Target earns top spot in Consumer Reports' sunscreen rankings...

If a trip to the beach is included in your Memorial Day weekend plans, you'll want to remember to pack your sunscreen.  But with so many options out there, it's hard to know what to pick for the top protection and staying power.  Enter Consumer Reports', who just released their 2013 sunscreen ratings.  This time around, they found that  paying more for your sunscreen doesn't mean you're getting a more effective product. "Some of the priciest sunscreens Consumer Reports tested offered less than their labeled SPF value," the magazine said in a press release.

All the sunscreens evaluated by the magazine are broad spectrum. Testers wore the sunscreens on an area of their backs, then UVB rays from a sun simulator were shined on five spots within the sunscreened area. Additional testing for UVA involved seeing if the person tanned or turned red, and the products were also analyzed through wavelength testing to measure how well UV rays were absorbed by the sunscreens. They were also tested to see if they stained clothing.

So which product came out on top? It was Target's Up & UP Sport SPF 50, with an overall score of 80. Regular readers of this blog might recall that Target's in-house brand also scored high on Consumer Reports' 2010 and 2011 rankings (though they seem to have fallen off the list last year).