


In September, the FDA released its proposed order detailing lingering concerns about sunscreens. But sunscreens are still important tools in reducing UV exposure – it’s just that some products are better than others,” he adds.įDA renews call for data from sunscreen makers “An overhaul of sunscreen products and how they are regulated is long overdue. Our study shows that sunscreens are not adequately effective, especially at reducing UVA radiation, and the ingredients used in these products have not been fully vetted for safety,” says Andrews. “Sunscreen products must be effective, and the ingredients should not cause health harm. regulations ignore the relationship between the labeled SPF and measured UVA protection.
#EWG SUNSCREEN GUIDE NO MORE THAN SPF SKIN#
Most evaluations of sunscreen efficacy focus primarily on skin redness, or sunburn, caused by UVB rays. “Balanced protection of ultraviolet radiation is important because of the long-term health issues linked to UV exposure – especially harmful UVA rays, which are linked to immunotoxicity and skin cancers,” she adds. store shelves have products that overstate their sun protection claims based on UVB, or sunburn, reduction – without providing similar UVA protection,” Burns says. “ For years, EWG has warned consumers about the safety and efficacy of sunscreens. don’t offer adequate protection against both UVA and UVB rays,” adds Carla Burns, senior director of cosmetic science at EWG and one of the new study’s coauthors. “Most sunscreen products sold in the U.S. “The sunscreen industry has for too long focused on advertising higher and higher SPF values and UVB rays, not on providing products with stronger UVA protection,” he says.
#EWG SUNSCREEN GUIDE NO MORE THAN SPF FREE#
“Broad spectrum products provide protection from UVA rays that are associated with skin cancer, free radical generation and immune harm. “Even more concerning is the lack of adequate broad-spectrum protection, and that’s a public health problem,” Andrews says. The new research is published in Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine. “Most of the products we tested reduced UV radiation only by half of what would be expected from looking at the SPF on the label,” says study author David Andrews, Ph.D., a senior scientist at EWG, in a news release. Most sunscreens provided just 42 to 59 percent of the labeled SPF. On average, sunscreens tested in a laboratory but not on people provided just 24 percent of UVA protection, compared to the labeled SPF value. Scientists used UV-absorption testing and compared those results with computer-modeled protection and the SPF values on product labels. Many sunscreens offer just a quarter of their stated SPF protection against ultraviolet A rays, a new Environmental Working Group (EWG) study finds.įor the study, EWG scientists tested 51 sunscreens with SPF between 15 and 110 to assess their broad-spectrum protection against both types of UV rays.
