Consumer Reports: Natural Sunscreens Are A Waste Of Money

Finally, after the Winter that would NEVER end, we're experiencing some warmer weather and sunshine.  Whether you're Lake George or Washington Park bound, 65 and sunny in May can be just as dangerous on your skin as baking in the mid 90's in August.  Always protect yourself - and your children - against the dangers of the sun by using proper sunscreen.  The best ones to use are not necessarily the most expensive and according to reports, natural sunscreens actually protect you worse than chemical ones.

According to a report by Web MD,  Consumer Reports claims that none of natural sunscreen -- products made with titanium dioxide, zinc oxide or both as active ingredients -- made its list of 13 recommended products this year. The magazine tested 73 lotions, sprays, and sticks.

Sunscreen Rankings according to Consumer Reports

Here are the top three lotions among the 13 recommended sunscreens. Chemical sunscreens work by absorbing the sun's rays. Among the chemical sunscreens found in top rated products are avobenzone and oxybenzone.

All the recommended products scored 81 or higher overall and were rated excellent or very good for UVA and UVB protection:

• La Roche-Posay Anthelios 60 Melt-in Sunscreen Milk SPF 60 ($36, or $7.20 an ounce, score of 100).
• Equate Sport Lotion SPF 50 ($5, or 63 cents an ounce, score of 99). Also a ''best buy."
• BullFrog Land Sport Quik Gel SPF 50 ($8.50, or $1.70 cents an ounce, score of 95).

Here are the top spray and stick sunscreens:

• Trader Joe's Spray SPF 50+ ($6, or $1 an ounce, score of 100). Also a ''best buy."
• Up & Up (Target) Kids Sunscreen Stick SPF 55 ($8, or $6.67 an ounce, score of 85).

Among natural sunscreens, California Kids #Supersensitive Lotion SPF 30+ scored highest. It received an overall score of 55 and costs $20 a package, or $6.90 an ounce.

For tips on how to properly apply your sunscreen click here