Quick Summary:
Date Tested: 07/27/2022
The Trader Joe’s Zinc Oxide SPF 40 sunscreen lotion is the second Trader Joes sunscreen I have tested to date. The packaging seems to be a bit higher-end and almost geared towards daily use vs using at the beach in an “active” manner. However, they included an anchor icon on the tube so I suppose that means its for the beach, how versatile (heh)!
In my previous test of the Trader joes Face & Body SPF 30 lotion I was a bit nonplussed with the results so I was rooting for this particular lotion because I like Trader Joe’s as a company. I buy lots of food there!
This Zinc Oxide SPF 40 lotion is a mineral based sunscreen lotion and contains 20.5% Zinc Oxide (non-nano). I like how they used .5% because they didn’t quite feel that a solid 20% was good enough and that 20.1% might be too much. I’m kidding of course…there must be a perfectly functional or financial reason for only using .5% instead of full 1% increments.
I digress, onto the data…
Thankfully, after spending two hours in the sunscreen testing machine, the results came back positive. Trader Joe’s Zinc Oxide SPF 40 reduced UVI by 91.20%, UVA by 91.34%, and UVB by 88.88%, much better than the last one!
Trader Joe’s Zinc Oxide SPF 40 sunscreen lotion ingredients
Active ingredients: ZINC OXIDE 20.5%
Inactive Ingredients:
WATER (AQUA), ISOPROPYL PALMITATE, CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE, HYDROGENATED METHYL ABIETATE, GLYCERIN, SORBITAN LAURATE, OCTYLDODECYL CITRATE CROSSPOLYMER, POLYHYDROXYSTEARIC ACID, SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS (JOJOBA) SEED OIL, PHENOXYETHANOL, AMMONIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYLTAURATE/VP COPOLYMER, SODIUM STEAROYL GLUTAMATE, METHYLCELLULOSE, SODIUM LAURYL GLUCOSE CARBOXYLATE, POLYGLYCERYL-4 LAURATE, LAURYL GLUCOSIDE, XANTHAN GUM, DILAURYL CITRATE, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, SODIUM PHYTATE, LEUCONOSTOC/RADISH ROOT FERMENT FILTRATE, ALOE BARBADENSIS LEAF JUICE, LONICERA JAPONICA (HONEYSUCKLE) FLOWER EXTRACT, LONICERA CAPRIFOLIUM (HONEYSUCKLE) FLOWER EXTRACT, POPULUS TREMULOIDES BARK EXTRACT, TOCOPHEROL, GLYCINE SOJA (SOYBEAN) OIL, GLUCONOLACTONE, GINKGO BILOBA LEAF EXTRACT, CAMELLIA SINENSIS LEAF EXTRACT, BAMBUSA ARUNDINACEA STEM EXTRACT
Manufacturers Website: www.traderjoes.com
Trader Joe’s Zinc Oxide SPF 40 sunscreen lotion characteristics at a glance:
- No Added Fragrance
- Broad Spectrum UVA and UVB Protection
- Hypoallergenic
- Viscosity is a little thicker
Prepared slide ready for testing
The Trader Joe’s Zinc Oxide SPF 40 felt slightly thicker than what I expected. This may be why the product scored higher in testing. Coverage and Zinc Oxide distribution looked decent.
Below are the results from 2 hours of testing in my UV testing station.
Trader Joe’s Zinc Oxide SPF 40 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.
UV test results:
Ultraviolet sensor readings:
| Before Sunscreen | After Sunscreen | % UV Blocked | |
| TEMP | 83.25 | 84.0 | |
| UVA | 25482.5 | 2207.2 | 91.34% |
| UVB | 1268.5 | 141 | 88.88% |
| UVI | 14.95 | 1.32 | 91.20% |
Want to know more about how I test sunscreen? Head here to read about the details.
Testing notes:
Trader Joes puts out products which are aimed at providing high quality value at lower cost. This sunscreen is a decently performing SPF 40 lotion which I wouldn’t mind using if I didn’t have any other fancy-pants sunscreen available. Is it the best most amazing sunscreen I have ever tested? No. But if it’s convenient to purchase and readily available, then its a good choice.
Want to try the Trader Joe’s Zinc Oxide SPF 40 sunscreen lotion?
Buy it, use it, forget about it. Reapply as directed!
Disclosure: the Amazon link shown is the only affiliate link I am sharing on this post. I will earn a commission if you click on the amazon listed product link and place an order (at no cost to you). I do not collect any personally identifying information. Every little bit helps to keep this site up and running, I do appreciate it!