Quick Summary:

Date Tested: 08/19/2022

I interrupt my regularly scheduled posting of sunscreen reviews by test date to bring you this review of an absolute trash of a sunscreen. There are times during a workflow where you just have to stop and “hold the presses!” because of what you’ve found, and for me, this was it. The Sun Bum Original SPF 50 sunscreen lotion is such absolute garbage that I don’t even know how they get away selling/marketing it at the rated SPF 50. In fact, my mind immediately thinks of Dieselgate (when VW wrote vehicle software to pass emissions testing then when used in the real world, began spewing up to 40x more emissions of NOx). Is this what’s going on here?

I do have to mention that after I tested the Sun Bum Original SPF 50 Sunscreen Spray, I was very concerned at the weak level of protection despite being marketed with an SPF 50 rating and as such I wondered if I had gotten a bad batch. So when I obtained a sample of this sunscreen in lotion form I really looked forward to seeing if the lotion would fare better. As you can tell by what I’ve already wrote however, is that no, it did not. In fact, it did WORSE. As a lotion, how is that even possible? In fact, it has the worst testing results out of ALL the sunscreen products I have ever tested. Even the awful Biore Aqua Rich.

What’s even more mind boggling is that this formulation uses a chemical based concoction and doesn’t even need to figure out how to disperse the UV filters that efficiently like physical based lotions which use Zinc Oxide or Titanium Dioxide. This formula contains four chemical based UV filters – Avobenzone 3%, Homosalate 10%, Octisalate 5%, Octocrylene 10%, and at that those percentages should have proven to be an effective formulation.

My testing results showed that the Sun Bum Original SPF 50 lotion only reduced UVI by 41.49%, UVA by 41.84%, and UVB by 35.51%. Terrible, absolute garbage protection from an SPF50. I just get pissed off thinking about all the people wasting money and using this thinking they are getting decent sun protection. Shame on Sun Bum. SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!

The Sun Bum Original SPF50 lotion characteristics at a glance:

• Cruelty Free (the only cruelty I can think of is letting unwitting customers buy this trash)
• Vegan, Oil Free
• Paraben Free
• Gluten Free
• PABA Free
• Hawaii Act 104 Reef Compliant
• Oxybenzone & Octinoxate Free

• Viscosity is like semen. It even LOOKS like it when squirting it out. GROSS.

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Sun Bum Original SPF50 Lotion UV blocking test results

Ultraviolet light quick reference:

UVA: The Ultraviolet wavelength from 315nm – 400nm. The “Aging UV light” – Causes wrinkles.
UVB: The Ultraviolet wavelength from 280nm – 315nm. The “Bad UV light” – Causes skin cancer.
UVI: The global sun UV index. The more a sunscreen can reduce the level of UVI, the better.

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UV test results:

Ultraviolet sensor readings:

Want to know more about how I test sunscreen? Head here to read about the details.

Testing notes:

When I first squirted out a little bit of the sunscreen, it had this goopy look and appeal which very readily reminded me of semen. Gross. It looked badly separated even from the get go, so I did what I could by mixing it up for a minute or two at room temperature before preparing the slide sample. It didn’t help. Still looked gross, performed just as badly as it looked, and convinced me (together with testing the original SPF50 sunscreen spray a while ago), that the Sun Bum brand is selling snake oil with slick marketing.

When discussing these results with my director of clinical development scientist friend, she told me she wouldn’t even consider buying it because it sounds too much like “sun burn.” I didn’t even think of that, but the irony of that phrase being applicable to this particular brand of sunscreen isn’t beyond me.

To make matters worse, when looking at the desktop version of their web site, every time I moved my mouse I felt like that dumb drop down menu kept blocking the content I wanted to see. Ugh.

Double ugh.

Not Recommended. EVER. Dont buy. NEVER.

SUN BUM – Do better.