Sunscreen May Increase Absorption of DEET

Sunscreen and insect repellent in the same bottle? The products may save time, but the government is questioning if there should be more oversight.

The issue: A handful of small studies, using animal and human skin cells, suggest mixing sunscreen with the insect repellent DEET might increase DEET absorption — and make sunscreen not protect as well.

Also, sunscreen is supposed to be applied repeatedly in great dollops, as sweating or swimming wears it off. And it's for young children, starting at 6 months of age. But insect repellents have limits on how often they're used, and how young. How can product labels reconcile those instructions?