Brussels, 09/07/2007 (Agence Europe) - As a result of a recommendation adopted by the European Commission last September, this summer consumers will start to benefit from new, more specific rules on labelling for sun protection products. In the extension of this recommendation, new labelling will be brought in, as will a new UVA logo on bottles and a ban on the use of terms such as “sunblock” or “total protection”. The Commission intends to work in partnership with the Member States, in a campaign to explain the new labelling system, and also to provide a better understanding of the very many reasons why sun products should not be seen as the only measure to help people to protect themselves from the sun's UV rays. The new rules on labelling will be phased in gradually, and 20% of them will already be seen on sun-care product bottles this summer.
In its information campaign, the Commission puts forward future improvements in terms of labelling, along the lines of the recommendation which it put forward in September 2006 concerning the efficiency of and claims made by sun products. According to this recommendation: - 1) Claims such as “sunblock” and “total protection” will no longer be allowable, as no sun-care product offers complete protection from UV rays. 2) Standardised verbal descriptors (“low” - “medium” - “high” - and “very high” protection) must be used alongside the sun protection factor (SPF), to provide guidance for the consumer for the choice of an appropriate sunscreen product. 3) Labelling on UV-A protection is to be improved: while UV-B radiation is the cause of “sunburn”, UV-A radiation causes premature skin ageing and interferences with the human immune system. Both types of radiation are important contributors to the skin-cancer risk. The so-called “sun protection factor” (SPF) refers only to equal levels of sunburn (UV-B radiation) and not to similar effects from UV-A radiation. Sunscreen products which protect only against UV-B rays may give a false sense of safety, as they do not prevent UV-A rays from reaching the skin. The cosmetic industry is now starting to introduce a standardised UV-A seal on its product labels, indicating a quantified minimum UV-A protection, which increases in parallel with an increasing sun protection factor and is based on a standardised testing method. The industry will phase in the standardised way of indicating UV-A protection as defined in the Commission's recommendation, via a new logo. However, the operation will not be completed until summer 2008, because the labels for 2007 have already been printed. In the meantime, the Commission stresses, it is recommended that consumers continue to read all labels with great care.
Given the gradual introduction of the new labelling scheme - the new rules will only start to become “visible” this summer - the Commission has issued a press release in which it indicates that all consumers are advised to look on sunscreen products as just one of the ways of protecting themselves from the sun. It also advises consumers to avoid extended exposure to the sun, choose the time of day at which they sunbathe carefully, wear hats, avoid exposing babies and young children to the sun, use sunscreen products which offer both UV-B and UV-A protection, and to apply sunscreen products in sufficient quantities. It is also just as important to apply the product correctly as to choose it in the first place. Pictograms described in the accompanying note, which will be used to support this advice and these indications on sun exposure, can be consulted at the following website: http: //ec.europa.eu/health-eu/news/sun_uv_en.htm.
The Commission and the national partners involved in this voluntary agreement will unroll their campaign in various member states over the course of the coming year. In order to do this, they will use websites, the press, posters, partnerships with tour-operators and advertising campaigns. (ol)