New Sunscreen Rules to Keep Your Skin Healthy

For many people, summer means relaxing and soaking up the rays at the nearby beach, park or pool. It’s all about having fun in the sun - until you get home and you're completely sunburned and in pain. While sunscreen should be a staple item in everyone’s beach bag, there are so many conflicting accounts on what type and brand to use. You can stand in a store for hours trying to decide which sunscreen is best, from waterproof to claims of having 100 SPF. Obviously things can get a little confusing!

However, things may be getting easier for you sun lovers out there. Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced new requirements for non-prescription or over-the-counter sunscreens. They are hoping to change the way sunscreens are marketed and sold in the U.S., which will help ensure that consumers are making correct choices when choosing a proper sunscreen.

Right now, SPF refers only to protection against UVB rays, which is what causes sunburns. However, it does not refer to UVA rays, which cause wrinkles and skin cancer. This has forced the FDA, after 30 years, to make some changes to how sunscreen products are allowed to be labeled.

Now, any sunscreens that pass the broad spectrum test will be labeled “Broad Spectrum,” which means they protect against both UVA and UVB rays. Also, these “Broad Spectrum” sunscreens have an SPF that indicates the overall amount of protection provided. According to the FDA, these sunscreens that have an SPF of 15 or greater will not only help against sunburns, but also help diminish the risk of skin cancer and wrinkles.

The new ruling also means that sunscreens cannot be labeled “waterproof” or “sweatproof” because it exaggerates their efficiency. Now labels will state how long sunscreens will be effective during water activities.

The FDA states there is no real evidence of the actual effectiveness and protection of any SPF higher than 50. Also, any sunscreens that have an SPF of 14 or lower can only say they protect against sunburn!

While these new rules won’t take full effect until next summer, you may see some changes when purchasing sunscreens before then. Thankfully, the FDA’s new ruling will help you keep your skin healthy and wrinkle free!

Here are some great sunscreens that already protect against UVA and UVB rays:

Cetaphil UVA/UVB Defense SPF50 Facial Moisturizer - $13.99