Hey FaceTory Fam! 💝

We are super excited for our Summer Lux PLUS! One thing we wanted to address about this box is that it does not include sunscreen. Yes, sad faces all around. ☹️ Just know that sunscreen is necessary all year and we highly recommend applying sunscreen every day, especially in the summer when the sun’s rays are harsher than usual. ☀️

Now you’re probably wondering, “Hey FaceTory if you believe in sunscreen so much then why not include it?” Well, we mainly decided to hold off on it this time around due to the new FDA sunscreen regulations. And that’s what we’ll be talking about today! So, if you’re interested in getting the 411, just keep reading! 😊

The U.S Food and Drug Administration has implemented some new regulations for over-the-counter (non-prescription) U.S sunscreens. The gist of it is that they’re updating the requirements for sunscreen and testing different ingredients to see if certain ones are safe for our bodies as well as the environment. With that being said, it might make it a bit difficult for sunscreens in other countries to be approved in the US while this process is still taking place.

Here are some quick notes from the policies that the FDA announced:

• Mineral sunscreens (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide) are GRASE (generally recognized as safe and effective), but there are 12 other ingredients found in chemical sunscreens that are currently being tested to see if they are GRASE or not.
• Sunscreens can now go up from 50+ SPF to 60+ SPF
• SPFs of 15 and higher must provide broad-spectrum protection which determines how well your skin is protected by UVA rays
• Labels must follow FDA regulations and must have the active ingredient listed on the front of the package, along with SPF, broad-spectrum protection, and water resistance information

Most over-the-counter American SPF products will be available for purchase, but Korean sunscreens will have to go through the FDA application process before they will be available for US consumers for purchase. The FDA states that this process will take 6 months, but Korean cosmetics companies are thinking that it’ll take up to one year for the FDA to process their application. 😢

We wait for the day to feature a wonderful sunscreen and we thank you for your understanding on why a sunscreen was not featured in our Summer Lux Plus. We hope this blog post helped inform you of the new updates as well and spread the word about the importance of sunscreen. Thank you for reading and look forward to more sunscreen related blogs in the future!

Love,
FaceTory 💝