Misleading Claims
EWG's 2009 Sunscreen Investigation
Section 3: Misleading Claims
See next section
FDA has been drafting comprehensive sunscreen standards for 30 years. In the absence of final standards, sunscreen-makers are labeling products with claims that could not possibly be true.
With unenforceable draft guidelines in place of mandatory standards, companies are free to use marketing terms that FDA has said are confusing, and they are free to sell products that would be considered misbranded if the Agency finalized its guidance (FDA 2007, FDA 1999). Our analysis of products showed that many sunscreens were labeled with one or more terms that FDA has said are indicative of a misbranded product, terms that are "unacceptable," or terms that could "mislead consumers by inducing a false sense of security."
Until the FDA rule is complete you cannot be sure that sunscreen claims offer meaningful protection. Beware of the following common claims that may or may not be true:
PROVIDES "UVA-UVB" OR "BROAD-SPECTRUM" PROTECTIONThe FDA currently has no regulations about what degree of UVA protection a sunscreen must provide to be able to make such claims, so you won't know how much protection you are actually getting by reading the bottle. EWG analysis of product ingredients and labels found that many products labelled as offering "broad-spectrum" or "UVA" protection do not contain ingredients that block UVA rays. Remember: SPF numbers refer only to the ability to protect from UVB rays — they tell you nothing about UVA protection. |
VERY HIGH SPF NUMBERSSPF 50 sunscreens provide just 1.3% more protection from UVB rays than SPF 30 sunscreens. It is more important, therefore, to apply sunscreen generously than it is to seek out products with ultra-high SPF ratings. When applying sunscreen, few people put on enough to actually reach the product's SPF rating. |
"WATERPROOF"Although some sunscreens are water resistant, none are truly waterproof. Be equally suspicious of claims that a product is "sweat-proof," "sand-proof," or "rub-proof." While some sunscreens stay on better than others, all need to be reapplied regularly to remain effective. |
"8-HOUR" OR "ALL DAY" PROTECTIONHow long a sunscreen remains effective depends on many factors, and no sunscreen can guarantee that it will provide protection for certain number of hours or all day. Swimming, sweating, and towel drying tends to reduce effectiveness, and fair skinned people will need to reapply sunscreen more often to avoid burning. |
"BLOCKS ALL HARMFUL RAYS"No sunscreen product blocks all of the sun's harmful rays — even those that claim to provide protection from UVA radiation. The ultra-common term "sunblock" can be similarly misleading since it falsely implies that a product is blocking all light from the sun, when no sunscreen can do this. FDA's proposed rule would ban such claims. |
PROVIDES "INSTANT PROTECTION"For most sunscreens, the FDA does not require testing to determine whether a product needs to be applied prior to sun exposure for maximum effectiveness. To be safe, follow the American Cancer Society's guidelines: apply sunscreen generously 30 minutes before exposure, and at least every 2 hours thereafter. |
"CHEMICAL-FREE"This claim is often found on sunscreens that contain zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide, but is misleading since both of these compounds (even though they are naturally occurring) are in fact chemicals. Invariably, the rest of these sunscreen formulations also contain chemicals, so don't be led astray by this claim. |
"PABA-free"This exceptionally common marketing claim is almost meaningless since virtually no sunscreens still contain PABA, a once popular sunscreen ingredient that fell out of favor because of concerns about allergic dermatitis and photosensitivity. A derivative of PABA called Padimate O is still relatively common, however. |
"AS MILD AS WATER"Read the fine print and conduct your own "laugh-test" when it comes to sunscreen claims. EWG found one product advertising that it was "as mild as water to your child's eyes and skin" but then warned users to "avoid contact with eyes" and "if contact occurs rinse thoroughly with water." |
References
ACS. 2007. Skin Cancer Prevention and Early Detection. American Cancer Society. Available at: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/ped_7_1_Skin_Cancer_Detection_What_You_Can_Do.asp?sitearea=PED#protect
AP. 2006. Sunscreen makers sued for misleading claims; popular brands exaggerate their effectiveness, nine lawsuits charge. Associated Press. April 24, 2006.
Blumenthal R. 2006. Attorney General Says Sunscreen Labeling Rules Fail To Prevent False Claims. Connecticut Attorney General's Office. Press Release. July 7, 2006.
FDA. 1999. Final Rule for Sunscreen Drug Products for Over-the-Counter Human Use. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Federal Register 64(98): 27666-27693.
FDA. 2007. Sunscreen Drug Products for Over-the-Counter Human Use; Proposed Amendment of Final Monograph. Food and Drug Administration: Federal Register. 72(165) 49069-49122. http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/07-4131.htm
FTC. 1997. Complaint against Schering-Plough Healthcare Products, Inc. Federal Trade Commission. May 16, 1997. Docket No. C-3741.
