Is Your Sunscreen Product Safe and Effective?

[This opinion piece began Saturday .]

EWG recently released their annual sunscreen ranking in which they advise consumers that 92% of the 500 sunscreen products it investigated are ineffective or even dangerous to consumers’ health.

Let me share some reactions from the Personal Care Products Council’s (which I introduced last Friday) executive vice-president for science, John E. Bailey, Ph.D.

Bailey called the EWG sunscreen conclusions “baseless assertions” and the report “unscientific and unsubstantiated”.

“Ignoring the established scientific and regulatory safety assessment process for sunscreen products and ingredients, EWG invents its own sunscreen product rating system based on very questionable scientific methodology.

EWG’s methodology for calculating SPF values has been proven to be inaccurate and unreliable by sunscreen experts around the world. It should be noted that those sunscreen products endorsed by EWG can be purchased on the group’s site via manufacturers’ links and that the purchase[s] will support EWG.

“EWG’s report lacks scientific credibility and represents a disservice to those working to decrease the incidents of skin cancer and other damage caused by the sun.”

Read the full text of Dr. Bailey's PCPC Response to the EWG here.

Tags: cosmetic safety, check ingredients, consumer safety, educated consumers, Ageless Beauty for cosmetic safety, EWG, Personal Care Products Council