Sunscreen Ranker Independent ranker

Good reads. Sunny days.

Practical reads to help you choose, apply and understand sunscreen.

Formulation 14 Apr 2025 Oral Photoprotection Works (a Little): 24% Higher Sunburn Threshold in 8 Weeks Read article →
Application 13 Apr 2025 e.l.f. Suntouchable Invisi-Stick SPF 50: The Clear Reapply-Anywhere Stick
Seasonal 12 Apr 2025 Why Snow Is a Sunburn Trap: Skiers Get Hit by UV Twice

Latest blog posts

Global 11 Apr 2025 Drug vs. Cosmetic: Why US Sunscreen Rules Differ From Korea and Europe The reason foreign sunscreens can't just appear on US shelves comes down to one word: drug. Read article →
Global 10 Apr 2025 Why Americans Are Panic-Hoarding Korean Sunscreen in 2025 Those 'buy it before it's gone' posts about Korean SPF aren't pure hype — here's what FDA rules really mean for the formula you love. Read article →
Makeup + SPF 09 Apr 2025 Merit's The Uniform SPF 45 Expands to 20 Shades in 2025 Pigment-dispersion tech is letting zinc oxide work across deeper skin — and Merit's 2025 shade jump shows where tinted mineral SPF is headed. Read article →
Makeup + SPF 08 Apr 2025 MERIT 'The Uniform' Tinted Mineral SPF 45 Hits 20 Shades (April 2025) Shade range has long been the weak spot for tinted mineral SPF — MERIT's April 2025 expansion to 20 shades takes aim at exactly that. Read article →
Trends 07 Apr 2025 'Sunscreen Contouring': The TikTok Hack Dermatologists Beg You to Skip The 'sunscreen contouring' hack sculpts your face by letting it burn — and that's exactly why dermatologists want it gone. Read article →
Application 06 Apr 2025 Does Sunscreen Expire? What a 'No Date' Bottle Means Can you use last summer's bottle? The FDA's actual rule settles it — and a hot car changes the answer. Read article →
Skin cancer 05 Apr 2025 One Blistering Childhood Sunburn Doubles Melanoma Risk A single blistering sunburn in childhood echoes for decades — and the numbers explain why sun habits have to start young. Read article →
Formulation 04 Apr 2025 PA++++ vs. 'Broad Spectrum': How to Read UVA Protection That PA++++ on your Japanese sunscreen tells you something the US 'broad spectrum' label can't — here's how to decode both. Read article →
UV science 03 Apr 2025 2025 Trial: Polypodium + Red Orange Cut UVB Redness 46% A 2025 clinical trial gives the 'sunscreen pill' real numbers — but dermatologists are clear it supplements, never replaces, topical SPF. Read article →
Sensitive skin 02 Apr 2025 82% of Rosacea Patients Say Skincare Makes It Worse (2025 Survey) If your sunscreen stings, you're not imagining it — a 2025 survey of over 1,100 rosacea patients explains why, and points to a safer default. Read article →
Filter chemistry 01 Apr 2025 EU Declares Benzophenone-1 Unsafe in Cosmetics (April 2025) Benzophenone-1 isn't a UV filter you slather on — it's a hidden cosmetic stabilizer, and in April 2025 EU scientists ruled it unsafe. Read article →
Kids & family 31 Mar 2025 New Jersey Now Requires Every School to Adopt a Sunscreen Policy Signed March 31, 2025, New Jersey's new law lets students keep and reapply FDA-approved sunscreen at school with written parental permission — no doctor's note needed. Read article →
UV science 30 Mar 2025 How to Check the UV Index Where You Live (Free EPA Tools) The EPA's free SunWise app gives location-based daily and hourly UV forecasts — plus ZIP-code lookups, a 4-day map, and email UV Alerts to plan your day. Read article →
Makeup + SPF 29 Mar 2025 How Much SPF Foundation Would You Really Need for the Number on the Label? SPF is tested at 2 mg/cm² of product, but most people apply only a fraction of that in makeup — so your SPF 30 foundation isn't delivering SPF 30. Read article →
Sensitive skin 28 Mar 2025 Does Sunscreen Cause Acne? Myth vs. Poor Formulation Choices Skipping SPF to avoid breakouts backfires — the right non-comedogenic formula protects skin without clogging pores and actually helps prevent post-acne dark spots. Read article →
Seasonal 27 Mar 2025 The Broken-Cloud Effect: Why Partly Cloudy Skies Hit You With More UV The most dangerous sky isn't the clearest one — scattered clouds can boost surface UV-B above clear-sky levels, sometimes by 40%. Read article →
Global 26 Mar 2025 Why the US Has Only 16 Sunscreen Filters While Europe Has ~30 Even after the FDA approved bemotrizinol in 2026, US formulators can use just 16 UV filters versus roughly 30 in Europe — here's why American sunscreen feels behind. Read article →
Trends 25 Mar 2025 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 article →
Reef-safe 24 Mar 2025 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 article →
Application 23 Mar 2025 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 article →
Skin cancer 22 Mar 2025 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 article →