Experts warn ‘sunscreen pills’ being sold online won’t protect you from sunburn

Experts warn taking a ‘sunscreen pill’ won’t stop you from getting sunburned – and could be dangerous

  • A warning has been issued to Australians over the use of sunscreen pills 
  • Australians told ‘There’s no definitive evidence… they actually are effective’ 
  • Advice from Cancer Council is to stick with actual sunscreen as it is ‘effective’  

Australians are being warned to avoid taking sunscreen pills which are being sold online and instead heed the ‘slip, slop, slap’ message. 

With the nation in the midst of summer, experts say the pills will not protect from sunburn and only actual sunscreen is proven to be effective for your skin. 

The pills are manufactured by US companies, with some saying they ‘protect skin from excessive sun exposure and its harmful effects’, ABC News reported.  

Australians are being advised to avoid sunscreen pills and instead opt for sunscreen which can be placed on your skin. Pictured, beachgoers at Bondi Beach, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs 

But the Cancer Council says sunscreen pills are not part of the sun safe message. 

‘There’s no definitive evidence to let us know that they actually are effective. What we do know is effective is actual sunscreen,’ Cancer Council spokeswoman Justine Osborne told the ABC. 

‘Australia has very strict regulations and standards, and so if you’re buying an Australian sunscreen with an Australian licence number, you know you can trust what’s in that sunscreen.’

Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration warns Australians to ‘exercise extreme caution’ when opting to purchase medicines from overseas online sites. 

The sunscreen pills are not listed on the TGA’s approved register.  

The US Food and Drug Administration last year warned in a new report the largely unregulated cosmetic market is saturated with products that claim to protect you but fail to do so. 

The Cancer Council said: 'What we do know is effective is actual sunscreen' (stock image) 

The Cancer Council said: ‘What we do know is effective is actual sunscreen’ (stock image) 

This is one of the pill products marketed as a form of sunscreen that the U.S FDA slammed last year

This is one of the pill products marketed as a form of sunscreen that the U.S FDA slammed last year

‘There’s no pill or capsule that can replace your sunscreen,’ FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, said at the time. 

‘We’ve found products purporting to provide protection from the sun that aren’t delivering the advertised benefits. 

‘Instead they’re misleading consumers and putting people at risk.’

The FDA had ordered four companies to either stop selling the products or make clear they do nothing to protect skin. 

‘They are putting people’s health at risk by giving consumers a false sense of security,’ Gottlieb said.  

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk