What Is The Viral Sunscreen Scam Controversy? Influencer Claims Brands Fails SPF Test, Internet Calls It “Marketing Campaign”
Many dermats have raised concerns with the study. Read here.
It’s very important to apply sunscreen, and we have heard that on many occasions. All dermatologists always suggest that one should not step out without applying SPF. There are various kinds of sunscreens available in the market, and there are many brands that produce sunscreens. However, a new controversy has erupted after many sunscreens could not pass the basic SPF test, and this was raised by an influencer on social media. A lot of debate around it has begun after this video surfaced, and the influencer has also listed some brands that were listed in the study. Read on.
What Is The SPF Controversy?
The research was carried out by the founder of an influencer marketing agency, Nitin Joshi, who, through the study, claimed that many of the well-known brands that produce SPF don’t qualify for the SPF levels that they advertise in their products. The list includes many popular brands, and 8 out of 10 of them do not meet the quality standards. As per Nitin Joshi, the study conducted to test the sunscreens was funded by him as he wanted to let the consumers get the transparency about the products that they were applying on their skin. The study results were shared on October 19, as per which, Renee , WishCare, and Dot & Key were the worst performers and they actually provided one-third of the SPF that they actually claimed. Brands like Lotus and Deconstruct were also not far behind. Foxtale claimed 55+, but as per this study, it only provided 36.9. and some other known brands, Lakme, Minimalist, and Derma Co. performed well in this study. However, the star brand among them was Aqualogica.
As per Nitin Joshi, he invested 2.15 lakh in this study to spread awareness, and the studies were conducted at two Government of India–accredited laboratories. In-vitro testing protocols based testing was used to do this research.
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Also Read: This SPF Season, Keep Your Skin Summer-Friendly By Avoiding These 13 Sunscreen Mistakes!
Well, this video sparked a lot of controversy further, with many raising questions around the authenticity of this research. Some also raised doubts about the claims that the influencer tried to promote his video through other influencers. Other concerns, like the tests not being conducted on humans or living organisms but on glass plates (in-vitro testing) were also raised by a well-known dermat.
What are your thoughts?
First Published: October 22, 2025 9:29 PM
