SKIN CANCER IS ON THE RISE-BUT, FORTUNATELY SO IS OUR SKIN CANCER AWARENESS.

            Americans have a new attitude about sunshine in recent years.  We still chase our rays, but the era of sun worshipping has ended--and that's good news for the skin care industry.

            We're taking better care of our largest organ--the six-pound shell we know as skin.  Consumers today are increasingly familiar with the terminology of skin care; they know skin is made of an outer layer, or epidermis, and an inner layer, the dermis.  They know squamous cell and basal cell carcinomas refer to skin cancers, and that melanin, located in the deepest part of the epidermis, is the substances that gives skin its color.

            And consumers are tending to the health of their skin.  A recent survey by Playtex found that 41 percent of men and 60 percent of women over 21 use sunscreen or sunblocks, and that those figures are rising.  Those numbers reflect the attitudes shown in a study by the American Academy of Dermatology, which found that 99 percent of people agree that wearing a sunscreen or sunblock can protect skin against the sun's harmful effects.  A similar study in Europe conducted by Laboratoires Garnier (marketer of Ambre Solaire, one of Europe's leading brands of sun care) showed that 67 percent of all consumers consider sunbathing harmful to the skin, compared to just 13 percent of respondents in 1985.

            People are less certain, however, when it comes to the specific causes of skin cancer.  It has been found, for instance, that people who use products containing alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) have greater sensitivity to the sun, possibly increasing their risk of skin cancer, according to FDA Consumer.  The FDA is concerned that these over-sensitive individuals will think sunscreens eliminate skin cancer risk, when that might not be true.

            Basal cell carcinoma, which accounts for more than 90 percent of the 1 million skin cancers diagnosed in the U.S. every year, is a slow-growing cancer that rarely spreads to other organs.  Squamous cell carcinoma likewise rarely spreads; the most deadly skin cancer is melanoma, which begins in the melanocytes--the skin layer where melanin, the pigment-producing substance, is found.  Of  44,200 Americans diagnosed with melanoma every year, about 7,300 die from the disease.  By 2001, one in 90 people are expected to be diagnosed with malignant melanoma.           

HOW THE SKIN CARE INDUSTRY COMBATS CANCER

The most common cause of skin cancer is ultraviolet radiation (UV rays) from the sun, though UV rays from sunlamps and tanning booths also cause cancer.  People who live where UV radiation levels are high, such as Florida, are at greater risk than those living in northern climates.  While skin cancers usually appear after age 50, the sun's damage often begins in childhood.

Some manufacturers are taking that fact to the bank.  Coppertone remains the mass market sunscreen industry leader, though they are getting serious challenges from companies such as Banana Boat, whose Quik Blok Sunblock is sold in a spray bottle--a less messy way to apply on children's skin.

Most sunscreens, however, are geared to the adult market.  Like other skin care products, many contain trendy ingredients, such as antioxidants and herbals, that help sell the sunscreen and often do have a beneficial effect.

Antioxidants are included in Estee Lauder's DayWear Protective Anti-Oxidant Crème, with SPF 15 protection.  Clarins' Sun Protection Treatments goes one better, offering SPF 4 through 35 along with plant extracts, and Earth Therapeutics last year released a Green Tea Herbal Lotion sunscreen.  And, for those who get a little too much sun, Clinique's Exceptionally Soothing Lotion and Cream for Upset Skin contains hydrocortisone, known to soothe irritated skin.

In 1997, a new ingredient called Parsol 1789 (also called avobenzone) was approved as a sunscreen against UVA radiation.  Last summer it appeared in a number of familiar lines, including Avon Sun, Lançome Soleil Expert Suncare, Ombrelle PreSun Ultra, Shade UVA Guard and Callaway Golf.

Sunscreens are even taking on a new form in some instances:  Neutrogena's SPF-25 Sunblock Stick resembles a tiny deodorant stick, but when applied becomes a sweat-proof, waterproof shield.  And Dermalogica last year debuted its Sun Swipes towelettes, with SPF 15 protection and containing vitamins A, C and E.

Nor is it only sunscreens that provide SPF protection these days.  Moisturizers, anti-aging creams and cosmetics almost routinely include SPF protection in its menu of ingredients today.  Most of Estee Lauder's foundations contain sunscreens, as do its lipsticks.  The Body Shop's Vitamin E Lip Care contains exotic ingredients such as coconut oil, olive oil and beeswax along with UVA and UVB protection, and Avon's Anew Day Force Vertical Lifting Lotion has an SPF 15 rating, as does Elizabeth Arden's Ceramide Time Complex Moisture Cream. 

Merchandising changes with the ingredients

            Some cancer experts worry that as SPF ratings become common, consumers will go back to their sun-worshipping ways.  "Many consumers don't realize that sunscreens have never been clinically proven to prevent skin cancer," said Dr. Michael F. Holick, a professor of dermatology at the Boston University School of Medicine, in an interview for Business Wire.  "This false sense of security may be encouraging sunbathers to stay out in the sun longer than they normally would…"

            One sunscreen manufacturer, California Tan, places warning labels on sunscreen: "With sunscreen protection," the label reads, "UV exposure can still lead to skin cancer and premature aging, even if you don't burn."

            Consumers once saw sunscreens as tanning aids, rather than sun protectors.  As a result of widespread health awareness messages--both from health agencies and from the manufacturers--that situation is changing.  Regulations for television advertising even mention sunscreen ads specifically, admonishing advertisers not to encourage over-exposure or the risk of sunburn.  They may not suggest that a suntan is "healthy" or that pale skin is less attractive than a suntan.

            Laboratoires Garnier suggests to the rest of the suncare industry that they enhance sales by broadcasting those health messages as much as possible.  Pharmacies, they say, should merchandise according to SPF, and the staff should be trained to advise consumers about skin care and avoiding skin cancer.

            In the next two decades, futurists predict that our clothing will be computerized with UV sensors.  With the new technology, we will be able to allow sunlight onto our skins when we choose, and block it when we have had enough.  They even believe that doctors will have the capability of turning our pigmentation genes on or off--on if we want to look tanned, and off if we favor a paler look.

            For now, however, covering up is cool.  The notion that "bronze is beautiful" disappeared with the last millennium. 

The sun care merchandising myth…it’s just a seasonal product

            One of the most popular beliefs, amongst manufacturers and retailers alike, is that sun care is a seasonal business.  Current sales data and consumer behavior seems to suggest that this seasonality is not quite true.  While it is true that the sun care category sales reach their lowest levels during the November through February time period and is strong for March through late October, the awareness of sun protection is strongly becoming a year-round concern.  Further, with the growth of products like sunless tanning items and the baby/infant-targeted items, many SKUs may offer true year-round selling opportunities for retailers. 

            Because of the recent overwhelming concern of skin cancer, it is obvious that skin care products, including the sun care category, are going to become an important piece of the HBA/OTC section, not just during the prime sunning season.  Skin and sun care are two very dynamic categories driven by changing consumer perceptions about their bodies and what the environment—and the sun—is doing to contribute to it’s degeneration.  As the awareness of the consumer becomes stronger, aggressive merchandising strategies by all classes of trade could most likely prove to be successful. 

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