Our Commitment to Healthy Skin: Sunscreens
For more than 50 years, sunscreens in the U.S. have safely and effectively protected people from the harmful, cancer-causing effects of the sun. In most countries, sunscreens are considered cosmetics, but in the U.S., sunscreens are regulated as over-the-counter (OTC) drugs by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), requiring them to meet some of the same standards as other drug products. As an innovative industry, we have worked for decades with world-renowned scientists and thoughtful regulators to use modern, ethical, non-animal alternatives that ensure product safety, including working with the FDA through the regulatory process to provide consumers with a variety of safe, effective sunscreens that meet their needs.
PCPC and our member companies are committed to ensuring the safety and efficacy of sunscreens while also advocating for the ethical treatment of animals. We believe that mandating new animal tests is unnecessary given the fact that many of these products have been used for decades in addition to advances in non-animal testing methods to ensure product safety. Our member companies remain at the forefront in advocating globally for regulatory acceptance of cruelty-free testing and advancing innovation in sunscreen products for consumers.