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If your summer skincare looks more like dessert than SPF, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a message: Put down the whipped cream canisterespecially if its actually sunscreen. On Monday, the agency dropped an unusually beachy buzzkill, warning that mousse-style sunscreensthe viral, fluffy-textured formulas that are all over TikTokmight not protect you as promised. Even worse? Their ice-cream-topping aesthetic could tempt someone to take a taste. And yes, thats as bad of an idea as it sounds. Beware of sunscreen products in mousse form because they might not be effective, the agency wrote on X. Some mousse sunscreen products resemble whipped cream containers and may put consumers at risk if ingested. The FDAs social media statement was accompanied by a flurry of official warnings issued to companies making mousse-style sunscreens, which have taken off thanks to TikTok trends and influencer campaigns. On TikTok, some videos joke about mousse sunscreens resemblance to whipped cream by pretending to ingest it. The warnings were issued to five sunscreen companies: Supergoop, Vacation, TiZO, Kalani and K & Care Organics. Beware of sunscreen products in mousse form because they might not be effective. The FDA issued five warning letters to companies marketing sunscreen products in mousse form: https://t.co/z0kHZqULna pic.twitter.com/xZPtgqWQqE— FDA Drug Information (@FDA_Drug_Info) August 12, 2025 In the letters, the FDA states that the brands mousse sunscreens dont comply with its guidelines and havent been approved to be marketed in mousse form. According to the FDA, sunscreens in forms other than oil, lotion, cream, gel, butter, paste, ointment, stick, spray, and powder need an additional authorization to be marketed as effective sunscreen. As previously stated, there are no FDA-approved applications in effect for your drug products, the agency states. The FDA gave the sunscreen brands 15 days to reply or pursue compliance with the concerns in the letter, which was dated back to August 6. The FDA went further with the viral mousse sunscreen brand Vacation, pointing to misbranding concerns with some of the companys packaging. Vacations Classic Whip sunscreen comes in a red-and-white canister thats designed to look almost exactly like a can of whipped creama marketing flourish that sent its mousse sunscreens viral. Specifically, your sunscreens are presented in metal canisters . . . that outputs a star-shaped foam and have a strong overall resemblance to the metal canisters ordinarily used to package whipped cream products and similar dessert toppings, the FDA wrote, adding that selling products classified as drugs in food container lookalikes increases the risk of accidental ingestion. Fast Company reached out to Vacation for comment. Whats the deal with the mousse? While traditional lotion, stick, and spray sunscreens have occupied drug store shelves for years, mousse-style sunscreens only exploded onto the scene recently. Accelerated by TikTok posts of influencers slathering themselves in what looks like Reddi-wip, Vacation quickly enjoyed its social media-powered moment in the sun. @beautybyniurka POV: Whip creaming myself all summer with @Vacation Inc. Classic Whip SPF 30 Sunscreen Mousse #vacationspf #bestsunscreen The whipped texture is light and fluffy, no sticky or oily residue. Leaves your skin radiant and glowing! The fragrance is unmatched! Coconut, banana , pool water , pool toy, & swimsuit lycra . I cannot think of a better smelling sunscreen! NO JOKE! Have you tried this viral whipped sunscreen yet Hot summer sun outdoors beach bum summer girl Cruelty free vegan beauty summer essentials sunscreen vacation inc sunscreen UGC creator UGC content beauty tips summer must haves trending sunscreen viral makeup products sun protection beach vacation water resistant water resistant sunscreen target finds ulta beauty pool days summer fun skin health spf viral video trending video Asmr asmr video asmr skincare makeup products grwm water park Disney #summer#summervibes#spfeveryday#sunprotection#spf#sunscreeneveryday#summeressentials#summermusthave#spf30#beauty#skincare#skin #whipcream#whippedsunscreen#vacationsunscreen#vacationinc#suntan#suntanning#suntanlotion#tanning#sunburn#soldejaneiro#target#targetfinds#targetstyle #makeup#ugc#ugccreator#skintok #beautytok @Ulta Beauty @target billie eilish CHIHIRO gravagerz remix – grava The brands thoroughly ’80s aesthetic and creative marketing have kept its sunscreen, inspired by everyones favorite after dinner indulgence, in the skincare conversation. Now, Vacations mousse sunscreen is on shelves at Target and Ulta. This summer, Vacation partnered with Erewhon, L.A.s astronomically expensive viral grocery chain, to release a sunscreen smoothie for paying members, made with coconut and themed after the skincare brands summery scents. Beyond the Reddi-wip drama, the U.S. sunscreen scene is not without its share of controversies. Skincare devotees have long known that American sunscreen pales in comparison to options in Europe and Asia. Beyond the U.S., sunscreen formulations include UV-blocking ingredients that havent yet gained FDA approval. The problem largely comes down to the fact that sunscreen is regulated as a drug in the U.S., while many other countries treat it as a cosmetic. While sunscreens sold stateside are good at handling UVB rays that cause sunburn, theyre missing better options for blocking UVA rays, which penetrate skin deeply and are a known cause of cancer. The U.S. hasnt approved a new sunscreen active ingredient in more than two decades a fact that has American travelers regularly stocking their luggage with the good stuff when traveling abroad. “At Supergoop! we remain committed to innovation in sun care and the highest standards of product efficacy and safety,” the company told Fast Company in a statement. “The recent communication from the FDA regarding our PLAY SPF 50 Body Mousse is focused on product labeling and has nothing to do with its safety, effectiveness, or formula. We are working closely with the FDA to resolve this matter as we continue to uphold the high standards our consumers expect from us.”
