ANCHOR LEAD IN:
AS YOU LATHER ON THE SUNSCREEN THIS SUMMER...HEADS UP! LEADING DOCTORS WARN MOST LOTIONS AND SPRAYS DON'T SHIELD YOU FROM SOME OF THE SUN'S MOST HARMFUL RAYS.
THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY SAYS THERE IS AN INGREDIENT THAT WORKS WONDERS... BUT THERE'S A HITCH...YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO GET IT IN THE U.S.
SO...HOW ARE MANY AMERICANS, EVEN DOCTORS, GETTING THEIR HANDS ON IT ANYWAY?
IS IT THE BEST WAY TO SAVE THE SKIN YOU'RE IN? HERE'S _________.

TRACK ONE Length: 06
WHETHER IT'S HITTING THE POOL...BEACH...OR JUST HANGING OUTSIDE... WE ALL HAVE OUR REASONS FOR LATHERING ON SUNSCREEN.

SOT
NO KEY
"I'm trying to prevent my skin from aging and, also cancer."

SOT
NO KEY
"I try to do, you know, anything I can to protect myself, while I'm in the sun."

TRACK TWO Length: 12
BUT ARE YOU REALLY PROTECTED? THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY SAYS WHILE THE ALL-FAMILIAR S-P-F NUMBERS INDICATE HOW WELL A SUNSCREEN FIGHTS OFF U-V-B RAYS...THERE'S ANOTHER DANGER WE OFTEN DON'T THINK ABOUT:

SOT
NO KEY
"Most people don't know about UVA rays."

TRACK THREE Length: 07
THE ACADEMY'S DOCTOR CLAY COCKERELL SAYS U-V-A'S CAN POTENTIALLY CAUSE MORE LONG TERM DAMAGE THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT.

SOT
KEY @ : 38 Dr. Clay Cockerell, Pres., American Academy of Dermatology
"They can be dangerous; they have been linked to skin cancer melanoma as well as extensive; premature aging of the skin."

TRACK FOUR Length: 14
CLIENT NOTE: Please see source information
TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, WE'RE EXPOSED TO U-V-A RAYS UP TO 100 TIMES MORE THAN U-V-Bs. DOCTOR COCKERELL SAYS WHILE A COUPLE OF FDA-APPROVED SUBSTANCES CAN BLOCK THE RAYS SOMEWHAT...IT'S AN INGREDIENT USED FOR YEARS IN OTHER COUNTRIES THAT REALLY DOES THE TRICK.

SOT
KEY @ : 1:01 Dr. Clay Cockerell, Pres., American Academy of Dermatology
"Mexoryl is probably the best product available because it has a very unique chemical structure that absorbs the UVA very very well."

TRACK FIVE Length: 15
Source: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology in December 2000 ( see source information for more)
IN FACT, RESEARCH SHOWS IT CAN BLOCK UP TO 90% OF U-V-A LIGHT. SO WHY ISN'T MEXORYL (Mex-orill) IN ALL OF OUR SUNSCREENS? IT'S NOT FDA APPROVED, WHICH MAKES IT ILLEGAL TO SELL IN THE U.S!!!
STILL... PEOPLE ARE GRABBING IT ONLINE AND EVEN IN SOME STORES.

NAT SOT Length: 03
"People are just coming in and grabbing it, and we have a lot of back orders."

TRACK SIX Length: 05
CLIENT NOTE: see source information
*For stations wanting to identify the store: undercover video was shot in New York which is a one party consent state. Please see source information.
WE TOOK A HIDDEN CAMERA INSIDE A STORE WHERE THE SALES LADY ADMITS MEXORYL IS A BIG SELLER.

NAT SOT Length: 02
"That's all you need to apply to your face."

NAT SOT Length: 02
"I've been using for the last 2 or 3 years."

TRACK SEVEN Length: 08
EVEN DERMATOLOGIST JOEL WISNIAK IS A BIG MEXORYL FAN. HE SAYS THE INGREDIENTS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN THE U-S JUST DON'T CUT IT.

SOT
KEY @ : 1:41 Dr. Joel Wiszniak, Uses Sunscreen with Mexoryl
"When they are mixed with a product or when they're exposed to the sun, they tend to lose their protective effect which is not the case with mexoryl."

