Already criticized for the use of cells deemed carcinogenic or dangerous for the environment, certain facial sun creams are also seeing their effectiveness called into question. After testing thirteen products labeled SPF 50 or SPF 50 +, the consumer association UFC-Que Choisir believes that ” five [d’entre elles] do not meet expected levels of sun protection” and announces that it will contact the authorities so that they can sanction the brands concerned.
While the SPF 50 and SPF 50 + indices of sun creams “are believed to provide the highest levels of protection from ultraviolet rays”the UFC-Que Choisir believes that“a third of these products do not provide the level of protection displayed”. According to Public Health France, exposure to solar radiation is the main cause of skin cancer.
“In view of the high proportion of potentially misleading labeling, UFC-Que Choisir calls on manufacturers to make their products conform to the displayed indices”explains the association in a press release published Tuesday April 23.
The association also refers the matter to the General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) “so that it sanctions brands marketing such products, intensifies controls on sun protection products and takes measures to put an end to these practices”.
Brands well anchored in the landscape
The UFC-Que Choisir notes that it is ” rare “ duty “such a proportion of failures, and that they come from brands as well anchored in the landscape as Vichy, Biotherm or Lancaster”. The two other brands affected are Isdin and Rituals.
Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers ANSES calls for a ban on octocrylene in sun creams
Add to your selections
Furthermore, the association “presses the Ministry of the Environment [quant à] the need to regulate environmental claims for cosmetic products ». Because, if the vast majority of products tested are “free from compounds undesirable for human health, a large proportion on the other hand (ten out of thirteen) receives a poor environmental rating due to the presence of components having harmful effects on aquatic organisms”.
