New sun care rules.

This summer, new rules are meant to come into force for sun care products in Europe. Meanwhile, in the U.S., the FDA recently issued new sunscreen guidelines as well (see The Sunscreen Filter in this issue).

In both cases, these so-called rules, seem to represent voluntary agreements struck between the major manufacturers of sun care products and the regulatory bodies on both continents. The background is that on the one hand there is clear evidence that over-exposure to sun can cause cancer, and on the other, it seems that over-claiming by sun care manufacturers in the past may have confused or lulled consumers into a false sense of security.

So, in Europe, the authorities have agreed new labelling rules for sun care products with manufacturers, as follows:

* Four groupings of SPF, Low (SPF6,10) Medium (15,20,25) High

(30,50) Very High (50+),

* UVB and UVA indication, too,

* SPF/UVA not higher than 3 (e.g., SPF 30 UVA 10) and

* Words "sunblock" and "total protection" to be outlawed.

We understand that the FDA is going to follow suit, albeit with slightly different rules, using a 4-star system indicating UVA protection levels as well as SPF. Also, including a warning statement on pack.

Interestingly, the U.S. regulates sunscreens as drugs, not cosmetics as is the case in Europe, explaining in a 1999 ruling " ... because sunscreen active ingredients affect the structure and function of the body by absorbing, or scattering the harmful, burning rays of the sun."

Meanwhile, it seems that the medical profession remains somewhere between uneasy and genuinely unhappy ... it will be interesting to see which packs obey which "rules."