Note:  Since we posted the below entry, good news: the FDA has now announced their new guidelines which will include mandatory labeling by the summer of 2012.  Here’s an excellent overview from ABC:

In the meantime, please remember to review your choices, and keep applying that sunscreen!

The Environmental Working Group’s guide to effective and less-toxic or non-toxic sunscreens is out again with additional options on this 2011 version. This comprehensive list, and associated articles, does an excellent job of explaining the challenges with both the FDA’s progress in setting standards for sun-protection products…and consumers’ understanding of the elements that go into that sunscreen — good or bad.

Even since we shared their 2010 list last May, more outcry has been heard about a common ingredient in many mainstream sunscreens, that is a derivative of Vitamin A: Retinyl palmitate.  In fact, in June of last year, Senator Chuck Schumer called on the FDA to investigate it, as mentioned in this release from his office:

Retinyl palmitate is an ingredient found in most of the 500 most popular sunscreen products. Scientists at both the NCTR and the NTP have been working diligently over the last decade at the FDA’s request in order to determine whether this Vitamin A derivative, retinyl palmitate, is safe to use in sunscreen products. In one study, tumors and lesions developed up to 21 percent faster in lab animals coated in retinyl palmitate-laced cream than animals treated with a cream that did not contain RP. While these studies have been completed for almost a year now, the FDA has not issued an assessment of ruling on either of them….

Schumer added, “Millions of Americans use sunscreen to keep themselves and their families protected from the dangers of too much sun. If the product they are using is doing more harm than good, they have a right to know.”

Of course, there is NO safe way to TRY to tan, just as the American Academy of Dermatology says. But in tan PREVENTION, there are things to consider.  Here’s something from a section on their Website about sunscreen, that you might not have known:

Q: When should sunscreen be used?
A: Sunscreen should be applied every day to exposed skin, and not just if you are going to be in the sun. UVB rays cannot penetrate glass windows, but UVA rays can, leaving you prone to these damaging effects if unprotected.

For days when you are going to be indoors, apply sunscreen on the areas not covered by clothing, such as the face and hands. Sunscreens can be applied under makeup, or alternatively, there are many cosmetic products available that contain sunscreens for daily use. Sun protection is the principal means of preventing premature aging and skin cancer. It’s never too late to protect yourself from the sun and minimize your future risk of skin cancer.

Don’t reserve the use of sunscreen only for sunny days. Even on a cloudy day, up to 80 percent of the sun’s ultraviolet rays can pass through the clouds. In addition, sand reflects 25 percent of the sun’s rays and snow reflects 80 percent of the sun’s rays.

So, as the inquiry continues, we, again, are of the belief that smart skin cancer prevention tactics start with covering up and include generous use of sunscreen. Of those, perhaps making a more natural choice of mineral (titanium dioxide, for example) vs non-mineral protection is a better option.  The  introductory paragraph to the Environmental Working Group’s guide says it all:

The best sunscreen is a hat and a shirt. No chemicals to absorb through the skin, no questions about whether they work. But when you can’t get away from exposing your skin to the sun, use EWG’s top-rated sunscreens to provide broad-spectrum (UVA and UVB-sunburn) protection with fewer hazardous chemicals that penetrate the skin. Sunscreen and sunblock makers are awaiting FDA approval for a wider selection of UVA-blocking chemicals. In the meantime, all [the Guide's] top-rated products contain either zinc or titanium minerals to help cut UVA exposures for sunscreen users.

PS: And now, yes, “there’s an app for that.”  The EWG Sunscreen guide reviews some 1700 products, so keeping them straight at the point of purchase will be easier for iPhone owners now.  Check it out in iTunes app store, for free.