Can't the free market just make this problem go away?
You seem to be unaware of the asymmetry of information and competence. This is why consumer protection exists.
What specific consumer protections are you referencing?
European sunscreens are safer than American (2024)
51–60 of 101 posts
Re: European sunscreens are safer than American (2024)
#52From what I read in the article, American sunscreen has more stringent regulation because it is qualified as drugs, which has higher standards, thus making American sunscreen safer (but less efficient).
Re: European sunscreens are safer than American (2024)
#53> A peer-approval system would work both ways. Europe would also take into account FDA decisions This doesn't seem like a given at all. Just because the FDA accepts EMA approvals wouldn't mean the EMA would accept FDA ones and as a European, I wouldn't want it to. I have a lot more trust in the EMA than the FDA.
The FDA’s big claim to fame is not approving thalidomide when European regulators did, preventing a bunch of birth defects https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalidomide
The modern FDA's big claim to fame is having the previous head of it forced out, then nearly immediately approving controversial fruit-flavored vape products at the behest of a POTUS who both owns stock in Altria/Philip Morris and receives millions in Super PAC money from the tobacco industry.
Past performance is perhaps not indicative of future results.
Re: European sunscreens are safer than American (2024)
#54If sunscreen is supposed to provide specific health benefits, namely to reduce cancer risk, then it is a drug, not a cosmetic. Regulations should ensure it provides the intended effect without undue harm. Cosmetics are given more leeway because they are, in principle, neutral from a medical perspective. Why would you want to treat a cancer related product like that? Saving upfront time and money, at the risk of having to spend a lot more time and money later in healthcare, is not a good reason. If anything, we might head the opposite direction. Some people think we should start regulating dietary supplements as drugs rather than food.
Re: European sunscreens are safer than American (2024)
#55From what I read in the article, American sunscreen has more stringent regulation because it is qualified as drugs, which has higher standards, thus making American sunscreen safer (but less efficient).
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Re: European sunscreens are safer than American (2024)
#56If sunscreen is supposed to provide specific health benefits, namely to reduce cancer risk, then it is a drug, not a cosmetic. Regulations should ensure it provides the intended effect without undue harm. Cosmetics are given more leeway because they are, in principle, neutral from a medical perspective. Why would you want to treat a cancer related product like that? Saving upfront time and money, at the risk of havin…
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Re: European sunscreens are safer than American (2024)
#57Can't the free market just make this problem go away?
Seems like the free market does make this problem go away. This is simply one of the (few) instances where there is a freer market in the EU that in the US >In the European Union, sunscreens are regulated as cosmetics, which means greater flexibility in approving active ingredients. In the U.S., sunscreens are regulated as drugs, which means getting new ingredients approved is an expensive and time-consuming process.…
More likely if the FDA was properly funded these things could get reviewed more often and this wouldn't be an issue. Not updating allowed ingredients in over 20 years doesn't point towards a lack of flexibility, its debilitation.
Re: European sunscreens are safer than American (2024)
#58> Not at all. In fact, American sunscreens may be less safe. Are they less safe, or _may_ they be less safe? The distinction is important, and I'm wary of overexcited editors "upgrading" titles for clicks. (This is a comment on the veracity of the title claim only - I'm British, I have no skin in this game)
Britain conforms with EU regulations on sunscreen, as with almost everything else.
Re: European sunscreens are safer than American (2024)
#59Re: European sunscreens are safer than American (2024)
#60From what I read in the article, American sunscreen has more stringent regulation because it is qualified as drugs, which has higher standards, thus making American sunscreen safer (but less efficient).
Yeah, the article is contradiction with itself. US has higher standards, restricting what can be sold but then also states, "In fact, many U.S. sunscreens would fail European standards for UVA protection."
So which is it?