Health Grou Finds a Majority of Sunscreens Not Effective

Does your sunscreen really protect you? According to a CBS news report, a new website, www.cosmeticsdatabase.com, released the effectiveness of about 8oo sunscreens. The Environmental Working Group reports that only 128 sunscreens offer very good protection with minimal amount of risks. The other 620 products were given caution rating and the site tells consumers to avoid the other 37 products. It also finds some of the best products do not offer the right protection from the sun and contain substances that pose safety issues.

Only three leading sunscreen brands received good ratings: Blue Lizard Australian SuncreamSPF30, California Baby Water- Resistant Hypoallergenic Sunscreen SPF 30, and Aveeno Baby Sunblock Lotion Continuous Protection SPF 55. Many top leading brands received an "avoid" rating that included Coppertone Sport Sunblock Lotion SPF 15 and Neutrogena Healthy Skin Face Lotion SPF15. Researchers concluded people trust the claims on the bottle and assume it will protect them.

Sonya Lunder of the Environmental Working Group said on ABC Local, "In our analysis of 700 sunscreens we find that dome products don't contain chemicals that really are known to protect from UVA damage." The chemical in leading sunscreen brands are found to break down after going outside and may cause ill effects when mixed with other chemicals. Jane Houlihan, president of the EWG, the two most important things people need from sunscreen is stability in the sun and a broad coverage in UVA and UVB rays. Most sunscreens only give protection from UVB rays, the rays responsible for sunburns.

UVA rays are not as harmful but are still linked to skin cancer and aging. When ingredients break down, they can also cause allergies. The study found the ingredients in thirteen per cent of sunscreens protect from UVB rays but not UVA rays. The two important ingredients to look for in sunscreens are zinc and titanium that give the best protection from UVA rays. Higher SPF offers the most protection from UVB rays. The study showed just because a sunscreen is a popular name brand does not mean it offers better protection. People should still use caution outdoors even if the sunscreen is effective like wearing protective clothing and staying out of sun during certain hours.

Dermatologists Vic Narurkar believes more studies are needed. He commented on ABC Local, "You can have a lot of over the counter products that can make claims. So you can imagine the number of sunscreens that are out there so it would be nice to get more control studies that truly demonstrate is it important to have stability of UVA."

CBS News, "New Website Rates Hundreds of Sunscreens"
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/19/earlyshow/health/main2947243.shtml

Jerry Kronenburg, "Is Your Sunscreen Safe? Group Throws Unflattering Light on Some Products"
http://business.bostonherald.com/businessNews/view.bg?articleid=1007203

Lyanne Melendez, "New Study: How Safe Is Wearing Sunscreen?"
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=edell&id=5401179