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If your lunch order is a little lacking in portion size, your name might have something to do with itat least according to some social media users. A viral theory claims that takeout orders from fast-casual chains with mens names receive heftier portions than those with womens names. After months, even years, of gender-related speculation circulating online, one TikTok creator decided to put the theory to the test and conduct a series of experiments. She placed identical orders at Chipotle, one using her own name, Emily Joy Lemus, and the other using the name Andrew.” Holding the bowls side by side, to the naked eye there does seem to be a perceivable, if marginal, difference, with Andrews order piled slightly higher. Still skeptical, those in the comments demanded scientific proof. Lemus ran the experiment again, but this time she weighed the two identical orders on a food scaleone under the name Tom this time, the other under her own name. While again, the difference wasnt unequivocal to the eye, the scale told a different story. Toms bowl clocked in at 714 grams, but Emilys was only 686 grams, a nearly 30 gram gap. This is insane that this is a hack, she said. On Reddit and Threads, others reported that the trick has worked for them, too. It’s frustrating having to pay for extra portions when men get that much just for being men, one Reddit user wrote. Some, however, remain unconvinced. As a current employee, nobody is looking at names, one Chipotle employee assured. A Chipotle manager added, we make the orders as quickly as possible for anyone no matter what gender you are. Others suspect it is simply a matter of different employees being more or less heavy-handed with their scoops. Fast Company has reached out to Chipotle for comment on the portion size debate. Recent research does lend credibility to the idea of an unconscious bias in portion size when it comes to perceived gender. A 2025 study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found participants associated men with larger portions, while women were expected to be satisfied with less. However, the study didnt offer any particularly strong evidence that this impacted behavior. Wanting to further test her theory, Lemus also took her informal experiment to the Mediterranean fast-casual chain Cava. This time, she found the opposite to be true: The order with the womans name clocked in heavier than the one with the man’s. What that tells me is that Cava is for the girls, she said.
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As AI chatbots become ubiquitous, states are looking to put up guardrails around AI and mental health before its too late. With millions of people turning to AI for advice, chatbots have begun posing as free, instant therapists a phenomenon that, right now, remains almost completely unregulated. In the vacuum of regulation on AI, states are stepping in to quickly erect guardrails where the federal government hasnt. Earlier this month, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed a bill into law that limits the use of AI in therapy services. The bill, the Wellness and Oversight for Psychological Resources Act, blocks the use of AI to provide mental health and therapeutic decision-making, while still allowing licensed mental health professionals to employ AI for administrative tasks like note taking. The risks inherent in non-human algorithms doling out mental health guidance are myriad, from encouraging recovering addicts to have a small hit of meth to engaging young users so successfully that they withdraw from their peers. One recent study found that nearly a third of teens find conversations with AI as satisfying or more satisfying than real-life interactions with friends. States pick up the slack, again In Illinois, the new law is designed to protect patients from unregulated and unqualified AI products, while also protecting the jobs of Illinois thousands of qualified behavioral health providers, according to the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation (IDFPR), which coordinated with lawmakers on the legislation. The people of Illinois deserve quality healthcare from real, qualified professionals and not computer programs that pull information from all corners of the internet to generate responses that harm patients, IDFPR Secretary Mario Treto, Jr said. Violations of the law can result in a $10,000 fine. Illinois has a history of successfully regulating new technologies. The states Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), which governs the use of facial recognition and other biometric systems for Illinois residents, has tripped up many tech companies accustomed to operating with regulatory impunity. That includes Meta, a company thats now all-in on AI, including chatbots like the ones that recently made chats some users believed to be private public in an open feed. Earlier this year, Nevada enacted its own set of new regulations on the use of AI in mental health services, blocking AI chatbots from representing themselves as capable of or qualified to provide mental or behavioral health care. The law also prevents schools from using AI to act as a counselor, social worker or psychologist or from performing other duties related to the mental health of students. Earlier this year, Utah added its own restrictions around the mental health applications of AI chatbots, though its regulations dont go as far as Illinois or Nevada. The risks are serious In February, the American Psychological Association met with U.S. regulators to discuss the dangers of AI chatbots pretending to be therapists. The group presented its concerns to an FTC panel, citing a case last year of a 14-year-old in Florida who died by suicide after becoming obsessed with a chatbot made bt the company Character.AI. They are actually using algorithms that are antithetical to what a trained clinician would do, APA Chief Executive Arthur C. Evans Jr. told The New York Times. Our concern is that more and more people are going to be harmed. People are going to be misled, and will misunderstand what good psychological care is. Were still learning more about those risks. A recent study out of Stanford found that chatbots marketing themselves for therapy often stigmatized users dealing with serious mental health issues and issued responses that could be inappropriate or even dangerous. LLM-based systems are being used as companions, confidants, and therapists, and some people see real benefits, co-author and Stanford Assistant Professor Nick Haber said. But we find significant risks, and I think its important to lay out the more safety-critical aspects of therapy and to talk about some of these fundamental differences.
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