After delays that dragged on for more than three decades, the Food and Drug Administration has acted to clarify claims about which sunscreens offer the best skin protection.
The agency said that, beginning next year, a lotion must provide equal protection against two types of ultraviolet radiation, UVB and UVA, to be labeled a “broad spectrum” sunscreen. UVB rays cause sunburns, UVA rays cause wrinkles, and both cause cancer.
In addition, as The New York Times reports, only sunscreens with a sun protection factor, or SPF, of 15 or higher will be able to boast that they reduce the risk of skin cancer and skin aging, and help prevent sunburn.
On top of that, the FDA is banning sunscreen makers from claiming that their products are waterproof or sweatproof because agency officials believe that the boasts aren’t true. Instead, sunscreen makers will be able to say, depending on test results, for how many minutes their products are water resistant.
According to the Times, each year more than two million people in the United States are treated for the two most common skin cancers, basal cell and squamous cell, and more than 68,000 people are diagnosed with melanoma, the most deadly form of the disease. Sunscreens have been shown to prevent squamous cell and melanoma, and they delay recurrences of basal cell cancer.
The FDA has considered sunscreen rules since 1978, when sporting a rich suntan was more likely to be considered a sign of good health than a precursor to a skin disease. In the years since, the agency has received requests from seven U.S. senators, a petition from a state attorney general and a congressional mandate to issue regulations. Rules drafted in 1999 never were issued because of objections by a trade group, the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association.
Last year Jane Houlihan, an official with the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization, called the delays “truly irresponsible.”
Dermatologists said they were delighted that the FDA finally has taken action. “Now, we’ll be able to tell patients which sunscreens to get,” said Dr. Henry W. Lim, a spokesman for the American Academy of Dermatology.
Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said the new rules will make selecting sunscreens easier for consumers. “All they’re going to need to do is pick an SPF number and then make sure that it’s broad spectrum.”
The Times said that the FDA still hasn’t decided whether it will rein in the “SPF arms race” involving manufacturers that tout products with SPFs in the range of 70 to 100, even though it’s questionable whether such sunscreens offer any more protection than those at the 50 level.
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