Popular sunscreens marketed to individuals with skin of color: Cost, marketing claims, and allergenic ingredients

Abstract

There is increasing awareness of the negative effects of ultraviolet (UV) light in individuals with skin of color (SOC), especially in regards to pigmentation disorders induced and/or exacerbated by UV exposure.1 As a result, there has been a surge in sunscreens marketed to this population. We aimed to characterize cost, marketing claims, and potential allergenic ingredients in sunscreens marketed to individuals with SOC. Sunscreens were identified on Google Search via internet search terms: "sunscreen" plus "skin of color," "dark skin," "brown skin" "LatinX skin" and/or "black skin" (December 2021, October 2022). Price, marketing claims, and ingredients were extracted from manufacturers' websites. Potential allergens were defined based on the American Contact Dermatitis Society (ACDS) 2020 Core series (90 allergens, includes benzophenone-3/4). Cross-reactors/synonyms were combined into allergen categories based on ACDS Contact Allergen Management Plan (CAMP) cross-reactor classification (contactderm.org/camp); if multiple ingredients in a sunscreen were represented by a single allergen category, it was counted only once. A similar approach was utilized for marketing categories. Cost and Claims, Twelve sunscreens were identified. Average cost was $19.30/oz (range: $6.33-$50.00, SD=$11.35). Common claims were "no white cast" (91.7%), being free of an ingredient (83.3%), and "moisturizing" (75.0%) (Table 1). More than half of sunscreens (58.3%, 7/12) contained a chemical sunscreen agent. Five (41.7%) sunscreens contained a physical UV-blocker. All identified sunscreens contained at least one allergen (Table 2). Average number of allergens per product was 4.7 (range from 1-8). The most common allergens were fragrance/botanicals (83.3%), tocopherol (83.3%), sodium benzoates/derivatives (58.3%), and sorbitan sesquiolate/derivatives (58.3%). Average cost of sunscreens marketed to individuals with SOC was $19.30/oz, much higher than the median price of $3.32/oz reported in a separate study of 65 popular sunscreens.2 As many of the sunscreens in our study were sold by smaller businesses, higher prices may be due to higher production costs or a perceived smaller market.