A consumer-advocacy business had one unit of a zinc oxide 23.4% baby sunscreen, SPF 50 tested by a commercial laboratory for lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic and published the report. The published headline is: “ThinkBaby Sunscreen (SPF 50) Found to Have Significant Lead Contamination With Independent, Third-Party Lab Testing”. This page reports the result by laboratory case number.
Key numbers
Laboratory report image, PDF p. 24. Case 2505468-01, received 05/23/2025, tested 05/29/2025, completed 05/30/2025. Units are ppb (µg/kg) in the product as received.
| Analyte | Result (ppb) | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Lead | 1251.1 | ICP-MS |
| Cadmium | 575.5 | ICP-MS |
| Arsenic (total) | < 10.00 | ICP-MS |
| Mercury (total) | < 5.00 | ICP-MS |
The same test appears as row 31 of the 2026 comparison chart with the same values. A separate 2026 retail survey tested a product from the same line and reported lead 0.613 and cadmium 0.109 mg/kg. The two sources do not show that the variant or lot is the same, and the laboratories and methods differ, so the results are not combined. Ledger rows MBS-0154 to MBS-0157.
Methods (brief)
The unit was sent to the laboratory with an anonymised sample description and an internal lot number, and the report was annotated with the product name afterwards. The report states ICP-MS and prints reporting limits through the less-than values. It does not describe the digestion, sample mass, recovery or quality control. The OCR text layer reads cadmium as 875.5 and lead as “2514”. The report image shows cadmium 575.5 and lead 1251.1 ppb, which the chart row also prints.
Evidence fitness
The report supports one measured result for each metal in one unit as sold. It is useful as a data point alongside other sources and as a record of the reporting limits used. It does not describe other lots, the brand’s current product, or the fraction of metal that crosses infant skin. Arsenic and mercury are totals.
Limitations
One unit, one laboratory, no replicate and no method detail. Grey literature. The same result is also printed on the comparison chart and must be counted once.
Related evidence
- Baby Sunscreen, Mineral (ZnO + TiO2)
- Chart Comparing the Toxicant Profiles of Popular Sunscreen Products
- Lead
- Cadmium
Update history
No substantive edit history is available in this build. The full commit record is available in git.