A 2026 Review Found 4 in 5 Sunscreens Fell Short of EWG’s Safety and Protection Criteria

A major sunscreen review has put a striking number on products Americans use for sun protection: the Environmental Working Group found that only about one in five sunscreens it evaluated met its criteria for ingredient safety and balanced UV protection.

EWG’s current guide lists 550 qualifying products out of 2,784. But that does not mean federal regulators have determined that the remaining products are unsafe, and recent FDA action makes the distinction especially important.

Less than a month after EWG released its findings in May, the FDA added bemotrizinol to the over-the-counter sunscreen monograph, the first new sunscreen active ingredient added since the late 1990s.

Together, these developments expose an easily missed distinction: EWG’s rating system, the FDA’s safety review, and evidence that an ingredient actually causes harm are not the same.

What EWG Actually Found

EWG uses its own methodology to evaluate sunscreens, rather than applying an FDA pass-or-fail safety test.

EWG’s 20th annual guide currently lists 550 of 2,784 SPF products as meeting its criteria, or about 20 percent. May’s reporting used earlier figures of 597 out of 2,990 products, which produced essentially the same percentage.

EWG’s evaluation goes beyond ingredients. Its methodology considers labeled SPF, modeled UVA protection, the balance between UVA and UVB protection, photostability, and ingredient hazards.

That distinction matters. A product that does not meet EWG’s criteria has not therefore been found unsafe by the FDA, nor does EWG’s assessment represent laboratory testing of every finished product on human subjects.

EWG chief science officer David Andrews said, “The market has improved,” while the organization continues to argue that inadequate UVA protection remains a significant problem in the American market.

The FDA Has Not Declared Most Sunscreens Unsafe

For several established sunscreen ingredients, federal regulators say more safety data are needed, which is different from concluding that those ingredients cause harm.

In its 2021 proposed order, the FDA proposed zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as generally recognized as safe and effective. For 12 other established active ingredients, it said it needed additional safety data before it could make the same positive determination.

Research showing that sunscreen ingredients can enter the bloodstream has added another layer to the discussion. In a 2019 FDA study involving 24 participants and four active ingredients, researchers documented systemic absorption under maximal use conditions.

The study did not establish that the concentrations caused harm. Its authors explicitly wrote: “These results do not indicate that individuals should refrain from the use of sunscreen.”

A 2020 follow-up involving 48 participants and six active ingredients also documented systemic absorption. Again, the research addressed the need for further safety testing rather than demonstrating toxicity.

The American Academy of Dermatology says current scientific evidence does not show that sunscreen ingredients available in the United States harm human health. It continues to recommend broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher.

The FDA Just Added Something New

While questions about existing sunscreens were circulating, the FDA made a significant change to what future American formulas can contain.

On June 9, the FDA added bemotrizinol, also known as BEMT, to the over-the-counter sunscreen monograph. It was the first new sunscreen active ingredient added since the late 1990s.

The FDA determined that BEMT is generally recognized as safe and effective at concentrations up to 6 percent under specified conditions for adults and children 6 months and older. According to the agency, it provides UVA and UVB protection and demonstrates low systemic absorption.

What BEMT will ultimately mean for American sunscreen formulations remains unclear. No verified basis supports the claim that it will address UVA protection concerns or transform the market.

What has changed is simpler: after decades without a newly added active ingredient, manufacturers now have another federally accepted option.

Related: 7 Mistakes That Make You Look Older Than Your Real Age (Skincare and Lifestyle Habits You Need to Fix)

The Sunscreen Rules Are Still Changing

BEMT was not the FDA’s only significant sunscreen decision in 2026.

On September 10, the FDA finalized removing PABA and trolamine salicylate from the over-the-counter sunscreen monograph after determining their risks outweigh their benefits. The agency said it was unaware of sunscreens currently sold in the United States containing either ingredient, so consumers did not need to take action.

Stronger UVA requirements the FDA proposed in 2021 also remain unfinished as of October 2026.

Separate testing has raised questions about product performance. Consumer Reports tested about 130 sunscreens and found that a majority produced an average tested SPF below the SPF printed on their labels. That finding is separate from EWG’s ratings and does not confirm its conclusions about UVA protection.

The stakes extend beyond product rankings. The American Cancer Society estimates about 112,000 new invasive melanoma cases and 8,510 melanoma deaths in the United States in 2026.

What “Safe” Actually Tells Consumers

The sunscreen debate becomes misleading when regulatory uncertainty, independent ratings and demonstrated harm are treated as interchangeable.

Nothing in the findings establishes that four in five American sunscreens are clinically unsafe. EWG found something narrower: roughly four in five products it evaluated did not meet its combined criteria.

At the same time, the FDA is still working through questions surrounding existing ingredients while allowing a new one into American formulations for the first time in decades. The sunscreen aisle may look familiar, but the rules behind it are moving.

For consumers, that leaves a question more useful than any alarming percentage: when a sunscreen is described as “safe,” whose definition are they being given?

More Articles You Might Like:

The post A 2026 Review Found 4 in 5 Sunscreens Fell Short of EWG’s Safety and Protection Criteria appeared first on FODMAP Everyday.