Your Sunscreen May Be Getting A Major Overhaul

There's some big news for your sunscreen — and it's coming from the government. Last week, the U.S. Senate passed a bill dubbed the Sunscreen Innovation Act, which will implement a timeline for the review of active ingredients in sunscreen, according to xoVain. Translation: The FDA will have to quit dragging its heels when it comes to approving or denying whether new, skin-protecting, actives wind up in your SPF.

Don't think this is a huge deal? Think about it this way: These ingredients have been awaiting sign-off for over a decade. In fact, the last one to get the nod was Mexoryl SX, a UVA filter approved only for use in La Roche-Posay's Anthelios line — and that was back in 2006. In 2002, the FDA devised a new system that would help ingredients get through the process within 180 days. Considering Mexoryl SX was the only one to eek through, and it's only available in one product, we'd say the Sunscreen Innovation Act is pretty necessary.

Once the bill is enacted into law, the FDA will have a deadline to review the already submitted products, which should take somewhere in the ballpark of 11 months. After that, companies can start submitting new ingredients, and the process should start chugging along quicker. At the very least, it would give us a greater shot of being able to use what our European counterparts can easily get their hands on. Yes, you're this much closer to French-girl skin. (xoVain)