Reports: Popular Sunscreens May Not Be As Effective As You Think
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - As we head into summer, there's a new warning about sunscreens.
A report says consumers may not be as protected as they think.
Before hitting the beach, you may want to think twice about the sunscreen you're using.
You probably already know that dermatologists recommend a sunscreen SPF 30 or higher.
But a study in Consumer Reports shows nearly half of sunscreen products they tested have a lower SPF than their labels claim, CBS2's Alex Denis reported.
Two of the worst examples were brands meant for children, both of which claimed to be SPF 50. However Consumer Reports found the actual number to be closer to eight.
The discrepancy could be related to how the sunscreens were tested, Denis reported.
Manufacturers tend to test sunscreen performance on people who are not wet.
Most products claim to be water resistant for up to 80 minutes.
To get the most of your sunscreen the American Academy of Dermatology makes these recommendations:
- Use an amount of sunscreen roughly equivalent to the size of your palm
- Apply it all over your body
- Re-apply every two hours
Consumer Reports also found that in general, mineral products or "natural" sunscreens performed far worse than chemical formulations.