As skin cancer rates rise, sunscreen use is recommended as a way to decrease the risk of developing skin cancer. Studies show that most consumers of sunscreen do not apply the recommended amount of sunscreen to achieve full protection from UV rays. This study investigates the effect of using two different package dispenser types on human behavior in the context of sunscreen application in an effort to quantify differences in application volume. Additionally, labeling interventions designed to either encourage or discourage application of sunscreen were placed on the bottle to test the effectiveness of using label messaging to influence application amounts. Participants were asked to apply sunscreen from different package styles to their arms and legs and complete a survey regarding the perceived risk of developing skin cancer and frequency of sunscreen use and other demographic factors. Results indicate that participants applied more sunscreen from the squeeze bottles than the pump bottles (p<.0001), and that there was no evidence of a discernable difference between different labels. Of the personal characteristics included in the model (including age, gender, skin tone saturation, history of sun burn, and study location) worry about developing skin cancer and frequency of sunscreen use were also significant at α=.05. The overall findings of this study was packaging design affects sunscreen application practices, but labeling warnings are less influential.
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