Sunscreen Ranker journal
The sunscreen
journal.
Daily, evidence-led notes on SPF, UV filters, and sun protection — every claim sourced, no cap.
- Trends Only 1 in 4 Teen TikTok Routines Include Sunscreen, New Pediatrics Study Finds Your tween's viral multi-step routine may be skipping the one product that matters while stacking ingredients that raise sun sensitivity. Read it →
- Reef-safe Supergoop! Pays $350K Over 'Reef-Safe' Claims - What the Label Really Means 'Reef-safe' has no legal definition - and in June 2025 a California DA made a cult sunscreen brand pay to stop using it. Read it →
- Filter chemistry Four Lawmakers, One Bill: The 2025 Push to Modernize FDA Filter Approval US sunscreens don't lag Korea's and France's because of bad chemistry - it's a regulatory bottleneck that Congress moved to fix in June 2025. Read it →
- Filter chemistry Congress Just Moved to Unstick US Sunscreen: The SAFE Standards Act The reason US shelves lack the elegant filters Europe and Asia enjoy is regulatory - and in 2025 Congress finally passed a fix. Read it →
- UV science A Tan Is Damage, Not a Glow: The Real Biology of Sun-Kissed Skin That 'healthy color' is actually your skin's emergency response to DNA injury that has already occurred. Read it →
- Makeup + SPF Why the Tint in Your SPF Fights Melasma Better Than Clear Sunscreen The pigment in tinted sunscreen isn't just for cosmetic color matching - it blocks the visible light that drives melasma and hyperpigmentation. Read it →
- Sensitive skin On Tretinoin or Retinoids? Why Daily Sunscreen Is Non-Negotiable Pairing the most popular anti-aging ingredient with the sun-protection step people skip - here's how to avoid the irritation and burns retinoids can set up. Read it →
- Seasonal Sand, Water and Pavement: How Reflective Surfaces Secretly Boost Your UV Dose Why beachgoers burn faster than expected, and why 'I was under the umbrella' isn't enough to keep you safe. Read it →
- Global PA+ to PA++++ vs. US 'Broad Spectrum': How UVA Ratings Differ Worldwide Decode the cryptic labels so you know which one actually tells you more about UVA when comparing Asian and American sunscreen bottles. Read it →
- Skin cancer Over 80% of Melanoma Worldwide Is UV-Driven, 2025 IARC Study Finds If most melanoma is UV-driven, consistent sun protection is the single most effective lever - and this 2025 WHO-affiliated study is the strongest case yet. Read it →
- UV science EWG 2025: The Real Story Behind 'Fewer Than 1 in 4 Sunscreens Pass' Is the UVA Gap A high SPF number tells you almost nothing about UVA protection - the rays that drive aging and skin cancer - and EWG's 2025 data shows why broad-spectrum performance matters more. Read it →
- Sensitive skin EWG 2025 for Sensitive Skin: Skip the 'Chemical' Panic, Watch the Hidden Boosters Reframing EWG's annual report for sensitive skin: ignore the alarm over 'chemicals' and focus on the actually-actionable advice - fragrance-free, mineral, and watch for hidden boosters. Read it →
- Application AAD 2025 Survey: Gen Z Keeps Forgetting Sunscreen - Here's How to Fix the Gaps Forgetting sunscreen and shrugging off sunburns is a Gen Z pattern with real consequences - here's how to close the most common gaps the AAD found. Read it →
- Skin cancer Half of Gen Z Got Sunburned in 2024 - and Most Still Believe Tanning Myths (AAD 2025) If you grew up on social-media skincare, this AAD survey reveals the tanning myths you may have absorbed - and the simple facts that actually protect you. Read it →
- Trends EWG 2025: Only 1 in 5 Sunscreens Pass - and Why Benzene Is a Reason to Skip Sprays EWG's 2025 verdict: most sunscreens fall short, and benzene found mostly in sprays is one more reason to reach for a lotion. Read it →
- Trends EWG's 2025 Sunscreen Guide: 4 in 5 Products Still Fall Short Before you grab a bottle this summer, see what an independent review of 2,200+ sunscreens actually found - and why so many score poorly on UVA. Read it →
- Makeup + SPF EWG's 2025 Guide: Only 1 in 5 of ~2,800 SPF Products - Including SPF Makeup - Made the Cut EWG's 20th annual guide screened nearly 2,800 SPF products - including tinted moisturizers and SPF makeup - and only about 1 in 5 cleared its bar. Read it →
- Trends The 2025 'Golden Age of Sunscreen': Why Texture, Not SPF, Drove the Year's Formulas The biggest 2025 SPF trend isn't a new filter - it's formulas that feel like skincare, which is the single best predictor of whether you'll actually wear it. Read it →
- Skin cancer #GetNaked in Times Square: Inside the 2025 Melanoma Awareness Campaign 'Get naked' for your dermatologist - 2025's biggest melanoma campaign made the full-body skin check its rallying cry, and the science backs it. Read it →
- Trends 'Your Sunscreen Is Poison': Inside Primally Pure's 2025 Beef-Tallow SPF Backlash A wellness brand called your sunscreen poison to sell beef-fat SPF - here's what cosmetic scientists fired back, and what tallow can and can't do. Read it →
- Application Spray vs. Lotion in 2025: Is Spray Sunscreen Safe After the Benzene Recalls? After years of benzene headlines, here's why aerosols carried the highest detected levels - and how to pick and apply a spray that's actually safe. Read it →
- Global The US Allows ~16 UV Filters — and Only 7 Are Commonly Used Why does a Korean or French sunscreen feel so much nicer than its U.S. counterpart? It comes down to a remarkably short menu of legal filters. Read it →
- UV science The UVA Gap: Why 2025's New Filter Is About Aging, Not Just Burns SPF only measures sunburn protection — the real story behind 2025's filter news is UVA, the rays that age your skin and slip through many U.S. sunscreens. Read it →
- Formulation The SPF 'Booster' Debate: Is Butyloctyl Salicylate Padding the Numbers? Some sunscreens post eye-catching SPF lab numbers partly thanks to 'booster' additives — here's what butyloctyl salicylate is and why it's controversial. Read it →