these sunscreens and to call to request refunds (1-800-458-1673).

What remains uncertain is how benzene—a colorless chemic that'due south usually used to make other chemicals—may have gotten into sunscreens in the first identify. It could, cosmetic pharmacist Ron Robinson said, be "a by-production of the manufacturing process." According to Talati, information technology could also be a event of contagion. "A lot of ingredients in sunscreens are synthesized or accept petrochemical origin," he said. "Tiny trace impurities and contaminants come with these types of ingredients, peculiarly when they are of lower quality." (As a related case, Talati cited Valisure's March 2021 report on benzene in commercial paw sanitizers.) For its part, Johnson & Johnson said benzene is non used in its sunscreen manufacturing processes. The visitor is investigating potential sources of benzene contamination in its products.

"Benzene is a naturally-occuring substance," said Bernard Goldstein, an environmental toxicologist who has studied benzene for more than 50 years. "It is inescapable—we are always breathing or drinking a tiny amount of it." Withal, Dr. Goldstein connected, "that doesn't hateful that information technology should be in consumer products, nor should they exist manufactured in any fashion that produces or uses benzene."

Many of the sunscreens that Valisure institute contained benzene are spray sunscreens, which come with the known issue of inhalation. "Benzene is unsafe when inhaled," said Talati, citing occupational health hazards in industries where workers are exposed to benzene.

Topical benzene exposure is less well understood, but research has shown that "benzene penetrates normal intact human skin more than quickly than many small organic molecules," says Zhang, who has studied benzene toxicity for years. Nether certain conditions, benzene nowadays in lotion sunscreens could also be inhaled, Zhang pointed out. "Because sunscreen is usually worn in hot environments," she explained, "benzene, which is an accelerant, tin can evaporate in the heat and exist inhaled, especially if information technology'due south in facial sunscreen."

While alarming, the lab'southward findings are non reason plenty to cease using sunscreen. "Consumers should continue to use sunscreen to protect their skin," Robinson said, noting that further enquiry on potential benzene contamination in sunscreens is needed. "I would not tell my kids to pick a sunscreen based on the Valisure report," said Dr. Goldstein. "I would tell them to wear sunscreen and so as to non end up with skin cancer."

In an emailed statement, AAD president Kenneth Tomecki said that his organization "looks forrad to the FDA's review of this report to determine if the benzene levels exceed the FDA's limits in some sunscreens and if so, how it should exist addressed."

An FDA spokesperson told Reuters that the agency "will continue to monitor the sunscreen market and manufacturing efforts to help ensure the availability of safe sunscreens for U.S. consumers."

How we picked

Photo: Kyle Fitzgerald

For this guide, we considered lotion and spray sunscreen formulas containing FDA-approved active ingredients that are available for purchase in the U.s..² We sought out formulas with listed SPFs of 30 or more that offering broad-spectrum protection and are "water resistant," per the American Academy of Dermatology'southward recommendation.

We debated including sprays considering, though their format doesn't propose it, they need to be rubbed in; if you don't rub them in, that can result in patchy application (PDF) peculiarly in windy, outdoor atmospheric condition. And with a spray, you can't measure how much you've applied. Although sprays seem to be an appealing option for covering hard-to-reach parts of your body, every single adept nosotros asked said you tin't just spray your ain back and be good to go. Pediatric dermatologist Patricia Treadwell noted that spray sunscreens are easy to accidentally inhale, posing a significant wellness hazard. "If you tin scent your spray sunscreen, you're inhaling information technology," warns Dr. Eichenfield. "While they're user-friendly to spray on children, at that place are some concerns about ingestion, so many experts prefer these exist avoided." Just the best sunscreen is the i you'll use, and y'all may discover that sprays improve fit your needs—in that case, spray with caution and in well-ventilated areas.

We skipped sunscreen sticks, foams, and powders, equally these are less common formats and it can be hard to tell how much to utilize.

We looked for lotions and sprays that met the bones AAD requirements, paying special mind to chemical, physical, and combination formulas without added fragrance (a potential peel irritant). This process gave us a list of more than 70 top-rated, best-selling formulas.

