while not overly scientific this is good short easy to read about some sunbloc stuff:
7 surprising things you're not supposed to know about sunscreen and sunlight exposure - NaturalNews.com
Associated Press
Lawsuit Accuses Sunscreen Makers of Lies
03.31.2006, 11:02 AM
A lawsuit alleges that sunscreen manufacturers exaggerate the degree to which their products protect against harmful ultraviolet rays.
"Sunscreen is the snake oil of the 21st century," said Samuel Rudman, a partner in the Lerach Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins law firm, which filed the lawsuit Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court. "False claims such as 'sunblock,' 'waterproof' and 'all-day protection' should be removed from these products immediately."
Schering-Plough Corp., which makes Coppertone, has "vigorously disputed" the allegations, spokeswoman Denise Foy said. That company and Neutrogena Corp., a Johnson & Johnson unit based in Los Angeles, said all of their sunscreens comply with Food and Drug Administration rules.
The lawsuit claims that misleading sunscreen labels have created a false sense of security among sunbathers. According to the complaint, sunscreens protect against UVB rays, but research indicates that they don't block all UVA rays, which can cause skin cancer, aging and wrinkling.
The suit seeks refunds for anyone who bought a falsely advertised sunscreen and to force manufacturers to give up earnings from the sales of any such products.
Dermatologists agree sunscreens don't provide full protection, but still consider them beneficial.
"It's akin to someone suing a seat belt manufacturer because seat belts don't prevent 100 percent of the deaths," said Dr. Richard G. Glogau, a clinical professor at the University of California San Francisco. "I would hate for the public to be confused by the lawsuit into thinking that the products are so flawed that it is better to do without it."
The San Diego-based Lerach firm, which is best known for going after big corporations on behalf of shareholders, is seeking class-action status for the lawsuit. The suit is a compilation of nine earlier complaints against sunscreen manufacturers.
More than $455 million worth of sunscreen and tanning lotions are sold each year.
Also named as defendants are Banana Boat-maker Playtex Products Inc., Tanning Research Labs Inc., which makes Hawaiian Tropic, and Chattem Inc., which makes Bull Frog.
this is supposed to be better I think....
Anthelios Mexoryl Sunscreen SPF30, 75ml
It's the mexoryl stuff you want to look for and they now have mexoryl SX with mexoryl XL which I bet blocks something else.
The ingredient to which you are referring is Mexoryl SX, a camphor
derivative. Although studies show that this is a very effective
sunscreen, one which is very photostable, the FDA has not yet given
it’s approval. Mexoryl SX has been patented by L’Oreal, and is sold in
numerous countries, but not in the US, as of yet.
“Mexoryl SX is one of the few sure and stable UVA sun filters. It
provides long-lasting, effective protection due to the virtually
impervious nature of the molecule to the action of solar energy. In
the key field of sun-protection research, Mexoryl SX has been patented
by L'Oréal, and has been used in the Group's sunscreen formulations in
Europe since 1993. Research activities are underway to develop
products that can be introduced to the US market.”
apparently Mexyrol SX finally got approved:
USATODAY.com - Long-awaited sunscreen approved for sale in U.S.
Long-awaited sunscreen approved for sale in U.S.
Updated 7/24/2006 2:18 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) — A sunscreen that blocks the type of ultraviolet radiation linked to some cancers, and which has been available only outside the United States, received federal approval Monday.
ON DEADLINE:Long-awaited sunscreen approved
Called Anthelios SX, the sunscreen contains ecamsule, an ingredient better at blocking ultraviolet A, or UVA, radiation than other sunscreen ingredients currently sold in the United States. Those ingredients mainly screen out UVB rays.
UVB has long been associated with sunburn, while UVA is recognized as a deeper penetrating radiation, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Doctors suspect there is a link between UVA exposure and longer-term effects, including wrinkles, basal and squamous cell cancers and melanoma.
Anthelios is made by the French cosmetics company L'Oreal SA. It has a sun protection factor or SPF of 15.
The sunscreen contains three active ingredients, including ecamsule or Mexoryl SX. Mexoryl has been included in the company's sunscreens sold in Canada and Europe since 1993.
LaRoche-Posay will distribute the product, the FDA said.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
more...
The COMMERCIAL description of the sunscreens said it would BLOCK cancer causing and skin damaging rays.
That is what THEY SAID and why they got sued:
"The lawsuit claims that misleading sunscreen labels have created a false sense of security among sunbathers. According to the complaint, sunscreens protect against UVB rays, but research indicates that they don't block all UVA rays, which can cause skin cancer, aging and wrinkling. "
Therefore, a sunscreen was said to BLOCK rays, but it didn't.
While mexoryl will not 'technically' BLOCK all rays, it works by the very fact that it does BLOCK some which they now call 'filter'.
If mexoryl wasn't blocking the rays it would have to be doing something else to them like altering them into another wavelength or maybe converting them into heat..........new physics?
BTW, that's why they have SPF ratings because the higher the number the more rays they 'Block' and for a longer period of time.
Furthermore, the term 'block' is used numerous times describing how mexoryl works.
wrote:
For the first time since 1988, the Food and Drug Administration today approved a new type of sunscreen compound that protects skin from shortwave ultraviolet A light and doesn't break down as easily as other products.
Most sunscreens available in the United States protect only against long-wave UVA and both forms of ultraviolet B light. But the new compound, known as ecamsule, has long been available in Europe and Canada. It is made by the L'Oreal cosmetics company.
Related Stories
Why Is the Best Sunscreen Blocked by FDA? Top Health stories
Drug Rep Tells All: Drink the Kool-AidSyphilis Continues to Surge in U.S.Ear-Induced Torture: Maddening Noise, EverywhereThe new product is considered a superior sunscreen chemical because of its ability to block UVA light -- a harmful, wrinkle-causing form of sunlight -- and because it lasts longer in the sun.
The product, Mexoryl SX, contains two standard sunscreen chemicals as well as ecamsule and will be sold as a daily moisturizer cream. It should be on pharmacy shelves sometime this fall, but it's not known how much it will cost. It will be sold under the name Anthelios SX.
Many dermatologists are happy about the news.
"We are delighted that an effective sunscreen agent has been approved by the . . . FDA. We're aware that this ingredient has been available in Europe since 1993 and we know that it is an effective UVA sunblocking agent," said Dr. Stephen Stone, president of the Academy of Dermatology. ". . . It is an effective UVA blocker. It will have some role in protection from skin cancer and photo-aging -- our term for aging from sun exposure, like wrinkles and skin pigmentation."
This is primarily due to the product's better UVA blocking abilities.
"UVA accounts for over 80 percent of the damage that occurs to the skin in terms of aging, DNA damage and, ultimately, skin cancer," said Dr. Darrell Rigel, clinical professor of dermatology at New York University Medical Center, in a press release issued by L'Oreal. "UVA rays are present all year long, even in the winter, and they can penetrate through clouds and windows."
In an interview last year with ABC's "20/20," Dr. Vincent DeLeo, chairman of the dermatology department at Columbia University, said the European equivalent was sorely needed in the United States.