Study shows four in 10 highly rated sunscreens on Amazon substandard

About 40 percent of the highest-rated sunscreen products on the online retailer Amazon.com have been deemed not adhering to dermatologists' recommended criteria, according to a new study released this week.

The study, carried out by researchers from Northwestern University of the United States, examined the top 1 percentile of sunscreens sold on Amazon.com to find out how well they met the minimum recommendations put forth by the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).

The AAD criteria has three requirements for sunscreens, namely a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 30, being broad spectrum and resistant to water and sweat.

But the results, published in the journal JAMA Dermatology, find only 60 percent of of these 65 sunscreens with the highest customer ratings qualified.

The most common reason of the products in the study failing to meet the AAD standard was a lack of water and/or sweat resistance.

The study also shows that consumers preferred sunscreen products predominately for their cosmetic elegance followed by product performance.

Thus, the researchers suggested dermatologists should balance the importance of cosmetic elegance, cost and adequate sun protection in making their recommendations to consumers.

Currently, between 2 million and 3 million non-melanoma skin cancers and 132,000 melanoma skin cancers occur globally each year, according to statistics from the World Health Organization. Endi