Environmental Working Group Sees Improvements, but Still Gives Industry Low Marks By Kathleen Doheny
WebMD Health News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

July 2, 2009 — Sunscreens are improving, but three of five brand-name products either don’t protect the skin from sun damage sufficiently, contain hazardous chemicals, or both, according to a report by the watchdog organization Environmental Working Group (EWG).

“I’d give the industry a C minus,” says Jane Houlihan, EWG’s senior vice president for research. “They have moved from a D to a C-minus in my book.”

Overall, however, she says the industry is “not doing enough to protect consumers from UVA radiation.”

The report is called the EWG 2009 Sunscreen Guide. An industry spokesman says the report is flawed.

Dermatologists who reviewed the report for WebMD offered praise and criticism. “Some points are definitely correct,” says Henry Lim, MD, chairman of the department of dermatology at Henry Ford Health Systems, Detroit. But, he adds, ”This report has somewhat of an alarmist tone.”

Sandra Read, MD, a Washington, D.C., dermatologist and member of the board of directors of the American Academy of Dermatology, says she finds the report discouraging but says she hopes it will raise awareness of the need for sunscreen.

The 2009 Study on Sunscreen Effectiveness

This year’s report is the third annual from EWG, which investigated 1,572 sunscreens, lip balms, and daily moisturizers with sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15, typically the minimum recommended.

This year’s study, as those in the past, was triggered, according to EWG, because the FDA has not set comprehensive safety standards for sunscreens. The agency has set guidelines for UVB protection but those for UVA are pending. UVA rays are associated with skin sagging and wrinkles, but more recently have also been associated with skin cancer; UVB rays can lead to skin cancer and sunburn.

The FDA is lagging behind other countries, the report charges, because it has approved only 17 sunscreen chemicals for U.S. use, compared to at least 29 in other countries.

To do the 2009 study, EWG scientists got a list of ingredients from retailers and then used numerous databases to evaluate safety and effectiveness.

10-Best Lists

Scientists from EWG developed a “best” list for sunscreens, lip balms, and moisturizers. On the 10 best sunscreens list (many sold online):

Soleo Organics Sunscreen Organic chemical-free sunscreen, SPF 30+Badger Sunscreen, SPF 30UV Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+Mexitan Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50Lavera Sunscreen Neutral, SPF 40California Baby Sunscreen Lotion No Fragrance, SPF 30+Trukid Sunny Days Facestick Mineral Sunscreen UVA/UVB Broad Spectrum, SPF 30+Kabana Skin Care Green Screen Organic Sunscreen, SPF 22, Skin Tone TintedObagi Nu-Derm Physical UV Block, SPF 32Elta MD UV Physical, SPF 41.

On the top 10 lip balm list:

Fallene cotz LipCotz, Ultra High Sun Protection, SPF 45Jane Iredale LipDrink, SPF 15Badger Lip Balm, SPF 15Caribbean Blue-natural basics Lip Shield, SPF 15Shady Day Shady Kiss Lip Balm, SPF 30Bare Escentuals Lip Guard, SPF 15Lavanila Laboratories The Healthy Lip Butter, SPF 15, Pure Vanilla, SPF 15Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm Lemon & Chamomile, SPF 25Rx Suncare Lip Balm Sunblock, SPF 45Crabtree & Evelyn Naturals Protective Lip Balm, SPF 8, Cocoa butter & Cardamom

And the top 10 SPF moisturizers, according to EWG:

Keys Soap Solar Rx Cosmetic Moisturizing sunblock, SPF 30Marie Veronique Organics Crème de Jour Tinted, SPF 30,no nanoparticlesDevita International Daily Solar Protective Moisturizer 30SanRe Organic Skinfood Supple Sunshine, Organic Rosemary and Lavender Day Creme (Dry to Normal), SPF 30Lotus Moon Sage Sun Protective Crème, SPF 25Institut Dermed Sun Protective Cream Oil Free, Untinted, SPF 28N.V. Perricone M.D., Targeted Care Solar Protection Face with DMAE, SPF 26Sue Devitt Promarine Tinted Moisturizer, SPF 30, CapriSun Science Organic Daily Wear, SPF 30Karen’s Botanical Lovely Lavender Cream, SPF 15

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