U. S. Department of Health and Human Services
U. S. Food and Drug Administration
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition

Information about Suntan Products, Sunscreens, and Tanning

Please note: The following materials are assembled here for easy access to sun safety information. Under the law, some of the products referenced in these documents are cosmetics, while others are drugs or combination drug/cosmetic products. Please refer to the individual articles to learn about the regulatory status of the types of products discussed. For related information, see Is It a Cosmetic, a Drug, or Both? (or Is It Soap?).

Information from the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and FDA

• AHAs and UV Sensitivity: Results of New FDA-Sponsored Studies
• Chemical Photosensitivity: Another Reason to be Careful in the Sun
• DHA-Spray Sunless "Tanning" Booths
• Draft Guidance for Industry: Labeling for Topically Applied Cosmetic Products Containing Alpha Hydroxy Acids as Ingredients
• Required Warning Statement for Tanning Products without Sunscreen
• Sunning for Science: The Effects of Common Substances on Sun-Exposed Skin
• Sunscreens, Tanning Products, and Sun Safety
• Tanning Accelerators
• Tanning Pills
• Trying to Look SUNsational? Complexity Persists in Sunscreens

Information from Other Federal Government Agencies

• Environmental Protection Agency
  • Health Effects of Overexposure to the Sun

• Federal Trade Commission
  • Indoor Tanning
  • Protecting Kids from the Sun
  • Sunscreens and Sun-Protective Clothing