Consumers will soon have a way to know how well a sunscreen protects them from skin cancer and wrinkles, not just sunburns.  In an effort to clear up the confusing mix of numbers, acronyms and symbols on sunscreen labels, the FDA says manufacturers must phase out a four-star system currently used by some companies to rate UVA protection.  In an effort to clear up the confusing mix of numbers, acronyms and symbols on sunscreen labels, the FDA says manufacturers must phase out a four-star system currently used by some companies to rate UVA protection.  New labels on sunscreen are due by next summer, the Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday.  And it only took 33 years.  The FDA, which first proposed changing sunscreen labels in 1978, said new rules will tell consumers which products offer "broad protection" from both major forms of ultraviolet radiation, or UV.  One form, called UVA, causes wrinkles, while another, UVB, causes burns. Both can cause skin cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.  Although sunscreens now tout their sunburn protection factor, or SPF, this system measures only protection from burns.  New sunscreen labels will allow products to claim "broad spectrum" protection only if they pass specific FDA tests for blocking UVA rays, and if they have an SPF value of at least 15, says Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation. This is the first standard for UVA.  Products that don't protect against UVA, or which have an SPF of less than 15, will have to carry a warning, noting that they don't protect against skin cancer, Woodcock says. Sunscreens also will have to carry a "drug facts" box that provides detailed more detailed information about sun protection.  Consumer advocates praised the rule, saying that the new labels will be less confusing than current labels and will help people make more informed choices. "We have been operating for decades in the United States without effective, modern oversight of claims made by some sunscreen manufacturers," said the American Cancer Society's Len Lichtenfeld in his blog. "Hopefully, today's announcement by the FDA is the beginning of the process to correct that problem."  There weren't reliable ways to test for UVA protection until a few years ago, says Reynold Tan, an FDA interdisciplinary scientist. The FDA first proposed the UVA rule in 2007 and has been working out the best labeling system since then.  "This really is quite a remarkable day," says Ronald Moy, president of the American Academy of Dermatology, who spoke at the FDA press conference.  Although some sunscreens already claim to offer "broad spectrum" protection, consumers have had no way to know what that meant, because there was no formal standard, says Darrell Rigel, past president of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery.  "In the past, the words 'broad spectrum' meant nothing," Rigel says. "Now, we can tell patients what to look for."  The new labels will give consumers confidence that they're getting very good protection, since products that earn the "broad spectrum" label will protect people from 90% of UVA radiation, says Urvashi Rangan, a scientist with Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports.  Rangan says the sunscreen rules are a "great step forward."  Under the new rule, sunscreens will no longer be allowed to market themselves as "sun block," "sweat proof" or "water proof," Woodcock says. Instead, sunscreens will be allowed to say only whether they are "water resistant" for either 40 minutes or 80 minutes.  In a proposed rule, which has not yet taken effect, the FDA would also bar sunscreens from claiming SPF values above 50, because there is no way to scientifically prove these claims. Instead, sunscreens will be allowed to claim only that products are "SPF 50+."  Sunscreen manufacturers may not be able to meet the new requirements by next summer's deadline, said Farah Ahmed, of the Personal Care Products Council, an industry group, in a statement. Manufacturers usually need two years to make such sweeping changes, she said, especially given the limited number of facilities that can perform these tests.  The industry group praised the FDA's conclusions about nanoparticles used in many sunscreens, such as those with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. These particles, which are spectacularly small, do not penetrate the skin, meaning that they don't pose a health risk, Woodcock says.  The FDA acted just as members of Congress, including Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., were calling for legislation to force the agency to release new rules by the end of the year. Lowey had also introduced legislation in 2007 to push the FDA to regulate claims about UVA protection.  Even by Washington's standards, however, the process took an exceptionally long time, Rangan says.  The FDA first published a notice in the federal register in the 1970s — a time when many people were still coating themselves in baby oil to get a darker tan. The notice acknowledged that regulating sunscreens would be controversial. Three of four FDA panel members had objected to a proposed label, which would have warned consumers that, "overexposure to the sun may lead to premature aging of the skin and skin cancer. The liberal and regular use over the years of this product may help reduce the chance of premature aging of the skin and skin cancer."  In case anyone worried that the FDA would act in haste, the notice added that, "the Commissioner is not at this time making a final decision. However, he finds it necessary to comment that the issue is important and requires careful study."  Consumer groups also have called for greater scrutiny of sunscreen ingredients, arguing that some tests suggest that retinyl palmitate, a commonly used ingredient, could actually increase the risk of skin cancer. Woodcock says FDA research doesn't support this conclusion, however.  The FDA is also looking into the safety of sunblock sprays. At the press conference, officials suggested that consumers take care that wriggling children don't accidentally inhale the sunscreen sprays as they're being applied. Rangan says it's safer to spray the products in one's hands, then apply them manually.  The American Academy of Dermatology recommends both adults and children use a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. Babies under 6 months old shouldn't get any direct sunlight, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.  It may be even more important to use enough sunscreen, says dermatologist Henry Lim, who spoke at the FDA event. He notes that most people get much less sunburn protection than they might think simply because they don't use enough of the product.  The average person needs about 1 ounce of sunscreen — enough to fill a shot glass — to cover the body. Most people use only one-quarter to one-half that amount, Lim says.  More than 2 million Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer each year, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. While most skin cancers are curable, squamous cell carcinomas kill 2,500 Americans a year and melanoma kills 8,700, according to the American Cancer Society.
Under new rules published Tuesday, sunscreen makers will have to follow stricter guidelines when describing how well their products work.