WASHINGTON — A clearer, more meaningful standard for sunscreen labels is coming soon to a lotion near you, but not in time for the summer beach season.
The Food and Drug Administration is working to finish labeling rules that have been years in the making. The idea is to make labels less confusing, so consumers know exactly what kind of protection they are getting.
Most sunscreens boast “broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection.” A standard test can determine protection from the ultraviolet-B rays that cause sunburn — the familiar SPF rankings that tell people how long they can spend in the sun before they burn.
But there is not a standard test to check protection from ultraviolet-A rays, the ones linked to cancer and wrinkles. That means it is not clear how much UVA protection people get from their sunscreens.
The rules expected this fall would change that, with a standard testing protocol and a proposed four-star UVA rating system.
In the meantime, Dr. James Spencer, spokesman for the American Academy of Dermatology and a dermatologist in St. Petersburg, Fla., said people need to slather on plenty of sunscreen — a shot-glass full of lotion for adults. He recommends a sunscreen with broad spectrum protection — UVA and UVB — and it should be at least an SPF 30.
