by Guy Montague-Jones/CosmeticDesign.com - July 2, 2008.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has attacked leading sunscreen brands for offering inadequate protection against UV rays or containing potentially hazardous ingredients. The consumer group said the top selling products were some of the worst offenders in its survey of the safety and effectiveness of 1,000 branded sunscreen products.
It said none of the 41 sunscreens produced by the market leader, Coppertone, met its safety and effectiveness standards. The EWG also criticized Neutrogena and Banana Boat, which are the second and third largest brands, recommending only one of their 103 products.
Overall, the organization claimed that 85 percent of sunscreen products with an SPF rating of 15 or more are potentially unsafe or ineffective. This is the same figure the EWG released a year ago when it launched the first edition of its sunscreen database with 700 products surveyed. Each of the sunscreens is rated according to a system that includes information on UVA protection, stability in the sun and potential health hazards.
The EWG said the database was compiled because of the FDA's failure to finalize the safety standards it first promised in 1978. "We've been waiting 30 years for the FDA to come up with adequate safety standards, and we're still waiting," said Jane Houlihan, vice president for research at EWG.
