Are you confused by sunscreens? I am. S.P.F., UVA, UVB, wide spectrum, sweat resistant, waterproof, Mexoryl SX, avobenzone, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.

Whew.

Now there’s help. The Environmental Working Group has posted a data base of 1,000 or more ratings on different sun screen products. They rate them for how well they block both UVA and UVB rays, plus what kinds of chemicals they contain. You choose among the top ten products (none of which I’ve ever seen at Target), the top ten widely available products, or check out the brand you like best.

The site will also ask you to send a letter to the Food and Drug Administration urging it to update its sun screen standards — which haven’t been updated in 30 years. The new ones may include better ratings for both UVA and UVB, provide better information on how to apply it, and limit the claims that can be made. The FDA said it expects an update soon. In the meantime, though, you can learn a lot about what’s in sunscreen by perusing the Environmental Working Group’s research.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 at 8:15 am and is filed under skin cancer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.