Sunscreen ratings...why are these so different

[KrisM]

I have a bottle of this from last year and one from this year. They seem to be the same to me. Most of the ingredient ratings on Skin Deep are the same. But, last year it was a 3 and this year a 7.

2012: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/product/434666/Banana_Boat_Kids_UltraMist_Continuous_Spray_Sunscr een%2C_SPF_30_%282012_formulation%29/

2013:
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/product/495874/Banana_Boat_Kids_Tear_Free_Continuous_Spray_Sunscr een%2C_SPF_30/

Do you know why it's such a difference?

[BabbyO]

Wow - that one is definitely confusing....especially since the ingredient ratings are the same. I think it is worth an email asking about it.

[brittone2]

THey tweak their methodology sometimes. Or perhaps the manufacturer gave more data, or there were more concerns about one ingredient that came out after additional studies? I think they have a section somewhere on their site about their entire process of how they do rankings, but I'm too lazy to see if it changed from 2012 to 2013.

[Tondi G]

That is why I have a hard time with EWG sometimes. Some of their ratings are all over the place and I'm not really sure why. I like this site http://safemama.com/cheatsheets/sunscreen/

[o_mom]

From what I could find on their website, the methodology changed this year to reflect the increasing concern with spray sunscreen. IIRC, the FDA is now studying sprays for safety and efficacy.

I could not find the methodology from last year, but this is from the methodology this year:

"We gave additional weight in the calculated hazard scores to properties of particular concern for sunscreens, including products that contain oxybenzone or vitamin A, products in a spray or powder form that may pose a risk when inhaled, and products listing SPF values exceeding “SPF 50+, the limit suggested by the FDA in its 2011 proposed regulation (FDA 2011a,b). For sunscreens with a single significant concern, we assigned a rating no lower than 3 (moderate hazard), and for sunscreens with two or more significant concerns, we assigned a rating no lower than 7 to reflect a higher level of concern."

[brittone2]

From what I could find on their website, the methodology changed this year to reflect the increasing concern with spray sunscreen. IIRC, the FDA is now studying sprays for safety and efficacy.

I could not find the methodology from last year, but this is from the methodology this year:

"We gave additional weight in the calculated hazard scores to properties of particular concern for sunscreens, including products that contain oxybenzone or vitamin A, products in a spray or powder form that may pose a risk when inhaled, and products listing SPF values exceeding “SPF 50+, the limit suggested by the FDA in its 2011 proposed regulation (FDA 2011a,b). For sunscreens with a single significant concern, we assigned a rating no lower than 3 (moderate hazard), and for sunscreens with two or more significant concerns, we assigned a rating no lower than 7 to reflect a higher level of concern."


Thanks for looking into that more extensively, o_mom.

Yes, the recent NYT piece on sunscreen mentioned the FDA asking for more data on sprays. It is mentioned about halfway down here: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/27/the-new-rules-for-sunscreen/?ref=sunscreen