In Brief

The U.S. market still lags behind Europe when it comes to safe and effective sunscreen products, the Environmental Working Group maintains in its annual Sunscreen Guide rating more than 1,400 products. Summer 2013 is the first summer after manufacturers were required to comply with an FDA rule requiring sunscreen products to feature an SPF 15 or higher and meet criteria for broad-spectrum protection to claim they reduce the risk of skin cancer or early skin aging caused by sun exposure Also see "FDA Strengthens Sunscreen Testing And Label Requirements" - Pink Sheet, 20 June, 2011.. EWG maintains FDA’s standards are not high enough. Just 25% of sunscreen products reviewed passed muster with the group, which cited products for containing oxybenzone and/or retinyl palmitate, both linked to adverse health effects. EWG also takes issue with sunscreen sprays and products with SPFs above 50. FDA released a proposed rule in June 2011 to cap sunscreens at 50+, as well as an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking asking firms to submit safety and efficacy data for spray sunscreens, lest they be excluded from the final monograph (Also see "FDA Considers Capping SPF Values At 50+ Despite Efficacy Data" - Pink Sheet, 20 June, 2011. and Also see "FDA Questions Spray Sunscreen Safety, Efficacy And Monograph Status" - Pink Sheet, 27 June, 2011.).

The National Advertising Review Board recommends Healthy Directions LLC discontinue several claims for Joint Advantage Gold, including that thesupplement product’s...