Drinkable sunscreen claims UV protection, but dermatologists are skeptical

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Research shows that cumulative sun exposure can significantly raise your risk of skin cancer. All the more reason to protect your skin from the sun.

But one skincare company claims their product - a drinkable sunscreen in water form - can cancel out about 97 percent of the sun's damaging UVA and UVB rays.

"It's a great idea. It's a lot less hassle and a lot less of a mess it seems," said Cesar Sanchez, who hates having to constantly put on sunscreen.

Osmosis Skincare's UV Neutralizer Harmonized Water claims to provide the equivalent of an SPF 30 for up to three hours. How?

Dr. Ben Johnson, the skincare line's founder, describes how it works in a video posted on the company's YouTube channel, saying "harmonized water, simply put, is the imprinting of radio frequency energy onto the molecules of water."

Marianne Kehoe stocks bottles of the drinkable sunscreen at her skincare store for $30 or $50 a bottle. She's been selling the harmonized UV water for a year, but recently it's been gaining in popularity.

"We've really done well with it because now, instead of just using sun block, in addition they're also using this water," said Kehoe.

But dermatologists say relying on this drinkable sunscreen to protect you is dangerous.

"I'm concerned that you're going to get a burn, you're going to have this false sense of security and actually it's going to increase your risk of melanoma," said Dr. Shirley Chi, a board certified dermatologist at the Center for Advanced Dermatology, Inc.

Chi says there is no evidence to show the product is anything more than water and she warns her patients to steer clear.

"This is something that you want to be very careful of. You don't want to use this in place of sunscreen," she advised.

The American Academy of Dermatology also released a statement warning consumers about replacing sunscreen with UV Harmonizing water, stating the lack of any scientific proof.

"They are so concerned that people are going to use this instead of sunscreen that they really felt it was important to make a statement like this," said Chi.

Sanchez was curious enough to give it try. The verdict: it tasted just like water.

We took a closer look at the label to see what was listed besides water. The label says it contains something called "multiple vibration frequency blends," but again, there is no scientific evidence that it works.