For those top 65 sunscreens, Xu and colleagues looked at how well they met American Academy of Dermatology minimum recommendations — that they are at least SPF 30, broad spectrum and resistant to water and sweat — and were surprised to find that 40 percent of these popular sunscreens were deemed insufficient.
He said many of the consumers writing reviews tended to focus on more superficial issues such as smell or feel or on the sunscreen’s value as a cosmetic rather than on its actual sun protection. That may be because sunscreens are no longer stand-alone products, but come in every form of moisturizer and makeup on the market. The ubiquity of sunscreens has made it easier than ever before for consumers to use the products, but it's also created a lot of confusion. A woman might assume she's protected because her morning moisturizer label says it has sunscreen, but she may not realize it's only SPF 10.
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