PCPC Formally Responds to EWG's 'Unscientific' Sunscreen Report

Posted: July 2, 2009

The Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) released the following statement by John Bailey, chief scientist, in response the Environmental Working Group's (EWG's) 2009 Sunscreen Report:

"For more than 30 years, consumers have benefited from the use of sunscreen products to protect themselves from the harmful effects of the sun, including sun burn, premature skin aging, and certain types of skin cancer. The safety and efficacy of sunscreen products have been thoroughly studied and tested by scientists and regulatory bodies throughout the world, and there is an extensive body of credible scientific research that demonstrates the safety and efficacy of sunscreens.

"The Personal Care Products Council has joined with the American Academy of Dermatology, the Skin Cancer Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control, the FDA, physicians and other health professionals and organizations in urging consumers to minimize their sun exposure as part of their personal safe sun strategy. This includes all of the following: limiting outdoor activities between 10:00 a.m and 4 p.m., when exposure to UVA/UVB rays is the highest, wearing protective clothing, and using sunscreens.

"Nevertheless, each year at the start of summer vacation season, the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a Washington-based activist group, issues an unscientific and unsubstantiated report questioning the safety of sunscreens and sunscreen ingredients. Like its 2007 and 2008 predecessors, the 2009 report alleges that many sunscreens do not adequately protect skin from sun damage and/or contain dangerous chemicals.

"Sunscreen manufacturers understand that sunscreens are a critically important tool for consumers and health professionals in the fight against skin cancer, premature aging, and other harmful effects of the sun, and they have made the safety and efficacy of their products their very highest priority.