As we stand on the verge of summer, the Environmental Working Group has just published its annual Sunscreen Guide.  And the news is bad - only 8 percent of the sunscreen products on the market are recommended for use.  The rest?  Not so much.

It turns out that the biggest factor in the EWG's rejection of sunscreen products was "exaggerated SPF claims."  And recent government data which ties "a form of vitamin A used in sunscreens to accelerated growth of skin tumors and lesions."  

O irony, thy barbs, they do sting.

Unfortunately, sunscreen is one of those things that falls through the regulatory cracks.  In much the same way that herbal remedies are unregulated because they are considered a dietary supplement, sunscreen products are unregulated because they are considered a cosmetic item.  The FDA doesn't regulate L'Oreal's claims to make your eyelashes half a mile wide, nor does it regulate a sunscreen's claim to block UVA and UVB rays.  

Discouraging!

In fact, the situation is so dire that the Environmental Working Group has pretty much given up, and just advises people to stay in the shade and wear hats and protective clothing.  It equates most sunscreens to "modern-day snake oil."  The problems are myriad:

• Many products only block UVB, not UVA radiation.  Unfortunately, UVA is what causes sunburns and skin cancer.
• Most people do not apply enough sunblock.  Only about 25% what they should, according to the study.  So they aren't getting the recommended protection anyway.
• Many sunblocks do not actually provide the amount of SPF protection that they claim on the label.

Worse, 41% of sunscreens contain retinyl palmitate, which is a vitamin A compound that "may accelerate skin damage and elevate skin cancer risk."  Proving that Reality is a terrible writer, retinyl palmitate's damage is even more significant when it's exposed to sunlight, because the sun's rays break it down into a carcinogen even faster.  (I would never believe that if I read it in a novel - it's far too heavy-handed with the irony.)

Even more sunscreens contain oxybenzone, which is a hormone disrupter that can easily penetrate the skin if applied in a lotion or sunscreen.  Oxybenzone is also a photosensitizer and a photocarcinogen.  Which means that it actually makes your skin more sensitive to sunlight, and it breaks down into a carcinogen under sunlight.

(Seriously, Reality, this is all just a bit too "on the nose," don't you think?)

The FDA has been surprisingly soft on sunscreen manufacturers, for a government agency that is supposedly on the side of the consumer's protection.  The EWG reports that the FDA has been dragging its feet on sunscreen regulation for years, and that the first regulations are not set to be enacted until 2012 - and that sunscreen manufacturers will have a year to react to the new rules.

In the mean time, skin cancer continues to be one of the most easily prevented cancers.  Staying out of the sun remains your best choice.  A wide-brimmed hat can protect your skin better than any sunscreen, and for a simple one-time cost.  And it's cuter than sunscreen, too!

Creative Commons-licensed image courtesy of Flickr user TheGiantVermin