Not a summer without its controversy on suncare products. Like the one launched in 2016 by UFC-Que Choisir, to denounce the insufficient protection of sunscreens for children against UVA rays. On the basis of a measurement method contested with great unanimity by the cosmetics industry.
“False safety”, “a particularly worrying test”, “very little protection”, “alerting parents”, “deception”, “filing a complaint”… UFC-Que Choisir did not go for nuance to launch the annual polemic on sun products.
The accusations
Based on a test carried out on 17 sun protection products with high protection indexes intended for children, the UFC-Que Choisir indictment is drawn up in three points:
• A very insufficient protection against UVA rays for almost one cream out of three
• Falsely reassuring labelling
• Organic sun creams that do not keep their promises…
And the consumers’ association announced to file a complaint against five cosmetic brands for “misleading commercial practices and deception”, while threatening to refer to the DGCCRF if their products are not removed from the market.
The background
A few reminders to help you understand.
UVA and UVB
Sunscreen creams, milks and sprays are designed to protect the skin against mainly two types of UV rays emitted by the sun:
• UVB rays, which are responsible for burns and sunburns
• UVA rays, which accelerate skin ageing and lead to melanoma (serious skin cancer)
The regulation
The European framework defines very precisely the requirements that sunscreen products must meet, both in terms …
