Is the SPF on the label real? What Spain's AEMPS case showed

Every summer the same question comes back on Spanish and Latin American forums: can I trust the number on the bottle? A recent case in Spain helps explain how oversight works.

In March 2024, AEMPS(the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices) launched market-control actions on​seven sunscreensafter a study by consumer group OCU found​discrepancies between its SPF tests and those supplied by the companies. The brands involved were European, not Korean. The agency said it had no reports of sunburn linked to those products.

What we take from it, whatever the sunscreen's origin:

• SPF is measured in a lab, and results can vary between tests.

• Regulators do check what is legally sold in their market.

• A product imported informally sits outside that oversight.

• How you apply it (amount and reapplication) matters as much as the number.

In Spain, reactions to a cosmetic can be reported to AEMPS.

Do you check who imports and registers your sunscreen, or just the SPF?

#Sunscreen #SPF #AEMPS

Source: AEMPS — La AEMPS realiza actuaciones de control del mercado frente a siete protectores solares