Why U.S. Sunscreens Don't Measure Up

Short Wave

NPR

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4.7 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 29 August 2025

⏱️ 14 minutes

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Summary

The United Nations estimates that there were over 1.5 million new cases of skin cancer in 2022. That number might have you reaching for the nearest tube of sunscreen. And it might also have you wondering what truth there is to the hype around Korean and European sunscreens. Click around online and you’ll see lots of claims about the superiority of their protection against UV radiation compared to products made in the United States. But are sunscreens sold in the U.S. really so subpar? With the help of chemist and science communicator Michelle Wong, we wade into the research of UVA and UVB rays, the complexities of regulating cosmetics and drugs, and how to maximize your protection against the sun no matter which sunscreens you have access to.

Interested in more science behind skincare products? Email us your question at [email protected].

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Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.
0:05.4	Hey, short waver.
0:06.9	Yes, you.
0:08.0	Did you get enough sleep last night?
0:09.8	Have you had enough water this morning?
0:12.2	And very importantly, did you put on your sunscreen?
0:15.7	This is the checklist that runs through my mind every morning.
0:18.5	Every day I put on sunscreen on my face if I'm planning to leave the house at all.
0:22.8	Michelle Wong has a PhD in chemistry, and for her, sunscreen is non-negotiable.
0:28.6	She has a YouTube channel Lab Muffin Beauty Science, where she explains the science behind beauty products,
0:34.0	which in her book includes sunscreens.
0:37.4	SPF stands for sun protection factor.
0:40.3	The reasons why you may or may not need a sunscreen indoors from a scientific perspective.
0:44.3	Sunbone starts when the DNA inside your skin cells absorb UV radiation.
0:49.3	And what I've learned from Michelle is that UV radiation comes in two flavors,
0:53.3	UVA and UVB, both of which you need to protect
0:57.2	your skin from.
0:58.6	UVB is shorter wavelength, higher energy, UVA is longer wavelength, lower energy.
1:03.8	It goes a little bit deeper into skin.
1:06.1	UVB is more superficial and it's more linked to burning, but both of them are linked to
1:11.7	increase skin cancer and increased premature skin aging.
1:16.2	But the science didn't always indicate that UVA was bad for us, but in the last decade or so,
	...

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