Trump admin proposes new regs on billion-dollar sunscreen industry
The Trump administration took a new step towards tightening regulations on sunscreen purchased over the counter, a long-awaited move to reign in a multibillion industry that has largely operated without federal oversight.
In a proposed rule released on Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration said two of the 16 most common ingredients in sunscreen are safe for use, indicating those can be marketed by companies without federal review. The safety of 12 ingredients remains unknown due to insufficient data, the agency noted, but two – PABA and trolamine salicylate – are not permitted for use in non-prescription products.
“Sunscreen usage has changed, with more people using these products more frequently and in larger amounts. At the same time, sunscreen formulations have evolved as companies innovated,” Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement. “The proposal we’ve put forward would improve quality, safety and efficacy of the sunscreens Americans use every day.”
The FDA is also proposing to increase the maximum measure of how much ultraviolet radiation a sunscreen blocks from 50 to 60 SPF, as well as require that SPF 15 and higher provide broad spectrum protection. Sunscreen manufacturers may also be required to include active ingredients more prominently on product labels.
“We will continue to work with industry, consumers and public health stakeholders to ensure that we’re striking the right balance,” Gottlieb said.
The proposed rule is open for comment for 90 days.
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The U.S. sunscreen market is expected to surpass $2.7 billion by 2025, according to research from the Grand View Research Inc.
“The rising e-commerce portals or websites result in an ease of the product purchase with diverse companies providing price discounts. In addition, the new entrants stand a chance to market their product and reach greater and targeted audiences,” the firm wrote.