We, as consumers, need to be educated about critical health-preserving products like sunscreen. Learning and paying attention to the following sunscreen label information will ensure you protect yourself from misleading advertising and label information. Terms made illegal by FDA's 1999 OTC Final Monograph:

Waterproof
Sweatproof
Sunblock
All Day Protection

The fact is, there are no sunscreens that have the properties listed above. Manufacturers that use these terms are simply lying to you, which is the subject of a class action consumer fraud lawsuit against the major sunscreen manufacturers filed in Los Angeles this past March by Lerach & Co. LLP.

Look for the following OTC Approved Label Terminology:

Water Resistant: means 80% of labeled SPF value remains after 40 minutes in water after skin is air dried. (Not towel-dried – towel drying removes sunscreen!)

Very Water Resistant: means 80% of labeled SPF remains after 80 minutes in water after skin is air dried. (Not towel-dried – towel drying removes sunscreen!)

Green Screen(tm) has not yet been tested per OTC monograph for water resistance but will be this fall at a cost of about $6,000. Erik has personally tested it surfing in Costa Rica and Mexico, and it stays on well, but Kabana can't put it on the label until we abide by labeling law procedures.

Drug Facts Table: An FDA-standardized, black lettering on white background table, that clearly communicates critical information about sunscreen active ingredients, approved uses, warnings, directions for use and other inactive ingredients. Presence of the Drug Facts table helps demonstate the manufacturer is in compliance with current FDA labeling regulations.

SPF number: reflects the amount of protection you get, but increases in SPF value do not provide linear increases in protection – SPF 45 does not give you 300% (3x) more protection than SPF 15; it only gives you 4.5% more protection for 300% more petrochemical sunscreen exposure. SPF higher than SPF 15 is another marketing gimmick the mass producers have invented to get you to purchase their more expensive products, but makes no sense from a health perspective if you use sunscreen properly. (300% more toxic chemicals for 4.5% more protection. Hmm?) You simply need to reapply any level of SPF sunscreen when outside for long periods of time, particularly if in water or sweating - at least one of which almost always happens when you're in the sun!

Kabana was founded in opposition to the sunscreen mass marketeers. We produce products using transparent, fair trade, sustainable and comprehensible ingredients and practices. Kabana raises awareness and provides educational information as objectively as possible though our newsletters and on our website; we even include the results of Green Screen(tm)’s OTC SPF evaluation, so that you, our esteemed customer, can feel confident that the products you buy and use every day nourish your body and protect your health.

Kabana Label Reader's Column Archive

Newsletter Archive