Header graphic for print
Class Action Blog Tp provide current legal information relating to class action lawsuits, including consumer fraud, consumer protection, securities and antitrust class actions

Sunscreens With SPF’s Over 50 May Be Deceptively Marketed

By Greg Blankinship on

Few things are better than spending the day at the beach on a hot summer day.  Unfortunately, the sun is no friend to our skins, as anyone who has been badly burned can attest.  In fact, recent research has demonstrated a conclusive link to over-exposure to the sun and skin cancer.  It is not surprising, then, that many consumers look for products offering effective sun protection when they plan on spending a lot of time outside. 

One of the ways consumers judge the effectiveness of sunscreen is by relying on the “SPF” (short for sun protection factor) of a sunscreen.  SPF is a laboratory measure of the effectiveness of sun block — the higher the number, the more a consumer is protected from the sun.  The specific number represents the amount of time a user can stay in the sun before being burned, as compared to the amount of time it takes to get a sunburn without protection.  So if a person can stay out for 15 minutes without burning, then a SPF of 8 allows for 2 hours without burning.

According to the FDA and responsible scientists, the highest effective SPF factor is 50 – no known cream or topically applied product can offer better protection.  Unfortunately, that has not stopped irresponsible marketers from claiming to offer higher protection.  For example, Neutrogena offers a wide array of sun blocks with SPFs higher than 50, including the Spectrum+, Ultimate and Ultra Sheer products that offer up to 100 and 110 SPF.  Not surprisingly, these high SPF products are significantly more expensive than comparable brands, even though, as a matter of scientific fact, they are no more effective at blocking damaging sun rays than a more affordable SPF 50 product. 

Meiselman, Packman, Carton & Eberz, P.C. is investigating whether Neutrogena is deceiving consumers as to the effectiveness of its sunscreens.  If you or someone you know purchased a Neutrogena sunscreen with a SPF over 50, or any other sunscreen with such a high SPF, please contact us to discuss your legal options.

 

  • KangaHooo

    lol, now why am I not surprised? Not surprised at all.

    IT-Anon.tk 

  • Informed consumer

    Your article is correct in that SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. However, it says that “the higher the number, the more a consumer is protected from the sun.” The correct statement ought to be “”the higher the number, the [longer] a consumer is protected from the sun.” SPF is a factor of time. 50SPF times 10 = 500 minutes.  30SPF times 10 = 300 minutes. 20SPF and 50SPF products are identical in the “effectiveness,” as you said, of the protection they offer, just differ in how long they offer that protection.

    You might have also heard many consumers and experts also claiming that, when applying sunblock every two hours, after 20SPF it’s pointless. Well, yes and no. It is only pointless if you apply this protection every two hours. Why? Because at 20SPF one only has 200 minutes of protection  (2hrs = 120 minutes).

    This is why experts claim that 50SPF is the best one to use, not the most effective one to use. It is the best one because if you put it on every two hours, you would have overlapped its protecting factor of 50SPF by 300 minutes. These extra 300 minutes allow you to delay putting it on a bit longer. People forget to put it one that frequently. It also allows you to sweat through it longer without having to panic you’re not under protection (water greatly hampers/dilutes its factor by 84%, so a 50SPF block turns into an 8SPF). 

  • Itsroey

    Yup, bought it.