Consumer advocates from the Environmental Working Group ( EWG ) say sunscreen companies have been artificially balloon their products ’ SPF rating . They present their headache in a letter of the alphabet [ PDF ] to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) .
Sunscreen is a tricky affair to start with . A 2015studyfound that many Americans are confused by the jumble of numbers and acronyms on sunscreen feeding bottle . We do n’t know our UVA rays from our UVB , and we unquestionably do n’t realize SPF , even if we think we do . But that ’s not really our fault ; as a measurement , SPF is almost unnecessarily complicated .
In theory , sun tribute factor , or SPF , is precisely that : a measure of how good a Cartesian product protects you from the sun . A higher sun protective covering broker should mean that you ’re considerably shielded from the ultraviolet radiation bombarding our planet . But that ’s not how sunscreen manufacturers expend the term . To them , SPF is a mensuration of how long you may detain in the sun before turning Marxist .
This might seem like the same thing , but it ’s not , because many sunscreen today are mixed with antioxidant and anti - inflammatory chemical that can prevent theappearanceof sunburn without preventingthe damagethat ordinarily turns skin ruby-red . By adding these compounds , sunscreen maker can legallyclaim a mellow SPFwithout actually offering more sunlight trade protection .
To call this practice misleading would be an understatement . “ consumer may be lulled into a false sense of security and spend more time display to harmful ultraviolet light actinotherapy without reapplying a Lord’s Day - trickle Cartesian product , ” the advocates spell , “ thus increasing their risk of developing skin Cancer the Crab . ”
The letter of the alphabet urges the FDA to take three actions :
1 . Investigate these anti - reddening compounds to find out if they aid forestall equipment casualty at all , and if they ’re good to include;2 . Finalize a proposed 2011 rule to cap ratings at SPF 50 ; and3 . Require sunscreen makers to include the real sunlight protection factor on their bottle when it ’s lower than their doctored SPF .
In the meantime , do n’t give up on sun blocker . You should still wear it every day and reapply every two hours . And do n’t forget your chapeau .
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