According to the Public Access to SunScreens (PASS) Coalition, the last over-the-counter sunscreen ingredient approved by the FDA was in the 1990’s. By 2002, eight new sunscreens applications were filed but are all still awaiting approval 12 years later.
The bipartisan Sunscreen Innovation Act (SIA) will streamline the approval process, allowing American consumers to gain access to the UV protection technology they’ve been missing for the past decade — many of which have been available in Europe, Asia, and South and Central America for over 15 years.
The Fight Against Melanoma
Skin cancer has become an epidemic in the United States, with melanoma rates rising 800% in women and 400% in men over the last 40 years. According to the Melanoma Research Foundation, melanoma is the leading cause of cancer death in women in their twenties, and each year the number of diagnoses increase. It’s expected that 77,000 Americans will be diagnosed by the end of this year.
Now more than ever, Americans need the safest and most effective sunscreens and protective products available.The SIA comes as a response to the Surgeon General’s recent ‘Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer,’ and the Senate’s unanimous decision shows a nationwide commitment to this cause.
Did you have any idea that we were so behind in UV protection and skin cancer prevention?