How we tested

A testing session at the embankment in LA. Photo: Kyle Fitzgerald

We've tested more 50 sunscreens since 2015 (including over a dozen  "reef-safe" formulas and even more face sunscreens). Nosotros considered but ultimately decided against commissioning an independent lab to assess SPF, broad-spectrum, and h2o-resistance claims because the results of even the most sophisticated lab tests tin can't predict how a given sunscreen performs in the existent globe, where application amount and frequency affair much more than SPF. Instead, we've focused our testing on the factors that touch people's sunscreen use: Namely, how the formulas feel and smell. For sprays, nosotros also attempted to determine how much sunscreen actually ends up on your skin. (See "What lab testing can (and cannot) reveal about sunscreen efficacy.")

First, a panel of nine people tried the sunscreens in swatches on our artillery in a bullheaded test, with the bottles covered in duct tape to avoid the influence of make names and marketing claims. Members of our panel—which comprised racial and gender diversity, bookkeeping for diverse skin tones and body pilus textures—rated the smell, texture, feel, and advent of each formula, assessing whether rubbing it in was a pain, either by taking as well long or by not being spreadable enough. (For an update, in 2019 we tested on some other panel of vii people.)

3 of us then each took the two best-rated concrete and chemical sunscreens home and slathered near of our bodies with them to get a better idea of how they felt and smelled in larger quantities and over longer periods of time. We also sent some of our favorite sunscreens with groups of kids and adults going to beaches in Georgia and California to go feedback on how the sunscreens stood up to wind and waves.

Overall, although some were drier than others, we found that most every sunscreen we tested felt somewhat greasy on our skin.³

The chemical sunscreens we tested all smelled at least a footling sunscreen-y if they didn't accept another fragrance added. The physical and combination formulas all smelled slightly similar glue. But these scents are all fairly subtle and can be difficult to pick upward unless you are standing in the sunscreen aisle and doing a careful comparing.

Our selection: Coppertone Ultra Guard Sunscreen Lotion SPF 70

Photo: Kyle Fitzgerald

Our pick

We've noticed stock issues with this item. If Coppertone Ultra Baby-sit Sunscreen Lotion SPF seventy is unavailable, nosotros recommend Banana Boat Light Equally Air SPF 50 Lotion as a substitute. Read more nigh the Low-cal As Air sunscreen.

Coppertone Ultra Baby-sit Sunscreen Balm SPF lxx, a chemical sunscreen that earned top marks in our testing, is a great selection for almost people. It offers adequate SPF and broad-spectrum protection and is water resistant for up to 80 minutes. It's easy to apply and comfy to article of clothing, while still being affordable. It has no added fragrances. Although we could detect a slight sunscreen scent when nosotros offset applied it, later information technology's been rubbed in, "it doesn't really olfactory property like anything," said Wirecutter social media strategy editor Sasha VanHoven, who was a fellow member of our test panel and has been using Coppertone Ultra Guard consistently since. Its texture fabricated information technology one of the easiest to apply of the sunscreens we tested. And it didn't turn white when we wore it running, as some sunscreens did.

Coppertone Ultra Guard upon application. Photo: Rozette Rago

1 Amazon reviewer says: "It didn't feel overly greasy, and it rubbed in fine, no white residue." The reviewer concludes that "information technology does the job it's intended to do." We hold.

Information technology comes in a packable, easy-to-grip, 8-ounce canteen with a seal-tight cap.

The active ingredients are avobenzone (iii pct), homosalate (15 percent), octisalate (v percent), octocrylene (x percent), and oxybenzone (6 percentage).

Also great: Thinksport SPF 50+ Sunscreen

Michael Hession

Also great

Thinksport SPF 50+ Sunscreen

A reef-safe, physical-only formula

Although it costs 4 times equally much as Coppertone Ultra Guard, this "reef-condom" lotion was our panelists' favorite physical sunscreen overall. Compared with our chemical and combination picks, it is more difficult to rub in, and it can go out a white cast.

For people who prefer a formula with merely physical UV blockers (no chemical filters) or who need a "reef-safe" sunscreen, we recommend Thinksport SPF 50+. Similar our other picks, it'due south water resistant for upwardly to lxxx minutes and offers wide-spectrum protection. The Thinksport sunscreen costs nearly 4 times as much per ounce as our Coppertone option.

Like most zinc-oxide-based formulas we've tested (especially those containing not-nano zinc), the Thinksport sunscreen can be difficult to rub in and can leave a white cast. Merely some people prefer concrete sunscreens for this reason: They can more than conspicuously see where they have practical an opaque balm versus a nearly invisible i.

