When SPF-30 does not mean SPF-30
An interesting look at Sunscreens from
Newsweek:
Sizing Up Sunscreen
A new study finds that most sunscreens don't offer sufficient protection.
Sunscreens were seriously burned this month, when a new ranking of more than 700 sunscreen products found that 84 percent did not provide adequate sun protection. The study, conducted by Environmental Working Group (EWG), a Washington-based nonprofit, looked at over 400 peer-reviewed articles on sunscreen ingredients. It found that many of the most popular sunscreens break down quickly in the sun or are not blocking many harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays.
Rankings in the July 2007 issue of Consumer Reports revealed a similar problem: not all sunscreens are created equal. Rather, they found that sunscreens with the same sun protection factor (SPF) ran the gamut from "excellent" to "poor" in their overall ability to block ultraviolet rays.
While many people rely solely on SPF when selecting a sunscreen, these rankings show that the single number only tells half the story. SPF measures a sunscreen's ability to block UVB rays. But it says nothing about its strength against UVA rays, an equally damaging form of radiation that causes wrinkles and, more seriously, skin cancer. And unlike UVB rays that cause sunburns, UVA rays do not leave an immediate mark.
"We don't have a physical, visible way to know if we're protected against UVA radiation," says Jane Houlihan, vice president of the Environmental Working Group (EWG). "Your skin looks fine, you're not burnt, and you could have a massive dose of UV radiation."
The article goes on for three pages and is fairly involved.
The key issues is to look for either of these ingredients: aveobenzone or parsol 1789 -- these are best for blocking UVA.
Also, the links in the article aren't good -- the Consumers Report link points to a subscribers-only article and the link to EVA only points to other Newsweek articles about the EVA.
The EVAs website is here:
Environmental Working Group
The Sunscreen report is here:
Does your sunscreen work?
Some sobering reading...
Posted by DaveH at July 4, 2008 8:14 PM