When you pick up a bottle of sunscreen this summer, you might notice something different: the labels. New regulations, passed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, have led to stricter labeling of sunscreens.
New rules
In an attempt to provide clear and accurate information to the Americans, the FDA has forced all sunscreen makers to rewrite their labels. You won’t see the words “sunblock” or “sweatproof” on any bottle any more, because the FDA believes those kinds of words are misleading, according to Forbes.
The FDA wanted manufacturers to use more accurate descriptions of their product and tell users whether or not the product can protect against skin cancer.
Effort delayed
The Personal Care Products Council, a trade association representing many of the big sunscreen makers, asked the FDA for more time to comply with its new labeling rules. Farah Ahmed, a spokesman of the group said changing labels on thousands of products was “a huge undertaking.”
The FDA did offer an extension. Large manufacturers needed to make the changes by the end of last year. Smaller companies were given a little more time, until the end of this year to comply.
Here’s what consumers need to know, according to the FDA website:
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The FDA believes Americans are more informed by new sunscreen labels. Sunscreen products that are not broad spectrum will be labeled with a warning that reads: “Skin Cancer/Skin Aging Alert: Spending time in the sun increases your risk of skin cancer and early skin aging. This product has been shown only to help prevent sunburn, not skin cancer or early skin aging.”
- Water resistance claims on the product’s front label must tell how much time a user can expect to get the declared SPF level of protection while swimming or sweating, based on standard testing. Two times will be permitted on labels: 40 minutes or 80 minutes.
- Manufacturers cannot make claims that sunscreens are “waterproof” or “sweatproof” or identify their products as “sunblocks.” Also, sunscreens cannot claim protection immediately.
