The US has awful sunscreen compared to Asia and Europe. Strict, decades-old FDA rules are to blame.

• European and Asian sunscreens boast stronger and smoother formulas than sunscreens found in the US.
• That's because the FDA is slower to approve new UV filters compared to other countries.

Despite sunscreen's role in protecting us from skin cancer and preventing wrinkles, Americans have a fairly contentious relationship with it. According to a 2021 survey from the American Academy of Dermatology, only about one-third of participants reapply sunscreen properly.

Some people know they should wear sunscreen but hate putting it on with makeup or dealing with an unflattering white cast. Others forego it completely, incorrectly believing it's full of toxic chemicals and blocks vitamin D intake.

If you're one of the millions of Americans who hate wearing sunscreen, there's some good news: There are other types of sunscreens out there that you might actually like — they're just a little harder to get.

Due to regulatory differences, countries like France, South Korea, the UK, Japan, and Australia use UV-blocking ingredients that aren't yet approved in the United States. As a result, sunscreens have advanced in these countries, offering better protection against both UVA and UVB rays while also providing smoother application.

It's these differences that have inspired people to stock up when they're abroad or order internationally bestselling sunscreens to the US.

The FDA hasn't approved a new UV filter since 1996

The FDA treats sunscreens as non-prescription drugs — meaning each ingredient has to go through a lengthy regulatory approval process. While this sounds good in theory, it's led to slow-moving sunscreen advancement; the FDA hasn't approved a new UV-blocking filter in decades.

In fact, only 17 filtering ingredients are considered safe in the States, and from those, about eight are regularly included in sunscreen formulas, as the rest are difficult to blend into desirable products. According to Dr. Ellen Gendler, a dermatologist practicing in New York City, US sunscreens are "very good" at blocking UVB rays — the ones that cause sunburn.

But, she said, we only have only one ingredient approved for UVA blockage: Avobenzone, which she described as "not very stable" and in need of other ingredients to make it effective. UVA rays are deeper-penetrating, which is why you can still get a tan while wearing US sunscreen — something Gendler noted might be "even more harmful to the skin" than the damage done by UVB rays, because UVA rays are known to cause skin cancer.

Additionally, she said that SPF isn't an indicator of protection against UVA. "I have patients use Neutrogena all the time, and they say, 'I'm using an SPF 70', and they're still tan," she said. That's because they're not well protected against ultraviolet A."

Many international sunscreens also look better on skin

Meanwhile, sunscreens in countries like France are classified not as non-prescription drugs, but as cosmetics — making them subject to more lax regulations and faster innovation.

Not only can they cause less of a white cast, but many of them offer more protection against cancer-causing UVA rays than US chemical sunscreens. Gendler said she advises her patients to layer chemical and mineral sunscreens with zinc oxide for better protection — but even that"doesn't afford them the same broad spectrum as the European products do."

For example, her favorite international sunscreen is La Roche Posay's SPF 50 Anthelios UVMune 400 sunscreen, which comes in multiple formulas such as "invisible" and "tinted." It uses Mexoryl 400, an advanced version of Mexoryl, which has been considered one of the best UVA-blocking ingredients since 2005.

However, the FDA has only approved some forms of Mexoryl in limited formulas. That means La Roche Posay's US versions of the same sunscreen don't include Mexoryl. In the US, the only La Roche Posay product with Mexoryl is an SPF-15 moisturizer.

You can get international sunscreens shipped overseas to the US

Formulas sold directly in the US must adhere to FDA regulations, so to get your hands on European, Asian, or Australian sunscreens they need to be shipped to the US.

Websites like Care to Beauty, Cocooncenter, and YesStyle offer overseas shipping (warning: delivery fees can cost more than the product itself), while some TikTok-famous Korean brands, like Beauty of Joseon or Round Lab, ship directly from their websites.

Some third-party carriers on Amazon also claim to sell popular international sunscreens, though it's harder to verify that you're getting the real thing and not a counterfeit.

If all else fails and you have a vacation abroad coming up, you can always leave some extra room in your luggage on your way back home. Or, you can always call in a favor.

"If your friends are going to Europe, instead of bringing you back a scarf, tell them to bring you back sunscreen," Gendler said.