Yes! I love it when people get indignant about sunscreens. As you really should be and if we are calling a spade a spade, I think you do need to point some fingers at the FDA and Health Canada. Maybe not the middle one but at least a really long ring finger. It’s also frustrating because it’s hard to get a straight answer to these fairly direct and simple questions.
When it comes to avobenzone- its initial use in sunscreens can be justified in that it was at the time of its approval in the US and Canada (roughly 1989) the only act in town. Before then, most sunscreens protected only against UVB. Avobenzone was a god send at that point.
Repeated studies in peer reviewed journals have shown that Avobenzone is not photo-stable. FYI: photostability with inorganic ingredients translates into this scientifically: Sunscreen Ingredient A molecule absorbs a UV photon and is transformed into an excited state. If Sunscreen A is photo-stable then after releasing the energy of the UV photon (in the form of heat), the sunscreen molecule returns to its original state and can continue to absorb UV photons. If Sunscreen Ingredient A is not photo-stable it is incapable of returning to its original state and can either no longer absorb any UV photons or can negatively interact with its surroundings to create Reactive Oxygen Species (and thus is photo-reactive, yikes!). Avobenzone needs to be stabilized with either Octocrylene, Titanium Dioxide, Tinsorb and/or Mexoryl SX.
So the question is…if we know this, why does the FDA/Health Canada not seem to know this? If they do know, why do they not regulate that no sunscreen should be allowed on the market without a photostable UVA protector?
1. The FDA/Health Canada are not the most transparent of government agencies. In Canada and the US, sunscreens are considered drugs and not cosmetics and this seems to give both regulatory agencies license to be even slower and autocratic in their decisions. A good example is the approval of Mexoryl SX. Mexoryl SX is a good medium range UVA protector and was used globally since around 1996 but only approved in the US in 2006. New ingredients need to file new drug applications, which in theory is a slow process. Meanwhile a lot of people in the industry grumble about special interest groups blocking new ingredients. Clearly public interest is not at the forefront or they would consider speeding things along. 2. The FDA is not good with deadlines and Health Canada likes to wait to see what the FDA has to say about things. It took the FDA ten years to amend the 1997 monograph and it is now two years late in passing the amendment.
In case you are wondering, the amendment does not actually require UVA protection, but will give designations for UVA protection. I can’t say absolutely though whether the designation will be able to represent the level of protection over time (i.e. whether UVA protection degrades). It depends on the methods of testing UVA they finally decide on.
I’m not hopeful though, especially after visiting the FDA’s website. In their FAQ section, they give an example mock-up of what bottles will look like with their new labeling laws. You’ll notice if you go to the link http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/sunscreen/qa.htm#9, their mock bottle with a three star designation (for High protection against UVA) contains Avobenzone with Octinoxate (a combination proven to photodegrade within 60-90 minutes after being in the sun). It does not bode well.
To answer your last question, depending on your sunscreen’s formulation, it may not be just photo-unstable but could also be photo-reactive. In which case, reapplying after an hour will not safeguard you from the potential and continued production of reactive oxygen species. You’re better off to use a proven photo-stable combination like zinc oxide or the Mexoryls (SX/XL) and then use a good anti-oxidant product at night to counteract any reactive oxygen species that were produced while you were out and about. And in the end, you just have to be sun smart on your own.
Good questions Irate Sunscreen User!
All the Beauty Best!
Sara A. DudleyLabels: Health Canada and the FDA, Sunscreen regulation