Beginning this summer, sunscreen products sold in the U.S. will be required to comply with the new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) labeling rules. The new regulations will require manufacturers of sunscreen products to provide explicit labeling related to a product’s ability to protect against the sun’s harmful rays. Products that do not meet the standards will be required to carry a label warning consumers that it will not protect against skin cancer. Additionally, manufacturers may no longer market their sunscreens as “waterproof, “sweatproof,” or identify the products as offering “all-day protection.”
The goal of the new regulations is to cut through the confusion by helping consumers understand the benefits — and limits — of sunscreen products through accurate and easy-to-understand labeling. We feel that educating consumers about adequate sun protection is an important public health issue, as skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. It is also one of the most preventable.
For more information on the FDA’s new regulations, click here.
To learn more about how you can prevent skin cancer, visit skincancer.org.