The seasonal advice “Don’t forget the s
unscreen” should be amended this year to “Don’t forget the sunscreen that actually works,” a category that includes only 60 percent of the top-selling sunscreens. How do we know? Because when researchers at Northwestern University looked at the top rated 1 percent of the 6,500 sunscreens with four or more stars sold on Amazon.com, they found that about 40 percent of them don’t meet the American Academy of Dermatology’s guidelines for sunscreens, mainly because of a lack of water or sweat resistance. A Northwestern news release about the research includes a list of which sunscreens meet AAD criteria and which do not.
- EltaMD UV Clear SPF 46 – no
- Hawaiian Tropic Sunscreen Silk Hydration SPF 30 – yes
- Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen, Sensitive SPF 30+ – no
- SPF 30 daily oil-free face moisturizer – no
- Neutrogena Age Shield Face Lotion Sunscreen SPF 110 – yes
- EltaMD UV Physical SPF 41 – yes
- Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen SPF 55 – yes
- Neutrogena Sunscreen Ultra Sheer Stick SPF 70 – yes
- Neutrogena Oil Free Moisture SPF 35 – no
- Eucerin Daily Protection Moisturizing Face Lotion – no