CVS Is Eliminating Oxybenzone and Octinoxate From Nearly 60 of Its Store-Brand Sunscreens [Update]
UPDATE (August 14, 2020): It's been a little more than a year since CVS announced its intention to remove oxybenzone and octinoxate — two controversial ingredients found in some chemical sunscreens — from nearly 60 of its store-brand sunscreens. And while the pharmacy chain had initially promised to complete the task by the end of 2020, it just announced that the goal has already been reached.
"This commitment was made in 2019 — ahead of Hawaii and Florida's regulatory scheduled requirements to eliminate these ingredients, put in place to minimize impact on marine ecosystems — as part of a health-driven effort by CVS to ensure increased access to a wide range of free-from, efficacious products and meet the expanding lifestyle preferences of its customers across the country," the company said in a statement. "It has now been completed six months before the goal."
For the time being, and as planned, the two ingredients will remain in CVS store-brand sunscreens with an SPF of 50 or higher in order to be "most effective for customers who require this strength of protection." However, these products will only be available outside of Hawaii and Florida.
This post originally appeared on August 2, 2019: With two of America's sunniest states making unprecedented moves to ban the sale of sunscreens that contain oxybenzone and octinoxate, it was only a matter of time before we saw a domino effect on how brands and retailers approached the inclusion of these chemicals, which are believed to be harmful to coral reefs. And now, one of the country's biggest drugstore chains, CVS, is taking it upon itself to remove them from dozens of its store-brand sunscreens.
"By the end of 2020, CVS Health Store Brand sunscreens under SPF 50 will no longer contain oxybenzone and octinoxate, which comes ahead of the regulatory scheduled requirements in Hawaii and Florida to eliminate these ingredients, being put in place to minimize impact on marine ecosystems," a press release from CVS reads. A bill proposing a statewide ban of the chemicals did not pass in Florida; however, the city of Key West approved a local ban that will go into effect on January 1, 2021, the same day that Hawaii's ban begins.
"As a leading health and beauty destination, CVS Pharmacy is highly attuned to our customers' evolving needs and their desire for products that are more sustainable while still being efficacious," CVS Health's SVP of merchandising, George Coleman, said in a statement. "We are committed to continuing to monitor the ingredients in the products we carry and to ensure our consumers have access to a wide range of free-from products that deliver quality and value while also meeting their lifestyle preferences."
Oxybenzone and octinoxate will still remain on CVS shelves in two ways: in the sunscreens made by brands that have not yet chosen to formulate their products without it (many brands make both chemical and mineral sunscreens, while others make only one or the other), and in CVS Health sunscreens with an SPF of 50 and above. The reason CVS is not removing oxybenzone and octinoxate from those higher-SPF sunscreens is so they can "be most effective for customers who require this strength of protection."
However, CVS Health sunscreens with SPF 50+ will not be available in Hawaii and Florida so as to comply with regulations.
CVS says this decision to remove oxybenzone and octinoxate from nearly 60 of its in-house products "builds on the 2017 commitment to remove parabens, phthalates, and the most prevalent formaldehyde-releasing preservatives from CVS Health Store Brand beauty and personal care items, which is on-track to be completed by the end of this year."
This also isn't the first time the retailer has made a change to its sunscreen policies, previously eliminating skin-care items with an SPF below 15 due to a lack of proven efficacy.
More must-know sunscreen info:
Everything You Need to Know About the FDA's Sunscreen Ingredient Regulations
A Black Girl’s Guide to Protecting Your Hair and Skin From the Sun
Now check out 100 years of sun care:
Follow Marci on Instagram and Twitter, or subscribe to Allure's newsletter for daily beauty stories delivered right to your inbox.
Originally Appeared on Allure
