75 percent of sunscreens protect poorly or have “worrisome” ingredients

Every 10 years the Environmental Working Group publishes a list of the best and worst sunscreens. This year they looked at more than 750 different products and found that nearly 75 percent offer poor protection from the sun’s rays, or had ingredients they called “worrisome.” They also found misleading claims and general classes of sunscreens that work better or worse than others.

Everyone has heard the encouragement of dermatologists and other experts who say to always wear sunscreen. But how is a person to choose which product, with differing claims on SPF and different application methods including spray-on and spread-on? Some even defy an FDA proposed regulation that would cap SPF numbers at 50+, because they say anything higher than that is misleading. Still the group found 61 sunscreen products touting SPF higher than 50.

At least the sunscreens no longer claim to be sweat proof or water proof. The FDA said those claims were too far reaching and no longer allow them.

Sonya Lunder, who is a senior analyst for the Environmental Working Group, also commented on application method. She says spray-on sunscreen tends to offer less protection because it evaporates quickly, making it hard to tell if you’ve covered yourself completely. She says despite thinking you’ve gotten it on the kids faster, there is evidence that they aren’t getting the necessary thickness on their skin.

So what to look for?  The Sweethome, who spent 25 hours on research and interviews, says before even discussing those factors, the best sunscreen is the one you use correctly. Most people do not use anywhere near enough. According to all seven of the dermatologists they interviewed, you should apply a full shot glass worth of sunscreen about once an hour in order to get adequate protection. Virtually no one uses that much.

According to Today, there are seven factors to consider when choosing a sunscreen. First, using enough. Next is SPF. According to Casey Johnston, lead editor at The Sweethome, use at least SPF 40+. “SPF 50 blocks 98 percent of the rays attacking your skin, and lower SPFs block less.” And apply at least 30 minutes before heading outside, then reapply every hour. That’s a lot of lotion.