Want to protect yourself from the sun?
You may want to consider taking a trip to Europe, where you can buy sunscreens with active ingredients that adhere to strict European Union standards, but are still not approved for sale in the U.S.
According to Sumathi Reddy in The Wall Street Journal, there are currently eight sunscreen ingredient applications pending before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Some have been on file for up to a decade, and almost all of the ingredients are readily available in brands sold outside the U.S. Most are also considered "highly effective" by the strict European standards for sunscreen, the WSJ reports.
Most American sunscreens protect from UVA rays using benzophenones, which largely work by absorbing the sun's rays but have a variety of shortcomings including allergic reactions and negative affects on hormone levels.
Some types of benzophenones even break down in sunlight and reduce the potency of UVB filter ingredients.
Of the eight pending ingredient applications, doctors say ecamsule, Tinosorb S, and Tinosorb M are the most effective with long-range UVA protection, according to the WSJ.
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