Statement by the Personal Care Products Council and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association on FDA Meeting to Discuss Science and Safety of Sunscreen Ingredients
“Today’s sunscreen ingredients have a wealth of data to support their safety. The totality of this data includes pre-clinical and clinical results, and decades of post-marketing information. Each of these pre-established and well recognized scientific principles help assure that sunscreens have a wide margin of safety. This week’s meeting of the Food and Drug Administration Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee (NDAC) is an important extension of our ongoing work in sunscreen safety and draws attention to the fact that sunscreens play an essential role in the prevention of skin cancer for millions of American families.
“Having an array of safe and effective sunscreen ingredients allows sunscreen makers to formulate safe products that meet the differing needs of individuals and their families; while providing necessary protection against the damaging effects of the sun, including premature skin aging and skin cancer. Ensuring that consumers continue to have access to a broad variety of approved sunscreen active ingredients is critical. If any of the currently available ingredients were taken away from the marketplace, the protection afforded by those available products would be adversely impacted.
“American families can be confident that sunscreen products, when used as part of an overall safe sun regimen, are safe and effective. The importance of daily sunscreen use is strongly supported by the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), the Skin Cancer Foundation and other recognized health advocates.”