Here is why we chose to get our Ava Isa daily facial sunscreens EWG Verifed, the top 3rd party verification program for product safety and brand transparency.

Sunscreens are confusing, full stop. We were actively looking for a trust symbol like the one from the EWG Verified program to help our customers easily choose a safe and effective sunscreen. Sunscreens are the most complex of all the personal care products to both formulate and for a customer to understand. We would argue they are also the highest stakes as you are meant to use them every single day for the prevention of skin cancer and for protecting the overall look of your skin in terms of photoaging. Here is what the EWG Verified program is all about, what does the process look like and why we think it was a good fit for our all-mineral sunscreens from our Ava Isa line.

What is the EWG Verified Program All About:

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has had a lot to say about sunscreens for over a decade. They were one of the first non-profits to call out the sad state of sunscreens in North America. They talked about the potential human and environmental issues surrounding some ‘chemical’ UV filters like oxybenzone and octinoxate. They called out most sunscreens for having weak UVA protection and being what we have always called them UVB biased. They have also mostly advocated for the use of high zinc oxide sunscreens as being the current best choice to provide excellent UVA protection and meet the FDA standards of being Generally Recognized as Safe and Effective (GRASE). We have had a lot in common for a long time.

There has been a vocal group online of cosmetic chemists and other skinfluencers who claim that the EWG is non-scientific, for-profit and based on fear mongering scare tactics. However, this is a group that typically is critical of anyone who advocates for change in the sunscreen industry and discusses issues like ingredient safety and overall sunscreen efficacy. They are critical of anyone who refutes that ‘any sunscreen is a good sunscreen’ and that these UV filters have been used without any proof of harm for over 50 years. These kinds of generalized statements are misleading and highly inaccurate. There are considerable studies and research to show potential harm for many of these soluble organic UV filters. Even meta-analyses that are skeptical of the overall connection will admit, “[oxybenzone’s] impact on thyroid and reproductive hormone levels, pubertal development, kidney function and the immune system will require further investigations” while then calling for more “well-designed longitudinal randomized controlled trial [as] of high priority”. Of course, while the most avid skeptics tend to dismiss the mounting evidence against these filters and call for human studies that show direct causation, they must also know that the poor ethics of this type of study of intentionally exposing people to a potential EDC (endocrine disrupting chemical) would never allow for this type of study to occur.

Both the FDA, Health Canada and the EU are actively investigating these ingredients as potential endocrine disruptors and as being ineffective as sun protectants. The FDA is actively calling for a consortium of companies under the Personal Care Product Council Sunscreen Consortium to submit data to show that these ingredients can pass the Maximum Usage Safety Trial (MUST) and toxicology tests to show that these UV filters do not absorb at dangerous levels and if/when they do they do not adversely impact human health. The MUST trial is conducted on humans and was designed after the FDA themself conducted a study that showed 4 (and later 6) of the most popular US UV filters (avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene, and ecamsule) and absorbed through skin at disturbingly high rates.

This is all to say, there is a lot to criticize when it comes to the sunscreen industry and many well-informed scientists and experts continue to have considerable concerns. It’s not fear mongering to advocate for change. The EWG is staffed with scientists from many different areas including toxicology, environmental sciences etc. After going through the full vetting process, there was nothing ‘unscientific’ about. We had to provide a substantial amount of documentation when it came to our active ingredients used (from particle size, structure), to our routine testing that we performed (including active assays, micro, heavy metal testing etc). We had to show that we could certify that certain ingredients we used were free from or within specification for common contaminants like D4, D5. We do not use fragrance of any kind in our products but otherwise we would have had to show full ingredient transparency in what’s included in propriety fragrance blends. Fortunately for us, we had all of the documentation and proof of testing on hand as we have always subscribed to the highest standards of Good Manufacturing practices and Quality Assurance compliance.

Summary:

We truly believe in educating our community about sunscreens and will go as in-depth as possible on both our blog and social media. However, we also realize sometimes people just want a quick and easy answer as to what is the best sunscreen solution for them and their families. We hope the EWG Verified mark that now appears on our Ava Isa sunscreens helps customers do just that. We’re proud to bear the mark and we will continue to discuss both the good and bad about sunscreens in the hopes of making positive change in the industry.

As a thank you for reading our blog, we would like to offer you 10% off all Ava Isa products, use the code EWG2024 at checkout.