The burning question: Which sunscreens are best?

July 11, 2007

By CAROLYN SUSMAN

Cox News Service

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Want to figure out whether the sunscreen you’re using is really protecting you from sunburn, aging skin or maybe even skin cancer?

The Environmental Working Group has done the work for you. In a new evaluation, posted on its Web site — www.ewg.org/sunscreen — the group, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, rates 700 sunscreens.

Based on nearly 400 studies of the 17 sunscreen chemicals approved for use in the United States, and an analysis of sunscreen ingredient toxicity linked to 60 industry and government databases on chemical hazards, EWG rates sunscreens for UVA protection, how stable the product is in the sun, and potential health hazards of the product’s ingredients.

Hold on there. Health hazards? How can a product formulated to protect you hurt you?

Sonya Lunder, senior analyst for the Environmental Working Group, explains that sunscreen chemicals are absorbed into your skin, resulting in measurable levels in your body fluids.

Be aware these chemicals need to be fully tested for their long-term effects on health,” she says, adding that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is understaffed and has been developing rules for 25 years aimed at preventing manufacturers from making unsubstantiated claims.

We put these chemicals on, but we need to have a common standard to guarantee stability of the product and its ability to protect against UVA rays, which are linked to skin aging, wrinkling and, potentially, cancer,” she says.

Most of these findings didn’t raise eyebrows for Dr. Hensin Tsao of Boston, a skin specialist and spokesman for the American Academy of Dermatology.

“It’s no surprise that there are better and worse sunscreens out there,” he said.

He does agree, however, that “better supervision and regulatory oversight in the sunscreen industry is not a bad idea.”

He takes issue, though, with the EWG’s claims that some products could be hazardous to users.

“Any suggestions that sunscreens are actually highly toxic is probably incorrect. There are definitely sunscreens that are probably insufficient for healthy sun coverage, however.”

He and the group are in close alignment on one issue: the need for consumer awareness.

“It is important to be a savvy sunscreen shopper,” Tsao advises.

“Read labels and look for ingredients known to provide UVA coverage (avobenzone, Mexoryl, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.)”

The good news is that the EWG lists 128 product brands on its “best” list, although many of them are brands that consumers may be unaware of.

EWG advises going to www.drugstore.com to find these brands or simply to check out EWG’s listing of the most widely purchased products and look for the most highly rated.

Carolyn Susman writes for The Palm Beach Post. E-mail: csusman AT pbpost.com