![]() Growing evidence links UVA exposure to skin cancer. Although the reasons are unclear, scientists have established that risk factors include family history, indoor tanning, fair skin, freckles, moles, UV radiation and severe sunburns. The findings mean consumers are not only being burned because of misleading sunscreen labels but may also be increasing their risk of skin cancer.Īccording to the National Cancer Institute, the rate of new melanoma cases among U.S. Scientists used UV-absorption testing and compared those results with computer-modeled protection and the SPF values on product labels. with SPF values from 15 to 110 to assess their broad spectrum protection against both types of UV rays. regulations ignore the relationship between the labeled SPF and measured UVA protection.ĮWG decided to test 51 sunscreens sold in the U.S. Most evaluations of sunscreen efficacy focus primarily on skin redness, or sunburn, caused by UVB rays. "Balanced protection of ultraviolet radiation is important because of the long-term health issues linked to UV exposure-especially harmful UVA rays, which are linked to immunotoxicity and skin cancers," she added.Ĭonsumers are getting burned by misleading sunscreens store shelves have products that overstate their sun protection claims based on UVB, or sunburn, reduction-without providing similar UVA protection," Burns said. "For years, EWG has warned consumers about the safety and efficacy of sunscreens. don't offer adequate protection against both UVA and UVB rays," said Carla Burns, senior director of cosmetic science at EWG and one of the new study's coauthors. "Most sunscreen products sold in the U.S. They said switching to sunscreens with higher UVA protection instead of higher SPFs might reduce skin cancer risks. The findings echo a study released by Food and Drug Administration scientists in 2019 that conceded current sunscreen standards are inadequate. "The sunscreen industry has for too long focused on advertising higher and higher SPF values and UVB rays, not on providing products with stronger UVA protection," he said. "Broad spectrum products provide protection from UVA rays that are associated with skin cancer, free radical generation and immune harm. "Even more concerning is the lack of adequate broad spectrum protection, and that's a public health problem," Andrews said. ![]() Consumers are left without protection against both UVA and UVB. Sunscreen broad spectrum protection often missingĮWG's research found that most sunscreens provided just 42 to 59 percent of the labeled SPF. That's much lower than what's required of sunscreens sold in Europe. On average, sunscreens tested in a laboratory but not on people provided a meager 24 percent of UVA protection, compared to the labeled SPF value. Most sunscreens also failed to live up to boasts of protection related to UVB rays, which are largely responsible for sunburn. The new research, published in the peer-reviewed journal Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine, used laboratory tests and computer modeling to assess UV ray absorption.ĮWG scientists found that sunscreens often fell far short of the claims of protection against UVA rays that cause aging, immune harms and greater cancer risks. "Most of the products we tested reduced UV radiation only by half of what would be expected from looking at the SPF on the label," said David Andrews, Ph.D., a senior scientist at EWG and the lead author of the study unveiled today. For the study, EWG scientists tested 51 sunscreens with SPF between 15 and 110.
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