Portland Dermatology Clinic, LLP

2009 Sunscreen Report

The physicians of Portland Dermatology Clinic, LLP thought this article would be helpful to their patients to better understand the recent ratings on sunscreens. Please contact the office at 503-223-3104 if you have any questions regarding this coorespondence.

WASHINGTON, July 2 /PRNewswire/ -- For more than 30 years, consumers

have benefited from the use of sunscreen products to protect themselves

from the harmful effects of the sun, including sun burn, premature skin

aging, and certain types of skin cancer. The safety and efficacy of

sunscreen products have been thoroughly studied and tested by scientists

and regulatory bodies throughout the world, and there is an extensive body

of credible scientific research that demonstrates the safety and efficacy

of sunscreens.

    The Personal Care Products Council has joined with the American Academy

of Dermatology, the Skin Cancer Foundation, the Centers for Disease

Control, the FDA, physicians and other health professionals and

organizations in urging consumers to minimize their sun exposure as part of

their personal safe sun strategy. This includes all of the following:

limiting outdoor activities between 10:00 a.m. - 4 p.m. when exposure to

UVA/UVB rays is the highest, wearing protective clothing, and using

sunscreens.

    Nevertheless, each year at the start of summer vacation season, the

Environmental Working Group (EWG), a Washington-based activist group,

issues an unscientific and unsubstantiated report questioning the safety of

sunscreens and sunscreen ingredients. Like its 2007 and 2008 predecessors,

the 2009 report alleges that many sunscreens do not adequately protect skin

from sun damage and/or contain dangerous chemicals.

    "Sunscreen manufacturers understand that sunscreens are a critically

important tool for consumers and health professionals in the fight against

skin cancer, premature aging, and other harmful effects of the sun, and

they have made the safety and efficacy of their products their very highest

priority.

    "Consumers can be confident in the safety of the sunscreens they buy

for themselves and their families because all sunscreens sold in the U.S.

are regulated as over-the-counter (OTC) drugs by the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration (FDA), which requires them to go through a rigorous

scientific assessment and approval process that includes safety and

performance testing before marketing. The OTC review program, through which

FDA requires significant safety and efficacy data on every active

ingredient that is used in a sunscreen product, is the most rigorous in the

world for ensuring the safety and efficacy of sunscreen products and is

conducted in an open, transparent manner. The law gives the agency broad

authority to inspect manufacturing facilities, to require adherence to

strict good manufacturing practices, and to enforce the stringent,

science-based regulations that ensure sunscreen products are safe and

effective for consumers. FDA also relies on independent experts in the

science of sun protection to help advise them in their assessment of safety

and efficacy.

“Consumers who have questions about sunscreen use and the safety

and efficacy of sunscreens should visit the FDA's Web site at

http://www.fda.gov/Radiation-EmittingProducts/RadiationEmittingProductsandP

rocedures/Tanning/ucm116445.htm , or the Personal Care Products Council's

consumer information Web site at

http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/product_details.php?product_id=47.

    "As the FDA works to finalize its revised sunscreen regulations, the

Council has submitted technical and scientific comments supported by sound

science that we believe would improve the final monograph. FDA is

considering these comments, along with thousands of others that have been

submitted to the agency and will publish their conclusions after that

review is complete. We encourage FDA to take these comments into account

and to allocate the resources necessary to enable the agency to issue the

final regulations as soon as possible."

    Based in Washington, D.C., the Personal Care Products Council is the

leading national trade association representing the global cosmetic and

personal care products industry. Founded in 1894, the Council's more than

600 member companies manufacture, distribute, and supply the vast majority

of finished personal care products marketed in the U.S. As the makers of a

diverse range of products millions of consumers rely on everyday, from

sunscreens, toothpaste and shampoo to moisturizer, lipstick and fragrance,

personal care products companies are global leaders committed to product

safety, quality and innovation.