Of White Whales, Bitcoin & FDA

It’s positively maddening when something seems so close yet remains out of reach. Captain Ahab chased the white whale around the globe in Herman Melville’s 1851 Great American Novel, Moby Dick. Ultimately, Ahab met his tormentor…and his death. A quarter century ago, a friend misplaced a winning lottery ticket. At least once a week, for 51 weeks, he mentioned that ticket and how finding it would forever change his life. With about four days to go before the ticket expired, he found it—only to discover his “winning” ticket was off by a number or two. A nice payout, but not the life-changing sum he expected. Just last month, a Welshman was thwarted in his efforts to purchase a landfill in Wales to recover a hard drive containing $700 million in bitcoin. At press time, the court repeatedly denied his request.

What do sperm whales, MegaMillions and cryptocurrency have to do with our industry? Unlike other countries, sunscreens are regulated as drugs in the US. For decades, suncare manufacturers have sought reasonable, workable regulations from the US Food and Drug Administration. But just when raw material suppliers and formulators think a solution has been reached, FDA moves the goalposts. 

Our columnist on all things sunscreen, call him Nadim, laments the time and energy spent by industry trying to get effective sunscreen actives in the hands of US consumers. It’s been a truly maddening journey. But it’s been a fascinating one, as well. Also this month, Ardeshir Bayat MD, PhD, provides an update on the UV protection research. Finally, our annual look at new product developments in suncare can be found here.

Also, this month, we report on the latest advances in intimate care and color cosmetics.

We hope you enjoy this issue of Happi. As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions.

Tom Branna
Chief Content Officer
tbranna@rodmanmedia.com