Read this before buying sunscreen for your family this summer
Think carefully before choosing sunscreen for you and your family this summer.
The environmentally friendly workgroup analyzed the chemicals and effectiveness of more than 1,300 sunscreens and found that over 60% of them would not pass the safety rules suggested by the US Food and Drug Administration, according to an advanced copy reviewed by CNN.
More than half of the sunscreens – 60% – considered by EWG either do not adequately protect against sunlight or have potentially harmful chemicals in them. [19659002] The FDA monitors how sunscreen manufacturers label their products, and the safety and efficacy of their ingredients. It says that products with SPF or sun protection factor values of 1[ads1]5 or higher should be labeled with an SPF corresponding to the lowest number in a number of tested SPF results.
"Sunscreen testing on SPF 15 to 19 will be labeled" SPF 15, "the FDA says on its website, describing the rules of these products." Those tests at 40 to 49 would be labeled "SPF 40." Some 12,000 sunscreen products on the market The EWG has its own recommendations
The FDA identifies sunscreen dosing considered "qualified or unapproved" under its sunscreen standard, inviting comments and reports on the safety and efficacy of sunscreen spray. minutes before going out every second hour.
It also has detailed instructions on choosing safe and effective sunscreen. "Not all sunscreen is wide range, so it is important to look for it on the label. Broad spectrum sunscreen provides protection from the sun's ultraviolet UV radiation, it says.
"There are two types of UV radiation that you need to protect yourself from – UVA and UVB. Wide spectrum provides protection against both by providing a chemical barrier that absorbs or reflects UV radiation before it can damage the skin," adds FDA.
Last year, Hawaii passed a bill to ban the sale of sunscreen over-the-counter containing the oxybenzone or octinoxate chemicals, which are considered harmful to coral reefs, making it the first US state to pass such a bill . Legislation comes into force in 2021. Get a daily roundup of the top, read in personal finance delivered to your inbox. Subscribe to MarketWatch's free Personal Finance Daily newsletter. Register here.