TOPLINE: 

An economic evaluation found that sunscreen costs varied substantially by unit price and clothing use, with annual expenses ranging from $39 to $1429, depending on price and use of sun-protective behaviors. 

METHODOLOGY:

Researchers conducted an economic evaluation study to assess the cost of regular sunscreen application as a function of sunscreen unit price and use of other sun-protective strategies.

• Three SPF 50 lotion sunscreens with similar active ingredients (avobenzone 2%-3%, homosalate 10%-15%, octisalate 4%-5%, octocrylene 7%-8%) were selected at three different price points: low ($0.57/oz), median ($1.21/oz), and high ($10/oz).
• Researchers used the modified Lund and Browder scale to estimate the costs of sunscreen application , assuming a mean body surface area of 1.73 m² and applying the recommended 2-mg/cm² application thickness.
• Costs were estimated assuming one application during weekdays and two applications during weekends or vacation days, and were modeled across clothing scenarios, including short-sleeve shirts, long-sleeve shirts, shorts, pants, hats, and shoes.
• Annual cost scenarios included indoor jobs (9 months of weekdays plus weekends with long sleeves; 3 months of weekdays with short sleeves and 3 months of weekends with hat plus shorts) and outdoor jobs (9 months of weekdays with short sleeves, 9 months of weekends with short sleeves plus shorts ; 3 months of weekends with minimal coverage).

TAKEAWAY:

• The unit price of sunscreens with similar ingredients and SPF ratings varied by up to 17.5-fold, from $0.57/oz to $10/oz with a median price of $1.23/oz.
• Cost per single application ranged from $0.04 (wearing hat, long-sleeve shirt, pants, and shoes with the lowest-priced sunscreen) to $4.20 (wearing short-sleeve shirt and shorts with the highest-priced sunscreen), representing a 105-fold difference.
• A week of sunscreen use at the beach with twice-daily applications cost $6.57 and $135.82, depending on clothing and sunscreen price.
• Annual sunscreen costs for indoor workers ranged from $39.28 to $688.56 (median, $83.55), while that for outdoor workers ranged from $81.53 to $1429.42 (median, $173.44), reflecting a 36-fold difference across scenarios.

IN PRACTICE: 

“The data suggest a role for dermatologists to encourage the use of clothing and hats for protection and to inform patients that less expensive sunscreens can be used,” the study authors wrote. "Encouraging broad-brimmed hats, long sleeves, pants, and lower-priced sunscreens could decrease overall cost, facilitating compliance" and reducing skin cancer risk, they added.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Maya Mundada, University of California, San Francisco, and was published online as a brief report on February 18 in JAMA Dermatology.

LIMITATIONS:

The study had several limitations, including reliance on modeled coverage based on sun-protective behaviors, use of average body surface area, unknown actual sunscreen prices paid by consumers, omission of cost of protective clothing such as hats, and the possibility of some individuals using more expensive sunscreen on their faces and less expensive sunscreen elsewhere on their bodies.

DISCLOSURES:

The authors did not disclose any funding information and reported having no relevant conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.