Could the summer's hottest cocktail be ... sunblock?
One company claims to have developed a drinkable sunscreen that provides protection comparable to an SPF 30 lotion.
Osmosis Skincare's UV Neutralizer Harmonized Water uses purified water "imprinted with unique vibrational waves which isolate out the precise frequencies needed to protect you from UV rays," according to a press release.
The product, available in Tan Enhancing and No Tan Enhancing, comes in 3.38-ounce bottles that retail for $30. The 2-mL servings (usually imbibed with 2 ounces of water) provide about three hours of coverage, according to Osmosis.
Dr. Ben Johnson, the founder and formulator of Osmosis Skincare, told The Huffington Post the duration can vary depending on a person's weight.
Photo credit: Osmosis
While the company notes on its website that the Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated the claims, Johnson, who is not a dermatologist, told HuffPost that his company tested the stuff. Subjects were told to drink the Harmonized Water and apply conventional sunblock on most exposed parts of their body while leaving one limb free of any substance. After sun exposure, the limb without a topical sunblock was compared to the rest of the body.
"We believe this is testing at SPF 30 or higher," he said.
The company website contains several positive testimonials, but some experts are skeptical.
New York dermatologist Dr. Jessica Krant told HuffPost the products are "totally unsubstantiated pseudoscience" that "do not list any active ingredients anywhere publicly available that might suggest true efficacy in any kind of protection from sun damage." (The company lists the ingredients as "Distilled Water, Multiple Vibrational Frequency Blends.") Krant added that "even known oral antioxidants that can provide some protection from the sun are not able to achieve more than a few notches of SPF protection from UVB rays."
Dr. David J. Leffell, professor of dermatology and surgery at the Yale School of Medicine, wrote to HuffPost: "Being very familiar with the biology of ultraviolet radiation and the skin, I would be very suspicious that this product would not be validated scientifically. Moreover, why would you want to take something that affects your whole system when you are dealing with what is effectively a surface issue?"
The potable sunscreen has been on the market for some time but received more exposure since Osmosis hired a PR company to promote it, Johnson explained.