Spray sunscreen works, but most people use it wrong.

Yes, technically — same active ingredients, same SPF rating — but only if you actually apply enough, and most people don’t.

The problem isn’t the formula. It’s coverage. With lotion, you see and feel where you’ve applied. With spray, you get patchy coverage unless you’re deliberate. You need to spray until the skin glistens, then rub it in. In wind, half the spray misses you entirely. And people rarely use enough — you need about a full second of continuous spray per body part.

If you can’t be bothered to do all that, stick with lotion. If you’re disciplined, spray is fine and faster. But “applied correctly” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here.

Don’t blame the sunscreen if you end up looking like a lobster.