Environmental Working Group's '09 Sunscreen Consumer Guide: For the First Time People Can Choose Most Protective Lip Balms and Moisturizers.

Byline: Environmental Working Group

WASHINGTON, July 2 (AScribe Newswire) -- In an affirmation of Environmental Working Group's (EWG) three-year campaign for more effective sunscreens, 70 percent of sunscreens offered for the 2009 beach season contain strong UVA filters, compared to just 29 percent last year. Top brands reformulated to better protect against UVA radiation include Solbar, Zia Natural Skincare, Nivea, L'Oreal, and Hawaiian Tropic. This is a move in the right direction, but each of these still rates relatively low compared to the top-ranked brands.

Another plus in 2009: 19 percent fewer sunscreens contains oxybenzone, an active ingredient that disrupts the hormone system.

But a new EWG investigation of 1,572 sunscreens and other sun-blocking products currently on the market found that 3 of 5 sunscreens either don't protect skin from sun damage or contain hazardous chemicals - or both.

While companies are adding ingredients that better shield against UVA radiation, linked to premature aging and cancer, in addition to UVB radiation, which causes obvious - and painful - sunburn, many brands contain UVA filters at levels to low to provide strong protection.

Since the federal Food and Drug Administration still hasn't delivered on its 1978 promise to issue meaningful sunscreen standards, EWG conducts its own yearly comprehensive analysis of leading products that claim to ...