OTC or cosmetic, Drug Facts, Broad Spectrum, UVA logo, PA, UVA/UVB protection ration… If there is a category of cosmetic products for which regulatory requirements and labelling are not harmonised, it is the one of sunscreen products. The round table on this topic, held during the Cosmetic World Tour organised by the FEBEA (French Federation of Beauty Companies) on 19 and 20 September 2016, detailed the current situation country by country.
Second part of the article Sunscreen products around the world (1/2)
Regulatory status under the drug or cosmetic regime, specific labelling requirements and different approaches to SPF in different geographical areas are not the only issues to be considered for the marketing and export of sunscreen products.
After addressing all these points, the round table, moderated by Tiphaine Daubert Macia from Chanel and Isabelle Orquevaux Hary from L’Oréal, continued to detail the global variations in the regulation of sunscreen products.
UVA index
If SPF labelling is not straightforward, things are even more complicated with UVA protection, where the rules are even less harmonised and where each region of the world has its own requirements… including the testing methods required to prove the level of protection.
• Europe
The UVA logo in a black circle is required in Europe by the 2006 European Commission Recommendation for any primary sunscreen product. It means that the product respects the ratio of one third between UVA and UVB protection and a critical wavelength ≥ 370 nm.
• Asia
In this area, the European ratio is meaningless, and while the UVA logo may appear on the product, it means nothing. To …
