Best Sunscreen Ratings

The BEST sunscreen ratings are here. What is the top brand and do you really need to spend top dollar, looks like the answer is NO.

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I have always said in the past “you don’t have to pay the most to get the best products”. This holds true in these findings from Consumer Reports here concerning the best sunscreen ratings! My family goes thru sunscreen like it is going out of style! We are all fair skinned and I have skin cancer on both sides of my family. I take NO chances and am always lathering up!

• Research has been done on different brands of sunscreens. Both expensive/inexpensive name brand/generic and the results were surprising. A little disturbing at the same time.

Nearly a third of sunscreens fell short of delivering the stated protection on their can/bottle when Consumer Reports did their testings this year (gasp). So basically if you were buying an SPF 60, some brands weren’t delivering that degree of protection rather 16%-70% off.

So you may really be putting on an SPF 20 rather than the protection of a 60!! Consumer Report tested 34 sunscreens and 15 made the mark. Here are the top 15 they say you should focus on.

1. La-Roche Posay Anthelios 60 melt in sunscreen milk spf 60 (the priciest but was found to be the best overall, find La-Roche here)
   1. I have this one and it’s nice and light, not sticky and heavy.
2. Vichy Capital Soleil 50 Lightweight Foaming Lotion, SPF 50 (find Vichy Capital Lotion here)

Yes I am the mom under the hat in many ways at the beach. You can read my story here. After I wrote this article I actually had surgery for basal cell on my scalp and am even MORE conservative when it comes to the sun. We all should be from the beginning.

3. Coppertone Water Babies SPF 50

4. Equate Ultra Protection, SPF 50 (found at Walmart & just $.56 an ounce)

5. No-Ad Sport SPF 50 (just a bit more than Equate but still top 5 & just $.63 an ounce)

6. Ocean Potion Protect & Nourish, SPF 30

7. Aveeno Protect+Hydrate, SPF 30

8. Up & Up Ultra Sheer, SPF 30

9. Banana Boat SunComfort Continuous Spray, SPF 50+

10. L’Oreal Quick Dry Sheer Finish (spray) 50+ (a whopping $2.44 an ounce & lower than Walmart brand)

11. Coppertone Sport High Performance AccuSpray, SPF 30

12. Equate Sport Continuous Spray, SPF 30 (not surprising that Equate spray is much lower than their lotion above)

13. Coppertone UltraGuard, SPF 70+

14. Neutrogena Beach Defense Water + Sun Protection, SPF 70

15. Caribbean Breeze Continuous Tropical Mist (spray), SPF 70 ( at $2.75 an ounce, interesting it is on the bottom)