Only 25% of Sunscreens Are Safe - What You Need to Know

Summer shopping just got trickier. A new report checking over 2,200 sunscreen safety products found only one-fourth actually work safely against harmful sun rays. The Environmental Working Group's annual study reveals big gaps between what companies claim and what products actually deliver.

Best sunscreens 2025 earned recommendations by protecting against both UVA and UVB rays without using sketchy chemical ingredients. Out of thousands tested, nearly 500 made the "good choice" list. The rest either don't work well enough or contain stuff that raises health red flags.

Chemical Sunscreens Get Absorbed

Chemical sunscreen dangers became obvious after FDA testing showed seven common ingredients soak into bloodstreams after one day of use. These chemicals - including oxybenzone, avobenzone, and homosalate - stuck around above safety levels for weeks after people stopped using them.

Once absorbed, these chemicals end up in waterways through sewage systems, messing up coral reefs and sea life. Hawaii, Key West, the US Virgin Islands, and other places have banned certain chemical sunscreens because they're wrecking marine environments.