Over 80% of sunscreen performed below their labelled efficacy (2020)

Why does it not list the brands? The article is both informative and useless simultaneously

Avoid (from other 3 articles/studies): Neutrogena, Banana Boat, Bondi Sands, Cancer Council, Aldi, Nivea, Estée Lauder, iPSA, Anessa, Shiseido, Curél, Sofina, Laneige, Dermacept, Bio-Essence, Fancl (Japan), Purito (Korea)

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45145624

[2] https://labmuffin.com/purito-sunscreen-and-all-about-spf-tes...

[3] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-04/questions-over-lab-th...

Seems like it's not that simple. The CHOICE study[0] suggest that some brands do have some good "models" of sunscreen, but some are bad. It's also possible that there's a process issue at the manufacturers, and the quality of different lots can vary:

> Ultra Violette announced it was removing the Lean Screen product from shelves. Across eight different tests, the sunscreen returned SPF data of 4, 10, 21, 26, 33, 60, 61, and 64.

[0] https://www.choice.com.au/health-and-body/beauty-and-persona...

> The CHOICE study[0] suggest that some brands do have some good "models" of sunscreen, but some are bad.

For reference, the results were:

   Ultra Violette Lean Screen SPF 50+ Mattifying Zinc Skinscreen   4
                              Cancer Council Ultra Sunscreen 50+  24
                   Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Dry-Touch Lotion SPF 50  24
                                                  Aldi Ombra 50+  26
                    Bondi Sands SPF 50+ Zinc Mineral Body Lotion  26
                      Cancer Council Everyday Value Sunscreen 50  27
                      Woolworths Sunscreen Everyday Tube SPF 50+  27
                  Banana Boat Baby Zinc Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50+  28
                    Bondi Sands SPF 50+ Fragrance Free Sunscreen  32
                              Cancer Council Kids Clear Zinc 50+  33
                      Banana Boat Sport Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50+  35
             Invisible Zinc Face + Body Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50  38
           Nivea Sun Protect and Moisture Lock SPF 50+ Sunscreen  40
               Sun Bum Premium Moisturising Sunscreen Lotion 50+  40
  Nivea Sun Kids Ultra Protect and Play Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50+  41
                              Coles SPF 50+ Sunscreen Ultra Tube  43
        Mecca Cosmetica To Save Body SPF 50+ Hydrating Sunscreen  51
                          Cancer Council Kids Sunscreen SPF 50+   52
                       Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Lotion SPF 50  56
                 La Roche-Posay Anthelios Wet Skin Sunscreen 50+  72

> It's also possible that there's a process issue at the manufacturers, and the quality of different lots can vary

If you read the article, that variable test result was provided by Ultra Violette themselves. Choice tested it three times with three different independent testers and got results of 4,5,5. It's possible Ultra Violette is just trying to muddy the waters here.

I feel like this is mostly bullshit because high SPFs are mostly bullshit. A promised SPF of 50 and a tested value of 40 means it blocks 97.5% instead of 98% of the sun.

Anything higher than 30 or even 15 isn't really meaningful. At that point how long it lasts and how resistant it is to water is far more important.