Because the minerals in physical sunscreens don't repel UV rays as efficiently equally chemical filters absorb them, it's difficult to codify a physical sunscreen with a high effective SPF, said Dr. Henry Lim, a Detroit-based dermatologist and Peel Cancer Foundation spokesperson. This makes Thinksport'southward 50+ rating on this lotion appealing; with proper use, it should—in theory—provide at least the skillful-recommended minimum SPF of 30.

Thinksport'due south spartan ingredient listing may appeal to those with sensitive peel, though people with sensitive noses might non experience the same way. The formula contains added fragrance that gives it a potent fruity olfactory property.

Thinksport sells 3 versions of this sunscreen, marketing them for babies, kids, and adults. Our testers preferred the concluding formula. Fragrance and branding aside, they are notwithstanding. (Members of our panel plant that the baby and kids formulas smelled sweeter and more artificial than the adult 1.) All 3 come up in travel-size (iii-ounce) and family-size (6-ounce) bottles. The family-size versions cost slightly less per ounce compared with the travel ones. Factoring in reapplication, as is the case with our spray sunscreen pick, one person can expect to use up a whole half-dozen-ounce bottle in a single embankment trip.

If you find stick sunscreens easier to use to your face up or to children'southward pare, Thinksport sells an SPF 30 formula that, like the SPF 50 lotion we recommend, contains 20% non-nano zinc oxide. As with the other Thinksport sunscreens, the stick comes in versions for babies, kids, and adults. They differ just in scents. Though we haven't asked panelists to attempt this or other stick sunscreens, ane Wirecutter staffer finds the Thinksport stick easier to apply and rub in on the face up, neck, and ears of her squirmy toddler compared with the lotion.

Likewise dandy: Banana Boat Sport Performance Clear UltraMist Sunscreen SPF 100

Photograph: Kyle Fitzgerald

Also great

If you lot know you're more likely to use a spray, Banana Boat Sport Performance Clear UltraMist Sunscreen SPF 100 is the easiest to apply liberally of the 9 spray sunscreens we tested. Although near spray sunscreens feel similar, some testers reported liking the experience of the Sport Performance Clear UltraMist formula best for being less greasy than others, and rated its typical sunscreen scent just fine. Banana Boat Sport Performance Clear UltraMist is also less expensive than most other sprays we considered.

The downside of spray sunscreens is that they are quite a flake more expensive than lotions, especially when you consider that some of that spray never reaches your skin. If you're using a bottle of spray correctly—that is, you're applying and reapplying the recommended corporeality and rubbing it into your skin—one person could utilize up an entire bottle in a unmarried day at the beach.

The Banana Boat spray bottle itself was the best we tested. The nozzle produced a stream of mist that was less aerated and more than concentrated than with many of the other sunscreens we tested, significant more sunscreen should cease upwards on your skin. The bottle has a groove nearly the peak, so it'due south easy to concord even when your hands are slippery.

The active ingredients are avobenzone (3 percentage), homosalate (10 percentage), octisalate (10 percent), octocrylene (10 percent), and oxybenzone (6 percent).

What lab testing can (and cannot) reveal about sunscreen efficacy

Researchers accept lab tests to appraise UVB protection (SPF values), UVA protection (broad spectrum), h2o resistance, contact irritancy, phototoxic reactions, and even how well a given sunscreen sticks to skin following mechanical abrasion (which is meant to mimic the action of toweling off).

The FDA regulates sunscreens as over-the-counter drugs. To obtain marketing blessing from the agency, sunscreen makers must submit data showing their products are safe and constructive. Among other things, the FDA considers lab information on a given sunscreen's SPF value, wide-spectrum protection, and h2o resistance. Labs that test sunscreens recruit volunteers who are exposed to UV radiations from sun lamps while wearing sunscreen and not wearing it (and, in the case of "h2o-resistant" formulas, wearing these sunscreens before and subsequently h2o exposure). The FDA requires that these tests be washed on at least 10 people. Labs that test sunscreens also examine how the formulas perform when applied to acrylic plates, quantifying the amount of UV radiation that passes through. In all these cases, to achieve accurate test results, the researchers must apply the sunscreens in precise amounts and distribute them uniformly across the test surfaces. This is non how people typically utilize sunscreen.

