BASKING RIDGE, N.J.—According to a study published in the Archives of Dermatology, many day creams do not offer long-wave UV-A protection (Jan. 17, 2011). Protection from excessive UV exposure is an important step in preventing skin cancer and photoaging. Motivated by the anti-aging benefits associated with photoprotection, most daily facial cream products (day creams) include UV filters. These products display the sun protection factor (SPF) on the label and claim to have broad-spectrum UV-B and UV-A coverage. Currently, there is no regulatory guideline on the testing and labeling of UV-A protection in sunscreens, and likewise, the degree of UV-A protection in these day creams is unknown.
In this study, researchers reported the estimated long-range UV-A1 (340 to 400 nm) protection in popular day creams. Twenty-nine facial day creams with claims of broad-spectrum UV coverage were selected on the basis of their sales volume reported on the Amazon.com. The UV-A protection was estimated based on the concentration and types of UV filters in the products. The criteria for used assessing products with adequate UV-A1 protection are (1) the combination of avobenzone (>2 percent) and octocrylene (>3.6 percent), with or without ecamsule (2 percent) and/or (2) the presence of zinc oxide (>5 percent). These criteria were chosen based on previous work in analyzing degree of UV-A protection in sunscreens via an in vitro assay.
Researchers found six products contained no active ingredients for UV-A1 protection, and 23 products contained active ingredients with UV-A1 protection. Seven of the 23 products contained zinc oxide, but only 3 products contained concentrations greater than 5 percent. Sixteen products contained avobenzone, but only three had the adequate concentration of octocrylene to prevent photodegradation of avobenzone. of the 16 avobenzone products had very low concentrations of octocrylene, and six of the 16 contained octinoxate.
Researchers concluded: “The degree of UV-A protection does not correlate with the price of the product. In fact, the most expensive product contained no UV-A1 filter. .. Until sunscreen labeling clearly defines the degree of UV-A protection, dermatologists should educate their patients and the public to select products with ingredients that contain the appropriate concentrations of avobenzone, octocrylene, and ecamsule and/or zinc oxide."