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The Burning Question About Sunscreen Safety
By Chryso D'Angelo on Jun 30, 2009
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Laying on a beach, swimming in a pool, gardening, fishing, lazing away a sunny day in a backyard hammock—no matter where we go, our skin is under attack by the sun’s UVB/UVA rays. What better way to protect it than by slathering on generous globs of sunscreen…right?
Not so fast, slick. Some sun protection contains potentially harmful ingredients, namely benzophenone-3, octinoxate, PABA, DEA, parabens, and helioplex. These chemicals interfere with normal hormonal balance and can actually lead to cancer, according to the Environmental Working Group, a watchdog organization in Washington, DC.
What do we do? Foregoing sunscreen is a scary option, since, according to the National Cancer Institute, more than a million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. every year. The answer is to purchase the safest sunscreen you can find.
Not so fast, slick. Some sun protection contains potentially harmful ingredients, namely benzophenone-3, octinoxate, PABA, DEA, parabens, and helioplex. These chemicals interfere with normal hormonal balance and can actually lead to cancer, according to the Environmental Working Group, a watchdog organization in Washington, DC.
What do we do? Foregoing sunscreen is a scary option, since, according to the National Cancer Institute, more than a million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. every year. The answer is to purchase the safest sunscreen you can find.
How do you know which sunscreens are safe to use?
Look for mineral sunscreens whose active ingredients are titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide. These are non-chemical and absorb or reflect through the full UV spectrum. It is also best to choose natural or organic brands as the contents are more likely to be plant and water based. Better for your skin, better for the environment. And, speaking of the environment, four ingredients in sunscreen (paraben, cinnamate, benzophenone, and a camphor derivative) that end up in oceans have been shown to kill coral reefs by awakening a viruses in the algae which can cut off its food supply, according to National Geographic. The news report suggests using eco-friendly chemical sunscreens to allay concerns.
Check out a list of sunscreen options on the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database. Once you've made your purchase and you're basking in the sunlight, don't forget to reapply every two hours. According to Scienceline, a study published in Free Radical Biology & Medicine reports that failing to do so could actually increase your chances of developing skin cancer.
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Reviews
By Gia Machlin on Jul 1, 2009
Comments: Ed note: this article originally ran on 1/12/09. We have updated it with new information for the summer.
By Mara Bragg on Jun 29, 2009
Comments: This is not a topic I see written about often, but a very important one, especially now that I'm buying sunscreen not just for myself, but also for my toddler.