As you stock up on SPF ahead of summer 2026, the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) 20th Annual Guide to Sunscreens is here to help. The highly anticipated report, released May 19, reviewed nearly 2,800 SPF products and highlighted top-rated options based on ingredient safety and balanced protection from ultraviolet (UV) radiation—and the findings are a wake-up call: only 20 percent of sunscreens tested actually meet EWG’s standards for safety and efficacy.
And of those, only 130 SPF products (including multitasking moisturizers and lip balms) earn the EWG Verified mark, which is essentially the next step after EWG’s top-rated designation—and the bar to get there is genuinely high. To qualify, a product must avoid ingredients linked to health risks, hormone disruption or contamination, be fully transparent about everything in the formula (fragrance included) and exceed both U.S. and European UVA protection standards.
There are also strict rules around format and marketing: no aerosol sprays, no powder formulas, no SPF claims above 50 and no ‘waterproof’ language allowed. That’s because aerosols and powders pose inhalation risks and make it difficult to apply an even, protective layer; SPF values above 50 create a false sense of security without offering significantly better protection; and ‘waterproof’ overstates a product’s effectiveness (the FDA actually banned the term in 2011).
So which ones made the cut? Ahead, seven EWG Verified sunscreens that also have our editors’ seal of approval.
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