UVA Ratings on Sunscreen Soon: FDA

The hospitality industry has had it and now the Food and Drug Administration plans to introduce a four star rating for sunscreens too. An over-the-counter sunscreen that just carries a SPF (Sun Protection Factor) value, can be pulled off the shelf if FDA succeeds in its proposal.

SPF value of sunscreens assures protection against UVB rays. But sunrays have two damaging components-UVA (causing suntan) and UVB (causing sunburn). These tanning and burning rays are equally harmful to the skin causing irreversible skin damage like skin cancerdefine or premature aging signs of skin like wrinkles and sun spots.

FDA plans to make products more consumer-friendly and educative by letting them know what to look for before buying. If the FDA proposal gets through, then besides the SPF value, it will carry a rating in terms of stars indicative of the UVA protection where one star means lowest and four stars is highest. If the product does not offer a UVA defense then product will carry “no UVA protection” on the front of the label.

According to FDA spokesperson Rita Chappelle, the manufacturers will have to prove their products' performance with two tests to get the rating. One test will be involving human skin and the other will be a lab test with a sun simulator.

The new scheme proposed by U.S. Food and Drug Administration is about to change the manufacturing, testing and labeling standards of the over-the-counter (OTC) product. FDA also proposes to omit misleading words like "sun block", "sweat-proof" and "water-proof" because no product can block sun completely and sunscreens always come off in contact with water or with sweat.

Manufacturers went on a spin with news of the new rating system swarming in and the proposal is on hold for an indefinite period now. While the FDA wants to stock up the shelves with the revised labels now, it seems that the proposal will need time to set in. The FDA has received many comments staging uproar on the new regulation.

Dermatologists say that consumers must look for the Ultraviolet A & B protection factors as these rays can be severely damaging. Sunscreen needs to be re-applied all over after every few hours. Apart from regular sunscreen application, it is important to limit exposure to the sun and wear protective clothing.