SPF moisturisers ineffective
January 25, 2011
RESEARCHERS in the US have
found that many common
moisturisers promising to protect
from sun damage in fact don’t have
adequate concentrations of SPF
ingredients.
A study published last week in
Archives of Dermatology examined
the performance of 29 top selling
facial day creams with claims of
broad-spectrum UV coverage.
The products ranged in price
from US$3 to US$64 per ounce,
and the scientists tested each item
for active ingredients including zinc
oxide, avobenzone, octocrylene and
ecamsule.
They found that “few products
contain the adequate
concentrations and optimal
combinations of UV filters
necessary to provide reliable UV-A1
protection”.
Six had no UV-A1 filters at all,
while a further 16 contained
avobenzone but in an unstable
form which only provided about
one hour of protection.
There was no correlation between
price and sun protection, with the
most expensive item on studied
having no UV-A1 filter at all.
The report didn’t detail the
names of the day creams studied,
but they were selected from a list of
the top-sellers on US retail website
www.amazon.com.
The study’s authors concluded
that sunscreen labelling should
clearly define the degree of UV-A
protection, and until then health
professionals should “educate their
patients and the public to select
products with ingredients that
contain the appropriate
concentrations of avobenzone,
octocrylene, and ecamsule and/or
zinc oxide.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 25 Jan 11To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 25 Jan 11
