UVO

Nobody enjoys slathering on sunscreen, but as a precaution against skin cancer it’s a necessary task. But a supplement marketer called UVO, promising a solution to this summer routine, caught our eye. UVO sells a drink that it says protects your skin from the sun for three to five hours “from the inside out.”

UVO touts itself as a “Sun Protective Supplement” that defends your skin from ultraviolet rays, and also acts retroactively to repair it after sun damage and overexposure as well as providing “anti-aging” benefits.

It claims the supplement is “Proven to Protect,” but where exactly is the science backing up these claims?

UVO’s site links to a clinical trial with just 15 subjects that just shows before and after pictures.

In a recent Consumer Reports article, founder Bobby Awadalla (a dermatologist), says that “the company’s preliminary testing, similar to what the FDA requires for sunscreens, found that drinking UVO protected against sunburn for at least 3 hours.” There has been studies done on the individual ingredients in UVO that the company lists on the site, but the company would not provide CR with its own trial of its specific formula.

Consumer Reports warns against using UVO and cautions: “There is no mention of using sunscreen in conjunction with the drink on the bottle, and though the warning ‘should not be used as the only source of sun protection’ is on the company’s website, it is not prominently displayed.” UVO even goes so far as to discuss the drawbacks of sunscreen in a company video featured on its homepage.

The American Academy of Dermatology said the drink should not be used as a replacement for sunscreen.

Be cautious with supplements promising miraculous results and remember to always wear your sunscreen.

For more on sunscreen click here.