TUESDAY July
1, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- About 85 percent of the sunscreens on the market
are not good enough to protect against skin damage from ultraviolet rays,
according to a new report.
Sunscreens
are commonly used by millions of Americans in hopes that these products help
prevent premature aging of the skin and development of skin cancer by blocking
the UV rays that can be beneficial or harmful depending upon the dose.
The new
report, by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, says that 85% of
sunscreen either inadequately protect against the damage caused by the sun's
rays or contain chemicals that pose excess hazard.
Authors
of the report say that the problem is compounded by the fact that the Food and Drug
Administration does not have standards for testing and labeling sunscreens
leaving the manufacturers to make a wide array of unjustified wild claims about
their products.
Based on
an analysis of hundreds of studies on 952 name-brand sunscreens, the EWG has
found the most popular ones were actually the worse and none of market leader
Coppertone's 41 sunscreen products met EWG's criteria for safety and
effectiveness. Banana Boat and Neutrogena, the second and third largest
manufacturers, got only one out of 103 products recommended by EWG.
Sunscreen
lovers may not have to be disappointed, however.
EWG says there are 143 products consumers can
use that offer a very good sun protection with ingredients and pose only minimal
health risks if any.
The top
28 recommended are listed below:
Keys
Soap Solar Rx Therapeutic Sunblock, SPF 30
Trukid
Sunny Days Facestick Mineral Sunscreen UVA/UVB Broad Spectrum, SPF 30+
California
Baby Sunblock Stick Everyday/year-Round, SPF 30+
California
Baby Sunblock Stick No Fragrance, SPF 30+
Badger
Sunscreen, SPF 30
Marie
Veronique Skin Therapy Sun Serum
Lavera
Sunscreen Neutral, SPF 40
Vanicream
Sunscreen, SPF 35
Vanicream
Sunscreen Sport, SPF 35
California
Baby Sunscreen Lotion No Fragrance, SPF 30+
California
Baby Sunscreen Lotion Everyday/year-Round, SPF 30+
UV
Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+
Sun
Science Sport Formula, SPF 30
California
Baby Sunscreen Lotion Natural Bug Blend, SPF 30+
UV
Natural Sunscreen, Sport, SPF 30+
UV
Natural Sunscreen, UV Golf / Ultra
Soleo
Organics Sunscreen all natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+
Lotus
Moon Sage Sun Protective Creme -, SPF 25
Healing-Scents
Live Long Sunscreen, SPF 25-30
Caribbean
Sol Solguard, SPF 25
Kabana
Skin Care Green Screen Organic Sunscreen - Skin Tone Tinted, SPF 22
B.
Glen Natural Clay Sunscreen 25
Kabana
Skin Care Green Screen Organic Sunscreen - Fragrance Free, SPF 20
Editor’s
note: Wearing sunscreens may reduce the necessary exposure to the sun rays potentially
leading to increased risk of developing many more serious types of cancer and
other chronic diseases. And the most dangerous
skin cancer often occurs on parts of the body that are normally not exposed to
the sun.
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