As a heatwave approaches, experts say US sunscreens are less effective than those abroad

Many dermatologists and experts say US sunscreens are still not as effective as many available overseas when it comes to protecting against ultraviolet radiation linked to skin cancer and premature ageing – despite years of research.

The concern comes as a brutal heatwave, with a suffocating “heat dome”, is arriving for more than 200 million people across vast swaths of the US this weekend, bringing extreme heat and humidity . Studies have shown that the global climate crisis is making heatwaves more severe, frequent and long lasting.

As fierce sun beats down on parts of the US this weekend, people are urged to try to stay out of the direct sun, stay hydrated and apply lots of sunscreen if outdoors – but people will probably have to rely on sunscreens that are less effective at fending off the ultraviolet rays than sunscreen available in some other countries.

While American sunscreens generally do a good job at blocking UVB rays, which cause sunburn, experts and studies have noted in recent years that they often provide weaker protection against ultraviolet radiation in the form of UVA rays, compared to products available in places like Europe and South Korea.

A 2017 study found only around half of US sunscreens tested met the European standards for UVA protection.

Experts attribute this gap largely to regulatory differences.

In the US, sunscreen is classified and regulated as an over-the-counter drug, rather than a cosmetic product like in other countries. This means that each active ingredient must undergo an often lengthy regulatory approval process with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are subject to rigorous safety requirements and animal testing.

Experts often point out that the FDA has not approved a new UV-filter for sunscreen in more than 20 years.

“The issue for me isn’t the safety of the sunscreens we have,” dermatologist Adewole Adamson told NPR. “It’s that some of the chemical sunscreens aren’t as broad spectrum as they could be, meaning they do not block UVA as well. This could be alleviated by the FDA allowing new ingredients.”

Meanwhile, in countries like France, South Korea, the UK and Japan, governments have approved a wider range of UV-filtering ingredients, which experts say allow for more advanced sunscreens.

One of the ingredients is bemotrizinol, which is considered one of the safest and most vetted chemicals on the global market.

It remains unapproved by the FDA, but Swiss sunscreen company, DSM-Firmenich, is seeking FDA approval for it.

But, dermatologist Dr Nazanin Saedi told Axios that a decision is not expected before 2026.

“So do not delay in stocking up on your sunscreen for this summer!” she said.

In a statement to the Guardian, a spokesperson for the FDA said that “many currently marketed and widely available sunscreen products in the US provide excellent broad-spectrum coverage and are effective in preventing sunburn and reducing the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging caused by the sun, when used as directed with other sun protection measures”.

“The fact that sunscreen ingredients are available in other countries does not mean that the important safety questions about these ingredients are well understood, or that they provide greater efficacy or safety than sunscreens lawfully sold in the US,” the spokesperson added. “In many other countries, sunscreens are regulated differently and may not be required to have the data that FDA, and other experts, consider necessary to fully evaluate the safety of sunscreen ingredients.”

In 2023, representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat representing New York, spoke out about the quality of US sunscreens compared to elsewhere and urged Americans to contact their member of Congress to draw attention to this issue.

“US sunscreens are far behind the rest of the world and our regulations aren’t necessarily making our sunscreens better or safer – but it doesn’t have to be this way!” Ocasio-Cortez said.

Republican senator Mike Lee agreed with the New York representative, and in a post on social media, wrote: “There is no left or right when it comes to UV light.”

A bipartisan bill introduced in Congress aims to modernize sunscreen regulations and allow non-animal testing alternatives for regulatory approval.

Still, dermatologists stress the importance of wearing sunscreen, and Dr Robert Kirsner, a dermatologist with the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami, told CBS that the sunscreens available in the US are still considered safe and effective as long as they are used properly.

Expert suggest wearing a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher and advise wearing it every day, even on cloudy days.

For those seeking the safest products in the US market, experts told the Guardian last year that people should look for physical, also known as “mineral”, sunscreens containing zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.