Sunscreens at Stiftung Warentest: Four products fail

Created: 06/28/2022, 1:49 p.m

By: Corinna Maier

Sunscreen protects the skin when sunbathing.

But be careful: not every cream delivers what it promises.

Natural cosmetics in particular often do not achieve the specified sun protection factor. 

Berlin – First the good news for sun lovers: Most conventional creams, lotions and sprays offer reliable sun protection – even the cheap ones.

Stiftung Warentest tested products with a high sun protection factor (30, 50 and 50+).

16 out of 20 of the agents reliably protect against UV light, nine of which were very good overall.

There are cheap and expensive products alike: while Lidl's "Cien Sun Sonnenmilch" costs 1.12 euros per 100 milliliters, Cetaphil's "Sun Sensitive Gel-Cream" costs 22 euros.

The results in detail:

Sun creams: Natural cosmetics in particular fail the Stiftung Warentest

Three out of four natural cosmetics cannot be relied on: This is what the Stiftung Warentest found out in its most recent test of 20 sunscreens.

The promised sun protection factor was in some cases clearly undercut.

This applies to the expensive products from Lavera, Das Boep and Speick - 100 ml cost up to 19 euros here.

The latter two also lack UVA protection.

Only one natural cosmetic product was convincing: the very good sunscreen from dm Alverde for four euros per 100 milliliters.

Stiftung Warentest: These are the test winners for sunscreens

The test winner was the sunscreen from Garnier Ambre Solaire Hydra (overall rating 1.3, 3.50 euros/100 ml), followed by dm Alverde and dm Sundance MED sun spray (3.50 euros/100 ml), Lidl Cien Sun (1.12 euros/100 ml) and the Today sun milk from Rewe and Penny, all of which received a grade of 1.4.

Cetaphil Sun Sensitive Gel-Cream (22 euros/100 ml), La Roche-Posay (8.35 euros) and Nivea Sun Protection & Care Spray (3.85 euros) came in at 1.5.

Sunscreen protects the skin when sunbathing.

(Archive image) © Bodo Marks/dpa

Devaluation: Stiftung Warentest had something to complain about with these sun creams

In addition to the three natural cosmetic creams, the inexpensive Sunozon Transparent Sun Spray from Rossmann only received the grade unsatisfactory because it fell below the specified sun protection factor.

A UV filter, which is suspected of influencing the hormone system, led to the devaluation of the GelCreme from Eucerin.

However, the product is within the limits permitted by the EU.

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Quite high amounts of benzophenone were found in Müller's Lavozon spray, which may have got into the agent as a by-product of the UV filter octocrylene.

The health risks are currently difficult to assess, according to the testers, who nevertheless made a devaluation.

Overall, however, the products from Eucerin and Müller were rated “satisfactory”.

Tips for the right sun protection

Rich sun creams are rather rare these days.

Customers prefer lighter sprays and gels.

If you want to give your skin more care, you can first apply a care lotion and let it absorb well, then apply sun protection.

If you like using a spray, you should rub it in well after spraying it on and let it soak in and then spray again to be on the safe side.

If a product is used that contains octocrylene (in the test those from Kaufland, Müller and Sun D'Or), you should pay special attention to the best-before date.

Because the cleavage product benzophenone is mainly formed during long-term storage.

Even the best sunscreen only protects for a limited time.

The sun protection factor tells you how much longer you can stay in the sun without getting sunburned.

This time varies from person to person, warns the consumer advice center.

The so-called self-protection depends on your own skin type.

It is about the time that you can stay unprotected in the sun without reddening your skin.

For example, if that were ten minutes and you were using a sun protection factor of 10, you could stay in the sun for 100 minutes.

Sun protection: avoid midday heat

According to the consumer center, this time should not be exhausted, but reduced by about a third, i.e. 60 instead of 100 minutes.

Because the creams protect against sunburn, but not against wrinkles and skin cancer.

In the midday between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. you should stay in the shade if possible.

Even if the cream says "waterproof", it should be reapplied after bathing and drying.

When it comes to sun protection, a lot helps a lot.

So it is better to apply it frequently and generously, because the specified sun protection factor is determined using a thick layer of cream.

According to the consumer center, ample means: the amount of three to four tablespoons for the whole body.