The Environmental Working Grouping (EWG) and Consumer Reports are 2 organizations that regularly study findings on, amidst other things, whether a sunscreen'southward SPF matches what's stated on the canteen. Yr after year, they observe that many practise not. (Rather than commission its ain testing of sunscreens, as Consumer Reports does, the EWG analyzes existing sunscreen test data.) But even the best lab-test data reveals little about how people actually use sunscreens—peculiarly when it comes to spray sunscreens.

Photograph: Kyle Fitzgerald

One of the major pitfalls of sprays is that it'southward hard to tell how much sunscreen ends upwardly on your peel. Even sunscreen testing labs don't actually employ the bottles' spray mechanisms when testing spray sunscreens. "Determining the exact corporeality of spray product applied to a test site surface area is almost impossible," Sherriel Wallace, the clinical director at Florida Skincare Testing, told u.s.. Instead, the company gets samples of spray sunscreen in liquid form and deposits information technology onto testers' peel using a syringe. Dermatologists sometimes recommend applying spray with the nozzle directly confronting your skin and then it comes out every bit a liquid, which seems to largely defeat the purpose of using a spray.

In 2017, we set out to effigy out how much spray sunscreen we'd need to apply to get full coverage when using a spray normally. Sunscreens are tested for their SPF based on weight, 2 mg/cm², according to Wallace and the FDA. Speaking generously, humans have 2 square meters of skin, which works out to but nether an ounce and a one-half past weight if you're roofing your entire naked body. (Note that the 1-ounce mensurate for lotion sunscreens is volume—the amount you'd put in a glass—not weight.)

We devised a contraption to collect all of the liquid coming out of a spray bottle. Nosotros placed a canvas of plastic wrap over a plastic bottle, secured information technology with a rubber ring, and poked a hole to place a spray bottle at the tiptop. We did several tests, timing how long we were spraying and and so measuring the resulting liquid past volume and weight. Nosotros found that spraying a fresh bottle of sunscreen for a minute yields roughly 0.viii ounce by weight, pregnant a person would demand to spray for near 2 minutes to cover an entire body—if they lose petty to no sunscreen to the air.

To detect out how much sunscreen escapes the canteen just doesn't stop upward on your skin, nosotros sprayed sunscreen for thirty seconds on a piece of aluminum foil set on a scale and measured how much the weight changed. We did this both with even so air then with a fan going at the equivalent of a lite breeze at the beach.

Although spray sunscreen is slicker and thinner than lotion, which you may notice more comfortable overall, it isn't a fundamentally different substance.

With no cakewalk and spraying as shut to the foil as possible, nosotros found that virtually all of the sunscreen transferred to the surface. However, while spraying iv to 6 inches away—every bit the bottle often instructed—we easily lost a third of the sunscreen. With a fan going at 7 mph and and then at 11 mph, and me spraying as the canteen instructed, we lost more than one-half the sunscreen to the breeze. The exact amount varied and seemed to depend on how advisedly we pointed the nozzle more on the speed of the fan. Even if you head to the beach with a wind meter and the best intentions, information technology's near impossible to tell how much sunscreen yous're losing unless the air is perfectly even so.

But if you're careful about applying spray sunscreen in a windless expanse, you tin get full coverage if you lot spray for about 2 minutes close to your body and then rub information technology in with your hands, which yous are supposed to practice anyhow, co-ordinate to all bottle instructions. Be wary, too, of bottles that are nearing empty and non spraying continuously. Notation that our tests were unscientific and this is a adequately crude estimate, but it provides at least a workable rule of thumb that leaves a person safely covered in the dominicus.

How much sunscreen should I use?

To get the SPF listed on the bottle, y'all need to put 2 mg/cm^two on your skin. That means the boilerplate-size adult needs roughly a shot glass's worth (one ounce) of sunscreen for their mostly naked body (excluding areas swimwear typically covers). So, equally yous may have merely concluded, you lot are almost certainly not using enough sunscreen. A 2014 study showed that people typically use a quarter to half as much sunscreen as they need to per application to meet the advertised SPF.

This is what an ounce of No-Ad Sport looks similar in a medium-size hand—a (very full) palmful. Photo: Casey Johnston

Spray sunscreens are trickier, as it's hard to tell how much ends upward on your skin, merely if you lot're headed to the embankment in a bikini or like, we've plant that spraying the sunscreen close to your torso (not the four to 6 inches that most bottles recommend) for roughly two minutes in a windless—simply well-ventilated—area should do the trick.

