Sunscreen Ranker journal
The sunscreen
journal.
Daily, evidence-led notes on SPF, UV filters, and sun protection — every claim sourced, no cap.
- Trends Beef Tallow as Sunscreen? Why the 'Natural SPF' Trend Offers Zero Protection The viral beef-tallow 'natural sunscreen' trend has a fatal flaw: tallow blocks no measurable UV, leaving skin fully exposed to burns and cancer risk. Read it →
- Reef-safe Santa Clara DA Sues Banana Boat Maker Over 'Reef Friendly' Labels Prosecutors say 'reef friendly' on the bottle may be meaningless unless it's a true mineral formula — here's what the March 2025 lawsuit alleges and how to read past the marketing. Read it →
- Application The Two-Hour Rule: Why High SPF Doesn't Buy You More Time A bottle of SPF 100 doesn't last any longer than SPF 30 — you still need to reapply every two hours, and after swimming or sweating. Read it →
- Skin cancer Does Sunscreen Prevent Melanoma? What the Nambour Trial Proved A landmark randomized trial in Australia found daily sunscreen users developed roughly half as many melanomas as people who used it only sometimes. Read it →
- Formulation SPF 30 vs 50 vs 100: What the Numbers Actually Block SPF 30 blocks about 97% of UVB and SPF 100 about 99% — the gains shrink fast, so how much you apply matters more than the number on the bottle. Read it →
- UV science How to Read the UV Index: What Each Number Means and When to Cover Up Turn that abstract weather-app number into a daily decision: at a UV Index of 3 you need protection, and at 11+ skin can burn in minutes. Read it →
- Kids & family Treating a Child's Sunburn at Home — and When to Call the Doctor Cool compresses, fluids, and acetaminophen handle most mild childhood sunburns — but blisters, fever, or chills mean it's time to call the pediatrician. Read it →
- Makeup + SPF The Correct Order: Exactly Where Sunscreen Goes in Your Routine Sunscreen goes after your skincare but always before makeup — here's the derm-backed layering sequence that settles the primer debate for good. Read it →
- Skin cancer Free Shade for Playgrounds: Inside the AAD's 2025 Shade Grant Your child's school or daycare can get up to $8,000 to build permanent shade that blocks more than 90% of UV — here's how to apply before the 2025 deadline. Read it →
- Formulation CeraVe and the Benzene Lawsuits: What L'Oréal's 2025 Fight Really Means A viral 'CeraVe causes cancer' claim spread in 2025, here's the gap between what the lawsuits allege, what Valisure measured, and what the FDA actually found. Read it →
- Formulation FDA vs. Valisure: The 2025 Fight Over Whose Benzene Numbers to Trust When an independent lab and the FDA report wildly different benzene levels for the same product, whose number should you believe? In 2025 that became a legal battleground. Read it →
- Kids & family Almost 950,000 Babyganics Kids Sunscreens Recalled in 2025 If you bought a 'Totally Tropical' Babyganics kids sunscreen, check the bottle, here's why it was pulled and how a Class II recall differs from a more serious one. Read it →
- Sensitive skin FDA Finds Benzene in Six Acne Products, Including Effaclar Duo If you layer benzoyl peroxide under sunscreen, here's a calm rundown of which lots were pulled and why the FDA called the cancer risk very low. Read it →
- Formulation Why Benzoyl Peroxide Can Make Its Own Benzene in a Hot Car Unlike sunscreen, benzoyl peroxide can chemically generate benzene when it gets hot, which turns the 2025 testing story into a lesson about where you keep your skincare. Read it →
- Filter chemistry FDA's 2025 Benzene Sweep: 6 Recalls, and Why It Should Reassure You The same benzene panic that hit sunscreens in 2021 reached acne products in 2025, but the FDA's own numbers are more reassuring than the headlines suggest. Read it →
- Formulation The 6 (Plus One) Acne Products FDA Pulled in 2025: Lot Numbers to Check If your acne treatment has been baking in a hot bathroom or car, here are the exact products and lot numbers the FDA flagged, plus the storage habit that limits benzene. Read it →
- Formulation The FDA's Quiet 2025 Benzene Promise That Could Reshape Recalls The real fix for repeated benzene scares isn't another recall, it's an agreed-upon way to measure benzene, and in 2025 the FDA committed to publishing one. Read it →
- Formulation Kao's New Bioré Sunscreen Reacts to the Weather on Your Skin Japan's latest SPF launch uses humidity-responsive gel capsules that soak up sweat in the heat and release moisture in dry, air-conditioned air. Read it →
- Sensitive skin Chemical vs. Mineral Sunscreen: Which Is Right for Reactive Skin? One absorbs UV like a sponge, the other reflects it like a shield, and the difference matters most if your skin reacts to everything. Read it →
- Seasonal Yes, You Can Burn on a Cloudy Day: The 80% UV Rule Gray skies feel safe, but most of the sun's UV slips right through the clouds and onto your skin. Read it →
- Global 2025 Was the 4th-Warmest Year on Record. Your Sunscreen Routine Should Notice. With Utah and Nevada setting all-time temperature records, daily sun protection is shifting from a beach habit to a year-round one across the high-UV Mountain West. Read it →
- Trends DIY Sunscreen Looks Cute on TikTok. It Won't Protect Your Skin. Those dreamy homemade SPF recipes can leave you burning, because some of their star oils actually help UV reach your skin. Read it →
- Application Your SPF 50 Is Probably Acting Like SPF 15. Here's Why. The number on the bottle assumes a thick lab-grade layer almost nobody applies, and the fix takes about ten seconds. Read it →
- Skin cancer The ABCDEs of Melanoma: A Self-Check You Can Do Tonight Five letters dermatologists use to tell a harmless mole from a dangerous one, so you know exactly what to look for the next time a spot worries you. Read it →