2014 Sunscreen Innovation Act Unanimously Passes
The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Sunscreen Innovation Act (S. 2141) on Sept. 17, 2014, which the Public Access to SunScreens (PASS) Coalition applauded. This passage follows the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee's approval of the bill earlier in the day.
According to PASS, the last over-the-counter (OTC) sunscreen ingredient approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was in the 1990s and since 2002, eight new sunscreen applications have been filed—and are still awaiting review, 12 years later. These technologies have been widely available in Europe, Asia, and Central and South America, in some cases for more than 15 years.
Over the past 40 years, melanoma rates have risen 800% among young women and 400% among young men. The bipartisan Sunscreen Innovation Act (H.R. 4250/S. 2141) would streamline the approval process for new sunscreen ingredients to ensure they receive a transparent review within a predictable timeframe, in turn ensuring the American public gains access to the latest safe, effective and innovative sunscreen products to protect against the sun’s most harmful rays.
