Hi all! In case you've missed it on the news this week, the FDA will be rolling out some mandatory changes to sunscreen labels beginning in 2012. So why am I bringing it up now? Well, because some of the information is good to know ahead of time and all the time. The short version of the story is this: Manufacturers will now have make their labels much clearer as to what the ingredients are and what the product will do, making them more like an over-the-counter medication than a cosmetic item. The biggest changes are:
1. No more words like "waterproof" or "sweatproof" because that was kind of a marketing gimmick to begin with. If you swim, exercise/sweat, surf, whatever you have to reapply. Period. There will be instructions on when to re-apply on the label as well.
2. Only SPF 15 and above, broad spectrum (UVA and UVB protection) can claim to prevent skin cancer. Everything else will say "prevent sunburn" or something similar.
Again, this won't take effect until next summer, but these things are good to know right now.
This article from Boing Boing on 4 things you didn't know about sunscreen is excellent, I highly recommend giving it a read.
Also, here's a video link to the Today show where they discuss the changes.
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