FDA: Some Sun-Product Companies ‘Misleading Customers’
The Food & Durg Administration is cracking down on sun-protection-product companies that are “misleading consumers, and putting people at risk.”
The statement, issued Tuesday (May 22, 2018), comes with the Memorial Day weekend on the horizon and temperatures in Kane County expected to climb near 90.
The FDA sent warning letters to Tuesday to companies illegally marketing pills and capsules labeled as dietary supplements that make unproven drug claims about protecting consumers from the harms that come from sun exposure without meeting the FDA’s standards for safety and effectiveness.
“We’ve found products purporting to provide protection from the sun that aren’t delivering the advertised benefits,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said.
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. Current estimates are that one in five Americans are at risk of developing skin cancer in their lifetime.
Exposure to natural and artificial ultraviolet (UV) light has a direct impact on a person’s risk of developing skin cancer — despite age or skin type. Most cases of melanoma — the deadliest form of skin cancer — can be attributed to ultraviolet exposure.
Several companies — marketing products called Advanced Skin Brightening Formula, Sunsafe Rx, Solaricare and Sunergetic — are “putting people’s health at risk by giving consumers a false sense of security that a dietary supplement could prevent sunburn, reduce early skin aging caused by the sun, or protect from the risks of skin cancer,” Gottlieb said.
These companies were instructed to correct all violations associated with their products and were advised to review product websites and product labeling to ensure that the claims they are making don’t violate federal law.
Consumers should be watchful for unscrupulous companies making unproven claims. There’s no pill or capsule that can replace your sunscreen, Gottlieb said.
Consumers with concerns are encouraged to call 888-INFO-FDA.
Related Information
SOURCE: FDA news release
