Sunscreen Added to WHO Essential Medicines List for People with Albinism

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has officially added sunscreen to its Model List of Essential Medicines, a move that brings hope to persons with albinism around the world.

The decision recognises sunscreen as an essential tool for preventing skin damage and skin cancer, particularly among those most vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation.

People with albinism lack melanin, the natural pigment that protects skin from the sun. This makes them highly susceptible to sunburn, skin damage, and skin cancer. In sub-Saharan Africa, where sun exposure is intense, studies show that up to 90 per cent of people with albinism may develop skin cancer before the age of 30.

Access to sunscreen can therefore be life-saving.

The campaign to include sunscreen as an essential medicine was led by Muluka-Anne Miti-Drummond, the UN Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism.

“For individuals whose lives are defined by vulnerability to ultraviolet radiation, access to sunscreen is life-changing,” she said.

By reclassifying sunscreen from a cosmetic product to an essential medicine, the WHO recognises its critical role in preventive health care for people with albinism.

The initiative began in May 2022 when the Albinism Secretariat approached the WHO to advocate for the inclusion of sunscreen.

Over the next two years, several organisations, including the Global Albinism Alliance, the Pierre Fabre Foundation, and Beyond Suncare, worked to strengthen the application.

The initial proposal was rejected in July 2023, but after a revised submission in November 2024 and support from new partners like the Africa Albinism Network, the WHO approved it in May 2025.

Personal stories, such as that of Clara Maliwa, a skin cancer survivor with albinism, helped highlight the life-saving importance of sunscreen.

In Kenya, the Albinism Society of Kenya has partnered with Linton Cosmetics to make sunscreen more accessible and affordable. Under the leadership of Chairperson Isaac Mwaura, the collaboration provides a plant-based sunscreen at half the original price, reducing the cost from Ksh2,500 to Ksh1,250.