The nonprofit Environmental Working Group (EWG) released its annual guide rating the sun protection benefits of nearly 1,700 sunscreen products. EWG reports that “three-quarters of the products evaluated did not provide adequate sun protection, and many still contain ingredients that may pose health risks.”
In a statement, EWG’s Healthy Living Science program manager, Emily Spielman, argued that “many of the products we looked at don’t provide balanced protection against UVA and UVB rays…And some ingredients commonly found in sunscreens have been linked to both human and environmental concerns, yet are widely used in hundreds of products without being adequately tested for safety.”
In response to EWG’s evaluation, the Personal Care Products Council issued a statement saying, “Unfortunately, once again, EWG’s Sunscreen Guide has misled consumers into thinking sunscreen products are unsafe, putting public health at risk.”
Differing views on sunscreen efficacy
According to an EWG press release, the organization’s annual Sunscreen Guide “evaluates the safety and effectiveness of a range of sunscreen products, including a list of top recreational sunscreens, SPF products marketed to infants and toddlers, everyday moisturizers with SPF, and lip balms with SPF.”
The EWG identifies “zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, or both” as “ingredients with low health concerns and good sun protection,” and considers “oxybenzone, octinoxate, and ‘fragrance'” to be “potentially harmful ingredients,” Spillman said in the EWG’s announcement.
The PCPC statement did not directly address the product safety assessment criteria in EWG’s annual sunscreen guide, but the organization reiterated that “sunscreen is a vital and widely recognized tool in the fight against skin cancer.”
Additionally, PCPC stated that, as a trade association, the company and its “member companies remain committed to ensuring that safe and effective sunscreen products are widely available to the American people,” and that it “will continue to work with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide additional safety data on multiple ultraviolet (UV) filters to ensure consumer confidence in the safety and effectiveness of these important products.”
Agreement on Urgency
EWG and PCPC share concerns that the FDA needs to better address regulatory issues regarding sunscreens in the U.S. “We are concerned that the Sunscreen Innovation Act, enacted into law in 2014, has not delivered on its promise to expedite the approval of new sunscreen active ingredients,” PCPC said in a statement. The statement went on to say, “The FDA has No new UV filters approved since 1999“Globally approved filters used in Europe and other regions are not available in the United States, severely limiting the choices of American consumers,” it noted.
“It’s been more than 20 years since the FDA approved a new active ingredient for use in SPF products, leaving U.S. consumers behind in the global race for sunscreen innovation,” the EWG press release said. “Currently, the FDA suggests that just two substances are generally recognized as safe and effective in sunscreens, while the European Union boasts more than 30.”
