Following last week’s announcement that the FDA was updating sunscreen testing and reporting regulations, several industry suppliers have spoken out in support of the changes.
The new regulations “were created to make it easier for consumers to protect themselves effectively,” explained Megan Ludlow, marketing manager for SnugZ USA, in an interview with Promo Marketing. While discussing what distributors need to know about the regulations, Ludlow said that SnugZ USA’s products already met the new requirements and it would not need to change any formulas.
Tom Whaley, CEO for Eden Prairie, Minnesota-based Aloe Up Suncare Products’, also released comments supporting the FDA’s recent decision on SPF labeling. “Everyone here at Aloe Up is delighted with the new requirements and the position the FDA is taking in the suncare market,” he said in a statement. “It validates what we have been telling our customers for 28 years. These new regulations will help educate consumers that a higher SPF level is only better to a certain point and tests prove that after an SPF factor of 50, there is a very, very small increase in protection.”
“We have seen some of the major suncare companies coming out with SPF 70 and even an SPF 100 which, in my opinion, is ridiculous—it’s all marketing and rather misleading. I am pleased the FDA is making moves to protect the general consumer from misinformation about SPF protection. These new requirements will only help Aloe Up as we have based our labeling and formulations off this matrix for many years,” Whaley added.
Part of the regulations list new testing requirements for both UVA and UVB protection, as well as what is needed to earn the Broad Spectrum designation. While all Broad Spectrum sunscreens have UVA/UVB protection, the reverse is not necessarily true. UVA/UVB sunscreen can be over 15 SPF but not Broad Spectrum. “The new sunscreen guidelines list the testing requirements for both UVA and UVB sunscreens,” explained Teresa Perdue, quality assurance director at Leashables by OraLabs. “Before we offer any sunscreen product, we will ensure our labeling claims are acceptable for the product manufactured.”
Whaley said that Aloe Up’s products are already up to the new testing standards. “Aloe Up reformulated, tested and changed our sunscreens to UVA/UVB Broad Spectrum protection many years ago so the formulas and labeling already comply with the new FDA regulations,” he said. “These Broad Spectrum Aloe Up products have been in the retail and promotional marketplace for several years now.”