Use your sunscreen at least 15 minutes before sunday exposure, since it takes that long for the formula to fully sink into your peel, and so again once every hour (or two hours, per the AAD), plus every time later on you work up a sweat or get in the water.

A note about water resistance: Some sunscreen makers claim their formulas are h2o resistant, but no sunscreen is waterproof or sweatproof. As such, you lot should never count on sunscreen to stick to your skin after y'all've gone for a swim or worked out, and you should definitely reapply later you do either of those things. Per FDA regulations, sunscreen can be labeled as water resistant for merely upwards to eighty minutes, by which point you probable should have reapplied anyway.

Do I need a face up sunscreen?

In that location's no reason a body sunscreen can't work on your face. Face up sunscreens are often only trunk sunscreens repackaged, according to cosmetic chemist Perry Romanowski. Merely people'southward faces are also wildly different in the way they react to unlike substances; what is too greasy for i person may exist fine for another.

If y'all don't want to spend the actress cash on a specific confront lotion, keep in mind this one caveat to using our elevation body pick on your face: Water-resistant formulas contain more than oil. That's what makes them water resistant, Romanowski said. Face sunscreens tend to be formulated with less oil. Nosotros recommend several options in our guide to face sunscreens, only we wouldn't hesitate to employ our peak-pick trunk sunscreen on our faces for a beach day. No thing what you use, keep in mind that your level of protection depends on how much and how often you lot apply.

And if you wear makeup, don't count on foundation, powder, bronzer, or other cosmetics to fully protect your face up. Sun-protective makeup might not be good enough for your daily routine, depending on what yous're using and how much time yous spend outside. Many cosmetics that advertise an SPF practice not protect confronting UVA rays. That isn't a matter of faux advertizing; information technology's simply easy for you to miss the fact that they don't have the important "broad spectrum" label. Even if a certain cosmetic does accept such labeling, it may not have a high enough SPF to come across AAD recommendations (thirty or higher).

What well-nigh "reef-condom" sunscreens?

Several sunscreen ingredients, including some in our primary picks, tin harm corals and other sea life when used in large quantities. Although there's no sunscreen that has been proven totally "reef-safe"—an unregulated term—physical formulas that utilize non-nano zinc and titanium to cake UV rays are better for minimizing your impact on wildlife. After testing several such lotions for our guide to reef-safe sunscreen, we recommend Thinksport SPF fifty+.

Does sunscreen expire?

Don't hoard sunscreen: It breaks down over time. Most bottles are labeled with an expiration appointment that'southward a year or ii from when you buy it. If yours has no date, the Mayo Clinic recommends tossing it after 3 years. And know that keeping your sunscreen in the car, or in direct sun at the beach, may brand it deteriorate faster.

Why is my sunscreen stinging my eyes?

No matter how hard you endeavor to avoid getting sunscreen about your eyes, it's practically inevitable that a flake of sunscreen will eventually seep in at that place. And it can really sting. Most commonly, certain ingredients institute in chemical sunscreens are to blame (oxybenzone or avobenzone are the usual suspects). Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide—two active ingredients plant in concrete sunscreens—are less likely to irritate your optics. Face sunscreens are generally formulated to be less greasy and are therefore less likely to reach your optics subsequently you sweat or swim, only they're not fail-prophylactic. "If you get sunscreen in your eye, it's not dangerous, just you lot should flush the eye with water as shortly as you can," pediatric dermatologist Susan Boiko writes in a Skin Cancer Foundation weblog post.

Why is my sunscreen staining my dress?

Sunscreen causing yellowish stains on lite-colored clothing is a common gripe. Nearly every chemical sunscreen for auction has the potential to cause staining, specially if you alive in an surface area with hard h2o. A reaction between avobenzone and iron creates the stain, which is actually rust.

If you accept problem with sunscreen stains, consider wearing darker habiliment to the beach, or switching to a mineral-based sunscreen. If you want to give up neither your white swimsuit nor your easy-to-apply sunscreen, Jolie Kerr, professional person Make clean Person, recommends a remover that can handle them, Carbona Stain Devils #9 Rust & Perspiration. Kerr also suggests going with a lotion sunscreen versus a spray i—it's easier to avoid getting lotion on your clothing during application.

