Are we being duped in the USA?

The best sunscreen apparently is not allowed to be called "sunblock" in Europe anymore. It has been banned by the European commission as a misleading term that leads consumers to believe they are being completely protected from the sun's harmful rays.

In the US however, manufacturers are allowed to label the best sunscreen anyway they please. Phrases like "blocks all harmful rays," offers "total" or "all-day protection" and is "waterproof" can be quite misleading, but companies are free to use them on their untested sunscreen.

According to the advocacy group Environmental Working Group who has analyzed the chemicals in 786 sunscreen products - something the federal Food and Drug Administration hasn't bothered to do - they found that only 17 percent qualified as both effective and safe, meaning they block both UVA and UVB radiation, remain stable in sunlight and contain few (if any) ingredients with suspected health hazards.

In order to help consumers find the best sunscreen, the advocacy group recently implemented sunscreen scoring system, which is part of the group's searchable "Skin Deep" cosmetic safety database of more than 20,000 products. This will equip the uneducated consumer with a better understanding of what constitutes an acceptable sunscreen product

So again, the best sunscreen can be very difficult to find. With all the brands out there claiming to be something they are not, you as the consumer need the right information to prevent you from being harmed by the sun's dangerous rays.