sunscreen

Why don't more companies share their SPF testing results with consumers?

At least two companies share their SPF testing reports—EltaMD and Supergoop—but why don't more of their peers do the same?

Sunscreen is a mysterious topic, riddled with lots of cryptic acronyms…SPF, UVA, UVB, WTF? Plus, it’s gotten kind of a bad rap. Consumer Reports released a controversial study that found that many SPF claims did not hold up against independent, third-party testing. No wonder many people don’t bother to wear sunscreen—the labels are confusing, it’s expensive, it turns your skin white, it smells, and it might not even work.

Australian Gold Defends its SPF 50 Claims

Australian Gold responds to my questions about their SPF 50 claims, and why they don't have the Skin Cancer Foundation's Seal of Recommendation.

So remember how I had a sunscreen awakening of sorts last week? The FDA requires manufacturers to provide clinical data in order to back up their SPF claims, but as consumers, we have no real way to verify the quality of the testing labs that the manufacturers use.

Sunscreen active ingredient percentages: How much do they matter?

How much do sunscreen active ingredients' percentages matter? And does anyone even validate companies' SPF claims?

Have you ever thought about how sunscreen SPF claims are validated? Is there some central agency in the U.S. that’s responsible for verifying sunscreen labels' claims, and testing that they truly are broad spectrum? I’m really not sure.