Feedback: Trial by water


Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more


AS THE nights draw in in the northern hemisphere, we return to the subject of unconventional sunscreen. At the height of the London summer we mentioned claims by the Colorado company Osmosis that it had produced a drinkable sun screen (5 July). The "Harmonized H2O UV Neutralizer" is now less prominent on its website, but digging suggests the ingredients are "purified water imprinted with unique, vibrational waves".


Brian Handley alerts us to the UK consumer magazine Which!, which asked the British Association of Dermatologists about the product. The response was: "it's complete nonsense to suggest that drinking water will give you a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 30".


And David Geddes forwards a document the company sent him, which begins "This randomized clinical trial..." Its authors appear not to ...


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