TRACK EIGHT Length: 20
WE ASKED THE FDA WHAT IT THINKS ABOUT THE SALES OF THE BLACK MARKET SUN BLOCK. IT TOLD US..."WE ARE AWARE OF PRODUCTS BEING SOLD CONTAINING THIS INGREDIENT BUT IT IS NOT CURRENTLY APPROVED UNDER THE OTC SUNSCREEN FINAL MONOGRAPH, WHICH PERMITS WHAT INGREDIENTS CAN BE USED IN SUNSCREEN."
DR. COCKERELL SAYS THE F-D-A IS LOOKING AT THE ISSUE AND THERE IS A RAY OF HOPE.

SOT
NO KEY
"We're hopeful we can get in the United States sometime in the near future."

ANCHOR TAG:
MEXORILL WAS CREATED BY L'OREAL AND IS ONLY AVAILABLE IN L'OREAL PRODUCTS.

THE COMPANY TELLS US IT HAS INITIATED A PROCESS OF DISCUSSION WITH THE
F-D-A REGARDING MEXORYL AND CONTINUES TO WORK CLOSELY WITH THE F-D-A.

THE FDA WOULDN'T COMMENT ON WHETHER THEY ARE LOOKING AT APPROVING MEXORYL, SAYING DRUG APPLICATIONS ARE CONFIDENTIAL.

CURRENTLY, THE A-A-D SAYS YOU CAN GET SOME U-V-A PROTECTION BY USING SUNSCREENS WITH PARSOL 1789, ZINC OXIDE AND TITANIUM DIOXIDE.

SOURCE INFORMATION

Dr. Clay Cockerell
2330 Butler St
Suite 115
Dallas, TX 75235

Contact: Pam Vitez
214 530 5200 x 210

Dr. Cockerell has been president of the AAD since February 2005. He has a private practice in Dallas.

American Academy of Dermatology
Contact: Lisa Doty
Email: ldoty@aad.org
Phone: 847 240 1746

Source info for Track Four:

The AAD has written a letter to the FDA urging it to develop standards for protection in sunscreens against UVA rays. Right now, sunscreens have standards for UVB rays only. The letter states:

"However, given the growing amount of data that links UVA radiation to photoaging and skin cancer in humans, it is essential that sunscreen products also include UVA protection. Indeed, sunscreen products with both UVA and UVB protection in them are an important part of a comprehensive sun protection regimen."

It goes on to state:

"Available data on UVA radiation suggests that UVA exposure may have an even greater role in long-term sun damage than previously thought. This is because UVA radiation indirectly causes DNA damage, is nearly 20-fold more abundant than UVB, and it is 100 times more likely that UVA photons will reach the dermis, the site of many photoaging changes and skin cancer. Furthermore, UVA passes unfiltered through window glass, penetrates deeply into the skin, and is for the most part impervious to altitude and atmospheric conditions. "

The FDA gave us this:

"Mexoryl is not approved in the U.S. We cannot confirm or deny the presence of a drug application before the agency - we are bound by confidentiality laws. Companies can discuss but we cannot.
We are aware of products being sold containing this ingredient but it is not currently approved under the OTC sunscreen final monograph, which permits what ingredients can be used in sunscreen.
Any product that contains mexoryl in it, at this point would be considered an unapproved new drug and therefore in violation of the FD&C act if it was being marketed or promoted for an unapproved use in the U.S.
As far as cosmeceuticals, please see: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/qa-cos5.html
Thank you,"

Laura Alvey
FDA's Press Office
301-827-6252

Source information for Track Five:
The article is titled "Comparison of UVA protection afforded by high sun protection factor sunscreens". It was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology in December 2000 and the authors were: Robert Bissonnette MD, MSc, FRCPC, Soraya Allas MD, PhD, Dominique Moyal PhD, Nathalie Provost MD, FRCPC Montreal, Québec, Canada, and Clichy, France.

Source information for Track Six:
*For stations wanting to identify the store: undercover video was shot in New York, which is a one party consent state. All content was cleared by our lawyer.

L'Oreal:
Jennie James
VP Corporate Communications
Tel: + 1 212 984 4414

L'Oreal has initiated a process of discussion with the FDA regarding mexoryl and continues to work closely with the FDA.