FDA Releases New Sunscreen Rules

The Food and Drug Administration has finally issued new rules on sunscreens. Like me, you've probably seen many brash claims on bottles of sunscreen. Everything from moisturizing your skin, to protecting against 37 different spectrums of light, being waterproof, sweat proof,  bulletproof, and so on.

But now all sunscreen companies will have to obey a new set of rules when marketing and testing their products.

If they want their sunscreen to offer “broadband protection” it will be required to equally protect against two kinds of the sun’s radiation: UVB (the kind that causes sunburns) and UVA (the kind that causes wrinkles).

Another rule change will ban companies from claiming their products are waterproof, because they can’t be. It’s true, you can’t actually have sunscreen that is water or sweat proof, it’s impossible. What the FDA will allow companies to do is make claims on how many minutes the product will remain water resistant based on clinical tests.

The new rules will also not allow claims that a product will prevent sunburn or reduce risks of skin cancer and early skin aging unless it has an SPF rating of at least 15.

You can read more about the new rules which will take effect in 2012 from the FDA.

Most dermatologists recommend a broad spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher every two hours while outside.

Last year an estimated 68,130 people in the U.S. were diagnosed with melanoma—the most dangerous form of skin cancer—and an estimated 8,700 died, according to the National Cancer Institute. Nearly $2 billion is spent treating the disease each year. [FOX NEWS]

Most people don’t use enough sunscreen, the American Academy of Dermatology claims that we use about one fourth of the amount of sunscreen we should use and we don’t re-apply as often as we should either. Get some sunscreen tips from them here.

And remember to slather up before you hit the sun this summer!

[Chrissy Polcino on Flickr]

[Food and Drug Administration]