CVS announced this week that it has met its 2020 goal of removing the controversial ingredients oxybenzone and octinoxate from nearly 60 of its private brand sunscreens. And while the retailer had initially promised to fulfill the commitment by the end of 2020, it just announced that it has reached the goal.
“This commitment was made in 2019 — ahead of Hawaii and Florida’s regulatory scheduled requirements to eliminate these ingredients, put in place to minimize the 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 retailer 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.
“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.”
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