According to the Environmental Working Group’s 2012 analysis of sun protection products, only one in four sunscreens are considered safe and effective.

Sunscreen, like the majority of perfume, lotion and cosmetics on the market today, contains harmful chemicals that could outweigh its beneficial, sun-blocking effect. While most experts still promote sunscreen usage for skin safety, they disagree on the way it works. There is no conclusive evidence linking sunscreen usage to skin cancer prevention; In fact, some researchers have even found sunscreen users to be more susceptible to the disease than non-users. One reason for this is that Vitamin A, a common sunscreen ingredient beneficial to the skin, develops carcinogenic properties when used on sun-exposed skin.

Find out if your sunscreen is safe with the Environmental Working Group’s 2012 Sunscreen Guide.

Photographer: Bryan