Best and Worst Sunscreens of 2026

How can it be that so many sunscreens seem to perform below their listed SPF level? The Food and Drug Administration, which oversees sunscreen, requires manufacturers to test their products to determine the SPF. (CR’s SPF tests are based on, but not identical to, these tests. See How CR Tests Sunscreens for more details on our testing methods.)

An advantage to using a lotion sunscreen is that you can easily see how much you’re applying.

Spray sunscreens are popular because of their convenience. But they can be problematic when it comes to applying them because you can’t measure how much you’re using as accurately as you can when applying a lotion sunscreen. Spraying the sunscreen into your hands and then applying it to your body helps ensure better coverage. Or hold the nozzle close to your skin and spray until your skin glistens, then rub in the sunscreen.

Never spray your face because you could get sunscreen in your eyes or inhale it. Instead, spray the sunscreen into your hands and rub it onto your face. Sprays can be flammable, so be sure to stay away from any heat source—such as a grill—when using one.

Consumer Reports recommends using a lotion rather than a spray on kids, but if you choose to use a spray, be very careful when applying it. Children are more likely to inhale the mist, so the best thing to do is spray it into your hands and rub it onto your child’s skin. At the very least, have children close their eyes and mouths and turn their heads while you spray.

Facial sunscreens and moisturizers with sunscreen use the same UV-filtering ingredients as body sunscreens. You can use a body sunscreen on your face, but some facial sunscreens are formulated to be lightweight and absorb quickly. While a facial sunscreen may work better for you cosmetically, many facial sunscreens are not water-resistant. That may matter when you’re swimming or sweating, so check labels to be sure that you’re buying a product that meets your needs.

It’s tough to cover large areas of your body with stick sunscreens. They’re best used to touch up sections of your face, like your nose or cheekbones, or areas that are often missed, such as ears, hairline, and the tops of your feet. None of the sticks in CR’s tests rose to the top of the ratings, but the two here are the highest-scoring ones.

You can do better than these five products, which received low scores in our tests—16 to 18 out of 100. And if you’re intent on buying from these brands, some of them make other sunscreens that performed much better in our tests than these.

• Black Girl Sunscreen Kids Lotion SPF 50, Coppertone Kids Tear Free Lotion SPF 50, and Soleil Toujours Clean Conscious Antioxidant Mist SPF 50 provided poor protection against UVA rays and just fair SPF protection. The lotions tested at SPF 13, while the spray tested at SPF 14.
• Australian Gold Botanical Mineral SPF 30 Lotion’s UVA protection was fair, but its SPF protection was poor, testing at an SPF 4.
• One of the most expensive sunscreens in our tests received one of the lowest ratings. JLo Beauty That Big Screen SPF 30 Moisturizer, $55 for 1.7 ounces, provided poor UVA and SPF protection, and tested at an SPF 8.

While top-notch protection is the first thing to think about when choosing sunscreen, there are other important factors to consider.

Our ratings include the price per container and the price per ounce so that you can weigh the costs when you’re choosing sunscreen.

All the sunscreens at the top of CR’s ratings contain chemical active ingredients, such as avobenzone. Some people may prefer to use a mineral (or natural) sunscreen, those with zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, or both. But our tests over the years have found that mineral sunscreens don’t offer as much protection against the sun’s harmful rays. In our tests, mineral sunscreens scored between 18 and 55 out of 100. If you want a mineral sunscreen, we suggest choosing one at the higher end of that range. (Check out the Best Mineral Sunscreens.)

For many people, the way sunscreen smells and feels on their skin is as important as the UV protection it provides. So in addition to our performance tests, our trained sensory panelists evaluate sunscreens for scent and feel. Sensory testing isn’t factored into our Overall Score because what people prefer is subjective. For instance, we can’t say whether a sunscreen that has a tropical aroma is better than one with a classic beachy scent. But our panelists objectively describe the scent and feel of every sunscreen we test so that you can pick the best product for you.

We test only broad-spectrum sunscreens labeled SPF 30 or above. Most of the sunscreens are water-resistant. But because some facial sunscreens are meant for everyday use—not just when you’ll be swimming or sweating—a few of the ones we tested aren’t water-resistant. We’ve clearly marked which ones are (and for how long) and which ones aren’t in our ratings. 

CR uses a testing protocol that’s modeled on the one the Food and Drug Administration requires sunscreen manufacturers to use. But as is the case with other products we test that have government or industry standards, we use those standards as benchmarks and have developed our own methodology to identify differences in performance and give consumers a comparative evaluation.

“We buy the sunscreens for our tests off the shelf, the way consumers would,” says Susan Booth, who oversees our sunscreen testing. “We use three samples, preferably with different lot numbers, of each product.” 

For SPF, we test the sunscreens on three people, which is fewer than the FDA’s protocol calls for, but we use a statistical analysis to verify our results.

To check SPF in water-resistant sunscreens, a technician applies a standard amount of each sunscreen to a 2x3-inch rectangle on each panelist’s back. Then the panelists soak in a tub of water for 40 or 80 minutes, depending on the product’s water-resistance claim. (We perform the test after water immersion only for water-resistant sunscreens because if a sunscreen holds up on wet skin, it should hold up on dry skin.) Afterward, smaller sections of the rectangle are exposed to five or six intensities of UV light from a sun simulator for a set time based on how quickly the panelist’s skin burns without protection. (We also use a reference sunscreen with known performance to ensure the accuracy of the testing.) About a day later, a trained technician examines the areas for redness and determines the SPF.

The testing for non-water-resistant sunscreens involves the same steps—applying the sunscreen, exposing the skin to UV light, and examining the skin the next day—except for water immersion.