Holidaymakers warned of ‘false’ sunscreen claims

SUN worshippers gearing up for the summer holidays were warned yesterday not to believe all the claims they read on sunscreen products.

Promises of “sun blocker” and “total protection” against harmful rays are simply untrue, said the European Commission.

Any sun cream that suggests it offers full protection for babies and young children misleads consumers.

Brussels wants vague and confusing labels banned — including “broad spectrum”, “100% anti-UVA/UVB/IR”, “strengthened protection UVA” and “UVA absorption spectrum 30/UVA 30”.

And if the sun cream industry does not accept yesterday’s EU recommendations to standardise and clarify their labelling claims, the commission is ready to bring forward legally binding regulations.

Commission vice-president Gunter Verheugen warned: “The current situation is untenable. The best way forward is a recommendation to which industry commits to label sunscreen products properly.

“This will give consumers clear and coherent information without creating unnecessary red tape for industry.”

One current confusion is over two different types of hazardous ultraviolet radiation: UVB causes sunburn and skin ageing and significantly promotes the development of skin cancer; while UVA also causes skin ageing and recent studies strongly suggest it may also enhance the development of skin cancers.

Some tanning products protect against both sorts of rays, emphasised the commission, but in many cases outdated labelling makes it difficult for consumers to understand the risks they could be taking.

EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said: “Consumers must be made fully aware that no sunscreen product can provide 100% protection against hazardous UV radiation.

“There are serious health risks and consumers need to be fully informed about what sunscreens will and will not do for them.”

Commission guidelines on the sunscreen claims will apply to all sunscreen products, including imported creams sold on the EU market, and will be intended to apply from the start of next year.

As for those “sun blocker” and “total protection” claims, a commission statement said: “They do not exist at all. Despite frequent claims, no sunscreen products can provide for a full protection against UV radiation.”

Meanwhile, the commission said consumers should continue to use existing sun cream products — preferably those that already protect against both UVB and UVA radiation.

And sun creams should not be seen as the complete answer but an addition to avoiding excessive sun at peak hours, wearing hats and sunglasses and avoiding exposing babies and young children to direct sun at all.

In any case, ‘sun protection factor’ claims can only be achieved by applying a quantity of 35mg of the product to the total body surface of an adult, reapplied every two hours.

Sales of sun cream products in Europe are on the rise — a 4% increase in retail sales in 2005 to over €1.4 billion a year.