The Right SPF for Kids and the Best Sunscreens

June 19, 2021, 4:53 am | Read time: 3 minutes

Children’s skin requires special protection in the sun. But which sun protection factor and which sunscreens are recommended?

According to the German Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine (DGKJ), sunscreens for children should have a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30. Less is not recommended, and more is not necessarily needed.

With SPF 30, 97 percent of sunlight is already absorbed by the skin. An SPF over 30 only slightly increases skin protection. However, there’s nothing wrong with using a cream with a higher SPF.

When applying, parents should not skimp and should apply sunscreen generously—only then does the product provide the promised protection. The professional society’s recommendation is to apply at least twice a day and always reapply after swimming.

Also interesting: What should I pay attention to with UVA and UVB protection in sunscreen?

The Best Sunscreens for Children According to Stiftung Warentest

In June 2020, Stiftung Warentest examined sunscreens for children. The good news: The majority of the tested sun protection products reliably protected the skin from the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun.

Sixteen of the 17 children’s products with a sun protection factor between 30 and 50+ provided the promised protection against UVA and UVB rays—only the most expensive product in the test, which cost 44 euros per 100 milliliters, failed. It provided inadequate protection against the longer-wavelength UVA rays, which can also damage the skin (“test” issue 7/20).

Also interesting: Can you still get a tan despite using sunscreen?

Affordable Sunscreens for Children Perform Best

Except for this exception, the testers had little to criticize: Eleven products received an overall rating of “good,” one was “satisfactory”—the protection performance was consistently convincing. There were deductions, for example, if the product did not moisturize the skin well or if the packaging promised more than the product could deliver.

Also interesting: The most important rules for sun protection

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The Best Sunscreens for Children

“Very good” ratings were given to four of the most affordable products, all private labels from discount or drugstore chains:

Lidl Cien Sun Kids Sunscreen (SPF 50+, 2.25 euros per 100 milliliters)
Müller Lavozon Kids Med Sun Milk (50+, 2.48 euros/100 ml)
Aldi Ombra Sunspray Easy Protect Kids (30, 1.99 euros/100 ml)
Rossmann Sunozon Kids Sunspray (50, 2.40 euros/100 ml)

Also interesting: Why you should not use expired sunscreen

Clothing and Shade as the Most Important Protection

In addition to applying sunscreen, textile sun protection is always a good idea. The best protection comes from tightly woven clothing, a hat or cap for the head—and shade. According to experts, babies should generally stay in the shade during their first year. Toddlers under three should not be in the sun at midday—and at other times, only for short periods and well-protected. Most daily UV radiation occurs between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.

For older children, the shadow rule can be used to illustrate this, advises Professor Peter Höger, a skin expert from the DGKJ. It goes like this: “Don’t play in the blazing sun as long as your shadow is shorter than your body.”

With material from dpa

This article is a machine translation of the original German version of FITBOOK and has been reviewed for accuracy and quality by a native speaker. For feedback, please contact us at info@fitbook.de.