I thought my lifelong search for the perfect facial sunscreen was over when I discovered Australian Gold Botanical Tinted Face Sunscreen (SPF 50). I really do love this sunscreen, but I’m a bit concerned about its low concentration of active ingredients: 4% zinc oxide and 4% titanium dioxide. When I emailed the company to ask, Australian Gold said that it hasn’t applied for the Skin Cancer Foundation’s Seal of Recommendation, and has no plans to do so. So, as summer approaches,…

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.

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.