Sunscreen and Vitamin D

Sunshine is a vital component of the chemical reaction that drives vitamin D synthesis in the human body. Vitamin D is essential for health, and wearing sunscreen—which deflects or absorbs the sun'south rays—significantly reduces the body'southward power to make it. Along with eating fortified foods or taking supplements, getting 15 minutes of lord's day exposure is normally enough for most people to brand sufficient vitamin D.^four But dermatologists recommend covering upwardly or using sunscreen whenever y'all may exist exposed to the dominicus, then finding a residuum between protecting your pare and getting plenty vitamin D tin be confusing. Because every person's state of affairs is unique, information technology's best to hash out this topic with your doctor.

Other sunscreens we like

If our acme selection is not available, we similar Banana Boat Calorie-free Every bit Air SPF 50 Balm (avobenzone 3%, homosalate 9%, octisalate four%, octocrylene 5%). Information technology's easy to find in stores, odorless, goes on smoothly, and is about the same price per ounce every bit Coppertone Ultra Guard Sunscreen Lotion SPF 70.

We like Hi Bello Mineral Sunscreen SPF l and Bluish Lizard Sensitive SPF xxx Sunscreen every bit lower-cost alternatives to the reef-safe Thinksport SPF 50+ nosotros recommend. Compared with the Thinksport, we've found that the Hullo Bello formula is more strongly scented. It has the same agile ingredient every bit Thinksport (20% zinc oxide) for around half the price. The Blue Lizard sunscreen contains both titanium dioxide (5%) and zinc oxide (x%) and is more hard to fully rub in compared with both the Thinksport and Hullo Bello sunscreens.

If y'all prefer a physical-only spray sunscreen, nosotros like Coppertone'southward Pure & Simple SPF 50 Spray (24% zinc oxide) as a solid and cost-effective choice with no added fragrance. As with all spray sunscreens, you lot still need to rub this formula into the skin for maximum protection.

CVS Wellness Articulate Zinc Lord's day Balm SPF 50 (octocrylene 4%, zinc oxide 5%) is a solid choice if you lot're specifically looking for a sunscreen that won't stain white clothing. Y'all should note that, despite this sunscreen'south name, information technology does not appear colorless on all pare tones.

People with pare sensitivities rave about Vanicream SPF 35 Sport Sunscreen (octinoxate seven.five%, zinc oxide eight%), which is often difficult to find and more expensive on a per-ounce basis than any of our picks. A Wirecutter colleague with self-described "extremely sensitive skin" has used this formula for years.

The contest

Coppertone WaterBabies Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50, a chemical sunscreen, is piece of cake to employ and article of clothing, but the flowery olfactory property of this formula isn't for everyone. If Coppertone Ultra Guard is unavailable, WaterBabies is a similar alternative.

Customer and test panelist reviews are mixed for All Good Sport Mineral Confront & Body Sunscreen SPF thirty, a physical formula that contains less non-nano zinc oxide than the Thinksport we recommend. And it is comparatively more expensive, even in its largest size.

The Hawaiian Tropic Antioxidant Plus Sunscreen Lotion SPF fifty, a chemical formula, feels nice on skin, but testers found its traditional sunscreen smell to be overly potent. Yet, Hawaiian Tropic's Mineral Skin Nourishing Milk SPF 50 is an equally nice-feeling, well-nigh-odorless, concrete-just sunscreen that comes with a user-friendly pump bottle. The Mineral Skin Nourishing Milk comes only in a iii-ounce canteen, and it's more expensive than the physical sunscreens that we recommend. Some may find the extra cost worth it.

Similarly, many of our testers found Coppertone Pure & Unproblematic SPF fifty Sunscreen Lotion, a physical sunscreen, goopy. While its zinc oxide percent is the highest of the sunscreens nosotros tested (over 24%), it is far runnier than Thinksport SPF fifty+. Though some of our testers with kids institute the runniness to be a positive (the balm's thinner consistency made it easier to quickly slather downwards little ones), most testers establish that the formula made complete absorption nearly impossible. "No one wants to look like the Michelin Man," one tester lamented.

While SPF Rx SPF 40 is the about affordable physical sunscreen we've tried (in a gallon jug, it typically costs less than $ane.fifty an ounce), almost all of our testers found it chalky-looking and heavy-feeling on their peel.

