AG targets sunscreen labeling

East Haven (WTNH) - Connecticut's attorney general wants to make sure the sunscreen you slather on does what the label promises it will do. 

Eva Marie Trimachi of East Haven knows that the label is not really accurate.

"It can say waterproof or sweatproof but you have to reapply because in the salt water, chlorine it all comes off," she said.

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal agrees. He's been trying for years to get the Food And Drug Administration to clamp down on sunscreen manufacturers, demanding truth on the labels.

"Manufacturers don't want to tell the truth about their products because they don't want to diminish sales," he said.

He says dermatologists have told him high SPF numbers aren't really safer.

"Above 30 it only offers marginal protection," Blumenthal said.

One ray of sunshine in all of this -- Blumenthal says ingredients are better. If it has Avobenzine in it, it protects against UVA rays which are the most damaging.

But Trimachi says she relies on common sense.

"They want to sell something. But any good parents knows you have to reapply," she said.

Blumenthal wants sunscreen manufacturers to bar all waterproof claims and not exceed SPF 50.