With summer around the corner, I suspect more than a few of you have been hoping the FDA would finally get around to releasing new rules for developing, testing and labeling sunscreens, at least, so we'd have a better idea which options are safest. Thanks to an unprecedented 3,000 responses from the public, however, the FDA won't be issuing any new guidance on sunscreens until this fall, at the earliest.
Unfortunately, we'll have to endure another "hot stove league" season of confusion in the North Hemisphere about sun protection factor (SPF) claims, which chemicals we should and shouldn't avoid and what UV-A (ultraviolet A) and UV-B (ultraviolet B) protection really means for our health, simply, safely and practically.
In the meantime, a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) research team has developed a new process to convert soybean oil into a bio-based, active sunscreen ingredient, an alternative to current petroleum-derived components. This new formula -- feruloyl soy glycerides (FSG) -- incorporates, not only soybean oil, but ferulic acid, a natural substance found in hundreds of plants and vegetable oil to produce a water-resistant solution that absorbs UV-A and UV-B rays.
Interestingly, FSG is already being produced and used in cosmetics sold in the States and Asia. Which makes me wonder why it took so long for FSG to find its way to sunscreens. At the very least, FSG certainly appears to be much safer than oxybenzone, a chemical used in sunscreens that's been linked cell damage, hormone disruption and allergies, according to a CDC study.
Wall Street Journal: Health Blog April 27, 2010
ScienceDaily April 14, 2010
Digital Journal March 23, 2010