Our testers liked Equate Baby Zinc Broad Spectrum Sunscreen Mineral Balm SPF 50, a physical sunscreen, for its pleasant experience and lack of added fragrance. Although it's not as readily available as the Thinksport formula we recommend (you can buy it simply at Walmart), it is typically effectually half the toll. So if you prefer a zinc-oxide-based sunscreen but don't need a nanoparticle-free, reef-safe one, this is a solid selection.

Similarly, members of our panel appreciated the lack of added fragrance in Vanicream Sunscreen Wide Spectrum SPF fifty+, a non-nano physical sunscreen formulated "for sensitive pare" that is beloved past people with eczema, rosacea, and related conditions that sunscreens can aggravate. The Vanicream lotion typically costs more per ounce than Thinksport SPF l+ sunscreen, and has frequent stock issues.

Of the concrete sunscreens we've tested, Goddess Garden SPF l is by far the most polarizing. Testers either absolutely loved or positively hated the way it felt and its strong, cinnamon-like smell (1 tester said it reminded them of Big Red chewing glue).

No-Advertizement sunscreens, including a budget-friendly chemical formula nosotros'd recommended for years, are no longer manufactured. Parent company KIK Custom Products ceased product of No-Ad in March 2020. Annihilation y'all can observe on store shelves or online is remaining stock.

Panelists were split on CVS Health Infant Sun Lotion SPF 50, a combination sunscreen lotion. One tester noted that the "olfactory property isn't offensive." The tester continued, "It'due south a little sticky [and it] blends into the peel decently."

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry out-Touch Sunscreen SPF 45 comes in a canteen that's small enough to toss in a purse, but the lotion feeds out of the tube at a slow rate. Despite the marketing, the feel was non significantly drier than that of other sunscreens nosotros tried. Equally one tester said of this chemical sunscreen: "It rubs in nicely, but I don't actually like the smell.… After smelling all of the others, the scent on this seemed besides strong."

The spray we found easiest to utilize properly, Goddess Garden Organics Kids Natural Sunscreen SPF 30, is a physical sunscreen that isn't aerosolized; rather, it's a balm that squirts out in fiddling blobs. If you are sensitive to oxybenzone or concerned about stains but still want a spray, this is a good choice. However, our testers reported that it was difficult to rub in. If you don't spray close enough to your trunk, you can easily end up with blobs of sunscreen all over your belongings.

Babyganics Sunscreen Spray SPF 50 is another non-aerosol spray that testers reported was hard to rub in. Once this physical sunscreen was on, it felt a piffling sticky.

Neutrogena Wet Skin Kids Sunscreen SPF 70, a chemical spray sunscreen, comes in a bottle that's smaller than the competition (5 ounces versus the typical 8), significant you'd probably take to carry more than ane bottle with you for a beach day.

Alba Botanica Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen SPF thirty contains no added fragrance and is mostly less expensive compared with other nanoparticle-costless physical sunscreen lotions nosotros considered. Most of our panelists did not like it. One reported: "I like that it's almost odorless, merely I don't like how sticky this is."

Tracy Vence contributed reporting to this guide.

Footnotes

Sources

1. Rebecca Jansen MD, et al., Photoprotection: Part II. Sunscreen: Development, efficacy, and controversies, Periodical of the American Academy of Dermatology , December 1, 2013

2. Peterson B, Wulf HC, Application of sunscreen--theory and reality, Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine , January half dozen, 2014

3. Steven Q. Wang, MD, Mark E. Burnett, BS, Henry W. Lim, Medico, Safety of Oxybenzone: Putting Numbers Into Perspective, JAMA Dermatology , July i, 2011

4. Burnett ME, Wang SQ, Current sunscreen controversies: a disquisitional review, Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine , April 1, 2011

5. Perry Romanowski, cosmetic pharmacist , telephone interview

6. Lisa Quale, health educator at the Skin Cancer Institute at the University of Arizona , phone interview

7. Dr. Rachel Herschenfeld, Dermatology Partners , phone interview

8. Dr. Steven Wang, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center , phone interviews, 2015, 2019

9. Ron Robinson, corrective pharmacist and founder of the BeautyStat blog, electronic mail interview , June 25, 2019

10. Dr. Henry Lim, old president of the American Academy of Dermatology , email interview , June 26, 2019

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Source: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-sunscreen/

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