Most Products Offer Limited Protection.

• Position: SUNSCREEN

Environmental Working Group researchers rated the safety and efficacy of more than 1,800 products that advertise sun protection--including recreational sunscreens, daily-use SPF products, and lip balms with SPF-and found that only 25% of the products reviewed offer adequate protection and do not contain worrisome ingredients like oxybenzone, a potential hormone-disrupting chemical that readily is absorbed by the body.

Although fewer products now are made with oxybenzone, which is detected in the body of nearly every American, it still was found in just under 40% of nonmineral sunscreens.

"U.S. sunscreens will not sufficiently improve until the Food and Drug Administration sets stronger regulations, restricts the use of harmful chemicals, and approves new active ingredients that offer stronger UVA and UVB protection without concern of causing harm," says Nneka Leiba, EWG vice president of healthy living science.

The best-scoring recreational sunscreens contain the mineral-based active ingredients zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, or both, since they have fewer health concerns and offer good sun protection. Zinc oxide especially provides...