Consumer Reports 2025: Many Sunscreens Tested Below Their Label SPF
America's best-known consumer tester echoes Australia's warning: you often can't take the SPF number at face value, so here's what to actually buy.
In Consumer Reports' 2025 testing, published June 16, 2025, with 51 sunscreens lab-tested using an FDA-modeled protocol, a majority of products in its broader database averaged below their labelled SPF; the top-rated lotion was Coppertone Water Babies SPF 50, a product marketed for kids.
Consumer Reports' testers caution that a printed SPF often overstates real protection, so they recommend choosing a top-tested product and applying it liberally rather than assuming a high label number alone keeps you safe.
Questions we get a lot
Did Consumer Reports find most sunscreens underperform their SPF?
In its 2025 testing, published June 16, 2025, Consumer Reports lab-tested 51 sunscreens with an FDA-modeled protocol and reported that a majority of products in its broader database averaged below their labeled SPF. That mirrors Australia's CHOICE findings the same month. The practical lesson is to apply generously and reapply regularly.
Which sunscreen did Consumer Reports rate highest in 2025?
Consumer Reports' top-rated lotion in 2025 was Coppertone Water Babies SPF 50, a product marketed for children, as covered by CBS News. A kids' formula leading the rankings underscores that effectiveness depends on the formula, not the marketing audience. Still, real-world protection hinges on applying enough product.
r/SkincareAddiction: 'Even Consumer Reports says most sunscreens test below their label? Which ones actually passed?'