New FDA study questions the safety of sunscreen

This appeared in The Millennial Source

Until recently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed sunscreen makers to sell their products under the assumption that the active ingredients they use are generally recognized as safe and effective ( GRASE).

However, new FDA tests have reportedly found that six common active ingredients used in sunscreens are absorbed into the body and that these chemicals can remain in the body for “extended periods of time.” The study evaluated absorption of the active ingredients avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene, homosalate, octisalate and octinoxate.

These findings have sparked questions on whether sunscreen applications are still safe for use.

What the findings reveal

“We tested absorption of active ingredients contained in four commercially available sunscreen products (lotion, aerosol, nonaerosol and pump spray),” says the managing director of the FDA’s Division of Nonprescription Drug Products (DNDP), Theresa M. Michele.

The study also found that just a single application of sunscreen from either lotion or spray can increase blood levels of these active ingredients higher than the FDA’s safety threshold. “While additional data are needed, the…