The 5 best sunscreens

There are hundreds of sunscreens on the market, and as you might expect, they vary greatly in quality. Some that do a good job of protecting you from the sun contain dangerous chemicals. And many do not provide satisfactory UVA and UVB protection from the sun’s harmful rays.

The Environmental Working Group’s scientists tested 469 sunscreen products and came up with the following list of the top five. Some are widely available in retail outlets, but others are best ordered online.

Overall, EWG found that three out of five sunscreens are inadequate, and that some of the worst offenders are leading brands such as Coppertone, Banana Boat and Neutrogena.

Another thing: EWG found 55 sunscreens claiming SPFs from 55 to 100-plus. Don’t let those high numbers tempt you to stay out in the sun longer: They block no more than 2 percent more sunburn rays than an SPF 30 sunscreen does—and some protect only from UVA and not the more dangerous UVB radiation.

To see EWG’s entire list of sunscreen and moisturizer ratings, go to www.ewg.org.

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Ranking Brand SPF value 1 Soleo Organics Chemical Free 30+ 2 Badger Sunscreen 30 3 UV Natural Sunscreen 30+ 4 Mexitan Sunscreen Lotion 30+ 5 Lavera Sunscreen Neutral 40

Source: Environmental Working Group