“Cosmetics and personal care products companies provide innovative sunscreen products to help protect consumers from the harmful effects of the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. The Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) and our member companies welcome the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) thorough and comprehensive review of the state of the science, released today, on the use of currently marketed sunscreen ingredients, their environmental impact on aquatic environments, and the potential public health implications associated with changes in sunscreen use.
“An ad hoc committee of the NAS calls upon the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct an environmental risk assessment (ERA) of sunscreen UV filters to characterize possible risks to aquatic ecosystems and the species that live within them, including coral. The report identified information gaps and research priorities necessary to inform a tiered approach to the ERA.
“The key conclusions confirm PCPC’s long-held position that there is currently insufficient relevant and reliable scientific data to conduct realistic ERAs and there is not enough scientific data to support sunscreen ingredient bans. Policymakers, regulators and legislators should not make any decisions that impact consumers’ access to FDA-approved sunscreen UV filters until the scientific community reaches an informed consensus.
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