When I was a kid, I don’t remember having sunscreen. Oh, we had tanning oil, so I could try to cook my skin and make it a deep brown like my friends (that never worked). Today, most parents don’t send their children outside unless they are slathered in sunscreen.
But, the labeling has gotten confusing. It’s like the manufacturers thought “If SPF 30 sounds good, let’s release SPF 100!” Some are waterproof, some say “broad spectrum” – what does it all mean?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finally decided to put some rules on what manufacturers can and can’t put on sunscreen labels. These changes won’t take effect until 2012, but some companies may start earlier.
The new rules state:
Sunscreens will have to be tested to see how much UVA protection they actually offer and labeled thusly. If a sunscreen pasts the “broad-spectrum” test (it offers both UVA and UVB protection), it can be labeled so. Those that offer an SPF of 15 or greater can state they prevent skin cancer and early aging on its label. Those sunscreens that don’t pass the test for providing enough UVA protection or those that do but have a SPF of 2 to 14 can only state that they prevent sunburn.
Labels can no longer contain words like “waterproof,” “sweatproof,” or “sunblocks.” The FDA says these claims are overstating effectiveness. They can say they are water resistant, but the labels must say whether the sunscreen is effective for 40 or 80 minutes after swimming or sweating.
Labels can no long say the sunscreen provides protection for more than two hours without reapplication.
Manufacturers will have to have prior approval from the FDA before its sunscreen label can state it provides “instant protection.”
Should you ever be in the sun without protection? Dermatologists are split. Some say 20 minutes of unprotected time is okay to get some natural vitamin D while others say no, you should never be outside without sunscreen protection.