Most of us, I imagine, toil away in obscurity. For example, people find out that I’m in publishing and ask, “Oh, what books do you publish?” When I tell them that it’s magazines, specifically trade magazines, they invariably ask, “Oh, what magazine?”

My pat answer is “Happi, which is an acronym for Household and Personal Products Industry.” That response is usually enough to kill the conversation—but I’m never sure if the silence is because my acquaintance doesn’t know what an acronym is or if he finds laundry and shampoos deadly dull. Still, I’ll bet that surfactant chemists and pigment manufacturers struggle through similar cocktail banter.

So when our industry made headlines last month, I was more than a bit surprised. Sure the FDA ruling on sunscreen labeling is big news for Happi readers, but I didn’t expect front-page coverage in my local paper, let alone The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal. Of course, not all news is good news. The Record’s headline blared, “New Rules for Sunscreens.” Unfortunately, the subhead included “Some don’t help prevent skin cancer,” which was in reference to the fact that not every product provides UVA and UVB protection. Technically, that’s correct, but copy like that will only confuse and scare consumers.

For complete, accurate coverage of this major event, check out The Sunscreen Filter, our bimonthly column by sunscreen expert Nadim Shaath (p. 46). Shaath has studied the FDA’s long-awaited response to the issues surrounding UV protection and he’s got plenty to say on the matter. And be on the lookout for an email from Happi announcing our free sunscreen webinar, which will take place on Aug. 11 at 1pm on our website, Happi.com. The webinar will feature the US Food and Drug Administration’s Reynold Tan, who can answer your questions about the recent FDA actions, as well as commentary from Dr. Shaath. You can register for this free event on Happi.com. For more information, see the ad on p. 132 in this issue.

The July issue is about more than sunscreen, of course. It includes The Top 50, which, like the Sunscreen Monograph itself, got its start in 1978. Our annual look at the leading US-based companies in the household and personal products industry, starts on p. 69.

Also this month, we report on the increasingly blurred line between beauty and nutrition. Melissa Meisel’s tasty coverage on the topic begins on p. 64.

We hope you enjoy this edition of Happi, as always, we welcome your comments and suggestions.

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