The best sunscreens of 2023.

Trisha Calvo

Updated by Daphne Yao

If there was an elixir that could prevent premature skin aging, protect you from the most common type of cancer, and be easy to find and cheap, you’d be in a hurry to get it, right? Well, there is, and it’s called sunscreen.

However, many people have problems with sunscreen. They think it’s greasy or sticky, they forget to apply it, or they don’t use it enough. Or they just feel overwhelmed by the number of different products to choose from.

To go straight

• The Best Sunscreens: Lotion and Spray
• Finding the sunscreen you want to use
• How we test sunscreens

That’s why Consumer Reports rates sunscreens. We have tested dozens of sprays and lotions in the laboratory to determine how well they protect your skin from the sun’s UVA and UVB rays. UVA rays are the main cause of aging while UVB rays are the ones that cause most sunburns. Both types contribute to the risk of skin cancer. Our sensory experts also objectively evaluate the smell and feel of each sunscreen and provide a description so you can choose the product you like.

Below are some of the most effective sunscreens in our tests, alphabetized within their category. CR members have access to our full sunscreen ratings.

The Best Sun Lotions

With lotions, use about 1 teaspoon per body part or area not covered by clothing: 1 teaspoon on face, head and neck; 1 for each hand; one for each leg; 1 for chest and abdomen; and 1 for the back and neck. If you are in a bathing suit, you will need about an ounce of lotion to cover your body. This is about as much as filling a glass of tequila.

Coppertone Water Babies SPF 50

Everyday people Oh my God! Lotion SPF 50

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melting Milky Lotion SPF 60

The Best Sun Sprays

Spraying sunscreen on your arm and then applying it to your body helps provide better coverage. But if you don’t, hold the nozzle close to your skin, spray until your skin shimmers, then rub in the sunscreen. Do this even if the spray label says “do not rub in,” as applying to the skin increases protection. Never spray on your face as sunscreen can get into your eyes or be inhaled. Instead, spray it on your hands and wipe your face.

Spray Trader Joe’s SPF 50+

Neutrogena Beach Defense Water+Sun Spray SPF 50

Sunscreen Black Girl Make It Glow Spray SPF 30

How to find the right sunscreen for you

Any sunscreen is better than none. However, in our tests, we found big differences in performance. Therefore, the first thing to consider when choosing a sunscreen is that it provides maximum protection. But there are other factors that you must consider.

Price

We include price per container and price per ounce so you can weigh all the factors when choosing a sunscreen.

spray versus lotion

It’s easier to make sure you’re getting enough coverage with a lotion than a spray because you can see how much you’re using. And it is not always easy to apply the spray correctly, especially in windy weather. You often end up protecting the air more than your skin.

The use of aerosols is also hazardous to the health of some people. Inhalation of vapors may cause lung irritation. And sprays can be flammable, so be sure to stay away from any heat sources such as a grill when using the spray.

Consumer Reports recommends using lotion instead of spray on children, but if you choose to use a spray, be very careful when applying it. Children are more likely to inhale fumes, so it is best to spray them on your hands and rub them into your child’s skin. At the very least, have children close their eyes and mouth and turn their heads while spraying.

chemical vs. mineral

All top CR sunscreens contain active chemical ingredients such as avobenzone. Some people prefer to use mineral (or natural) sunscreen with zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, or both. But in our tests over the years, mineral sunscreens haven’t performed well. Check out The Best Mineral Sunscreens of 2023 to see what CR chooses.

smell and touch

For many people, how sunscreen smells and feels on the skin is just as important as the UV protection it provides. That’s why, in addition to our performance tests, our sensory experts also evaluate the smell and feel of sunscreens. Sensory tests do not count towards our total score. What people prefer is subjective, so we can’t say, for example, whether a sunscreen with a tropical scent is better than a classic beach scent. But our experts objectively describe the smell and feel of every sunscreen we test, so you can choose the best product for you.

Environmental issues

Most of the sunscreens on our list do not contain oxybenzone or octinoxate. These two chemical active ingredients are very effective UV filters, but they are often cited as potentially harmful to coral reefs.

How we test sunscreens

In our tests, we found big differences in performance even between products of the same brand. In particular, in our tests, sunscreens do not always match the SPF (sun protection factor) number listed on the label. We only test sunscreens with SPF 30 (the minimum recommended by dermatologists) or higher. Many of them achieved at least an average SPF of 30, but nearly 40% of the products in our reviews averaged less than SPF 15 in our tests.

CR has a testing protocol based on FDA guidelines that sunscreen manufacturers must use. But, as with other test products that meet government or industry standards, we use those standards as benchmarks and develop our own methodology to identify performance differences and provide benchmarking results to consumers.

“We buy commercially available sunscreens for our testing, just like consumers do,” says Susan Booth, who oversees our sunscreen trials. “We use three samples of each product, preferably with different lot numbers.” When it comes to SPF, a measure of a product’s effectiveness in protecting against UVB rays, we test sunscreens on fewer people than the FDA protocol requires and only test after immersion in water, because if a product stays on wet skin, it should. . on dry skin. We also run another UVA protection test that we believe has more beneficial results.

To test the SPF, a standard amount of each sunscreen is applied to a 2×3 inch rectangle on the panelists’ backs. The panelists are then immersed in a bath of water for 40 or 80 minutes, depending on the product’s water resistance declaration. Smaller areas of this area are then exposed to five or six intensities of ultraviolet radiation from a simulated sun for a set period of time, depending on how quickly the exposed participant’s skin burns. (We also use a reference sunscreen with known specifications to ensure testing is accurate.) About a day later, a trained technician inspects areas for redness.

A group of CR sensory testers evaluate the smell and feel of sunscreens.

Photo: John Walsh/Consumer Reports

In order for a sunscreen to carry a broad-spectrum label, the FDA requires it to protect against both UVA and UVB rays. To test UVA protection, we apply sunscreen to plastic sheets, pass UV light through them, and measure the amount of UVA and UVB rays absorbed. This information is used to calculate our UVA score.

This test is similar to the critical wavelength test, which the FDA requires sunscreen manufacturers to label their products as broad spectrum. It’s a pass/fail test, and just like you can pass an A or D test, some sunscreens are much better at protecting against UVA rays than others. The test we use, similar to that used in other countries, allows us to measure the amount of UVA protection provided by sunscreen.

Our ratings are based on the average of all SPF and UVA test results for a particular sunscreen, and how the average SPF tested differed from what was listed on the label.

Consumer Reports is an independent non-profit organization that works with consumers to create a fairer, safer and healthier world. CR does not advertise products or services and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2023, Consumer Reports, Inc.

Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site. Consumer Reports is an independent non-profit organization that works with consumers to create a fair, safe and healthy world. CR does not advertise products or services and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2023, Consumer Reports, Inc.