Ashland joins PASS Coalition in supporting Sunscreen Innovation Act

The announcement joins the Public Access to SunScreens (PASS) Coalition in applauding the House Energy and Commerce Committee for bipartisan support of the new Act.

The bill approved by the committee Tuesday includes a transparent review process within a predictable timeline for all sunscreen applicants and the opportunity for Congressional oversight over the process to make sure the process is working as designed.

The timelines include: final decisions on pending applications within one year and final decisions on new applications within one and a half years.

Product advantage​

The Sunscreen Innovation Act (SIA) will reform the process to make it transparent and timely with deadlines for decisions on products written into the statute.

Ashland is particularly pleased with this as it benefits its EscalolTM S sunscreen filter which has been approved and on the market for years.

"We have a product with a proven benefit to consumers, and we appreciate the committee's support in establishing a clear pathway for these products to be reviewed quickly and thoroughly,"​ says John Riley, director of government relations for Ashland, which is a founding member of the PASS Coalition.

Act in place​

The bipartisan Sunscreen Innovation Act (H.R. 4250/S. 2141) was recently introduced by Reps. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) and John Dingell (D-Mich.) in the House and Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) in the Senate.

The last over-the-counter (OTC) sunscreen ingredient to be approved by FDA was in the 1990s.

Since 2002, eight new sunscreen applications have been filed and are still awaiting review 12 years later. New sunscreen technologies currently awaiting approval in the U.S. have been widely available in Europe, Asia, and Central and South America, in some cases for more than 15 years.