Banana Boat Ultra Sport Reef Friendly Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50
58/100 overall score
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About this sunscreen
Banana Boat Ultra Sport Reef Friendly Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 is a chemical sunscreen built on older filters including homosalate, octocrylene, and benzophenone-3, with avobenzone for UVA cover. It applies with a balanced, lightweight finish and keeps white cast low, with a low pore-clogging profile. It can sting mildly if it reaches the eyes. Scoring 58/100 with good protection, it is a workable sport and body sunscreen, though the dated filter mix limits its overall rating.
Ingredient & SPF scores
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UV protection
Good
66
- +30 Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane at #1, UV filter (UVA1 +16)
- +12 Homosalate at #2, UV filter
- +8 Ethylhexyl Salicylate at #3, UV filter
- +15.2 Octocrylene at #4, UV filter
- +20.9 Benzophenone-3 at #5, UV filter
- β8.9 UVB coverage saturated
- β6.2 UVA2 coverage saturated
- Γ0.9 Limited long-UVA1 coverage
- +2 Label claims (SPF 50)
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Health safety
Low
0
- +100 Starting score
- β70 Oxybenzone at #5 (regulatory/evidence concern)
- β14 Homosalate at #2, stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- β10.5 Octocrylene at #4, stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- β3.5 Avobenzone at #1, stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- +0 2 endocrine-scrutinized filters together
- β7 Retinyl Palmitate at #25, disputed vitamin-A sunlight signal, under review
- +5 Penalties exceed the scale, floored at 0
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Allergens
Low
61
- +100 Starting score
- β30 Sensitizing preservatives (Methylisothiazolinone, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methyldibromo Glutaronitrile)
- β9 Photoallergen-tail UV filters (Benzophenone-3, Octocrylene)
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Eye sting
Medium
32
- +100 Starting score
- β24 Avobenzone at #1, migrates into eyes with sweat
- β15 Octocrylene at #4, migrates into eyes with sweat
- β11 Oxybenzone at #5, migrates into eyes with sweat
- β9 Homosalate at #2, migrates into eyes with sweat
- β9 Octisalate at #3, migrates into eyes with sweat
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Fungal acne
Medium
55
- +100 Starting score
- β9 1 oils/butters that feed Malassezia (Lecithin)
- β36 4 long-chain (C12+) esters that feed Malassezia (Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate)
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Fabric stains
High
5
- +100 Starting score
- β50 Avobenzone at #1, reacts with iron in wash water into rust-yellow stains
- β20 Oxybenzone at #5, yellow stains on white cotton
- β15 Octocrylene at #4, co-stains alongside avobenzone
- β10 Avobenzone + Octocrylene, the classic staining pair
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Moisture
Balanced
LightNourishing
- β 4 Glycerin at #9, the anchor humectant
- β 1 2 fatty-alcohol emollients (Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol)
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Makeup base
Okay
PillsPrimer
- β 0.5 Gel polymers prone to pilling under friction (Carbomer)
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Water resistance
Not resistant
Non-water-resistantWater-resistant
- +12 Label claims water resistance (sport / 40-80 min)
Full ingredient list (32)
What each ingredient does and how it moves each rating: green helps, red hurts, β / β give the direction, and β / β shift a slider toward its ends (finish, moisture, makeup base). Auto-derived from our scoring rules and the ingredient's position.
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Legacy UV filter (Avobenzone), high in the list, a primary filter
- β 30 UV protection, incl. long-UVA (UVA1)
- β 3.5 stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- β 24 migrates into eyes with sweat
- β 50 reacts with iron in wash water into rust-yellow stains
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Legacy UV filter (Homosalate), high in the list, a primary filter
- β 12 UV protection
- β 14 stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- β 9 migrates into eyes with sweat
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Legacy UV filter (Octisalate), high in the list, a primary filter
- β 8 UV protection
- β 9 migrates into eyes with sweat
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Legacy UV filter (Octocrylene)
- β 15.2 UV protection
- β 10.5 stacked (regulatory/evidence concern)
- β 15 migrates into eyes with sweat
- β 15 co-stains alongside avobenzone
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Legacy UV filter (Oxybenzone)
- β 20.9 UV protection
- β 11 migrates into eyes with sweat
- β 20 yellow stains on white cotton
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6 Water
Solvent base, the water phase
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Supporting ingredient
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Fatty alcohol, an emollient and thickener, not the drying kind
- 0.5 β nourishing fatty-alcohol emollient
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9 Glycerin
Humectant, pulls water into the skin
- 4 β nourishing the anchor humectant
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Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
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Fatty alcohol, an emollient and thickener, not the drying kind
- 0.5 β nourishing fatty-alcohol emollient
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pH adjuster
-
13 Carbomer
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
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Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- β 9 feeds malassezia
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Fatty alcohol, an emollient and thickener, not the drying kind
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16 Xanthan Gum
Thickener and texture, structures the gel or cream
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Supporting ingredient
- β 9 feeds malassezia
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Chelator, binds stray metal ions to keep the formula stable
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Humectant, pulls water into the skin
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20 BHT
Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
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Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
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Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- β 9 feeds malassezia
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Fatty alcohol, an emollient and thickener, not the drying kind
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Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- β 9 feeds malassezia
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Emollient, softens and smooths skin
- β 7 disputed vitamin-A sunlight signal, under review
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Antioxidant, protects the formula and skin
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27 Lecithin
Emulsifier, keeps oil and water blended
- β 9 feeds malassezia
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Soothing, skin-conditioning active
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Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
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Supporting ingredient
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Preservative, keeps the formula from spoiling
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Supporting ingredient
Is Banana Boat Ultra Sport SPF 50 good?
It scores 58 out of 100 in our rating with good protection. It is a workable sport and body sunscreen, though the dated filter mix limits its overall rating.
Does the Banana Boat Ultra Sport Reef Friendly Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50 leave a white cast?
White cast is generally low. It is a chemical lotion with a balanced, lightweight finish that commonly blends in without a visible cast.
Is it mineral or chemical?
It is a chemical sunscreen. It uses older filters including homosalate, octocrylene, and benzophenone-3, with avobenzone for UVA cover.