By this point, anyone knows that applying SPF is a must. It should be the last step of the morning routine for anyone whether you apply makeup or not. Its purpose is to protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun – or in other words, it’s the cheapest way of preventing premature ageing.
Unlike other skin care, SPF needs to be applied over wide areas of the skin and reapplied frequently for it to work. It wasn’t too long ago, that if you used SPF, it would leave a white cast on your skin, especially if you need to reapply it multiple times a day.
New formulations and ingredients created a wonder and sun protection products were made that disappeared just like any other type of body lotion. But there the problems start. Recent news suggests that this new breed of SPF comes with not only worrisome health issues but might also be the cause of coral riffs bleaching.
If you’re using SPF chances are, it’s sitting on your skin.
Sunscreen
The 2 chief active ingredients in SPF are chemical or physical filters. With physical filters I mean mineral-based, such as zinc oxide.
These filters block your skin from the sun. If it’s a physical filter, it’ll sit on your skin. A chemical filter goes into the skin and filters out the UV radiation with a chemical reaction. It “hides” in your skin and “catches” the UV rays then turns them into a less damaging form of energy: into heat.
Oxybenzone
Oxybenzone is a popular and globally approved chemical filter. It chiefly blocks UVB and some UVA radiations.
It’s a naturally occurring substance found in some flowering plants. This organic compound is pale yellow and dissolves easily in most organic solvents.
It’s not only a popular organic UV filter, it’s also present in many personal and skin care products, as well as in plastics as an ultraviolet light absorber and stabiliser. About 80% of SPF is formulated with it, but it’s also in hair sprays and cosmetics including nail polish and fragrances because it helps prevent potential damage when exposed to sunlight.
Why is oxybenzone the bad guy?
As a chemical UV filter, oxybenzone can and should penetrate your skin. But just because something penetrates your skin, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad for you. Just think of vitamin A or C…
First of all, some people are sensitive to chemical sunscreen and their skin may react.
The second reason it that some scientists worry that because it penetrates the skin, it’s a potential hormone disruptor. This is how scientist say it can mimic naturally occurring hormones.
BUT, the studies that found that it could cause disruptions in the endocrine system by imitating naturally occurring hormones are done in unrealistic conditions. You’d need to apply SPF daily for 277 years to get the same dosage as the rats in the study. Also, the rats were given oxybenzone mixed in their food. There’s a difference between eating a substance and absorbing it through the skin – just saying…
The doses used in SPF or other skin and personal care products are so small, oxybenzone wont’t mess up your hormonal systems. In other words, in SPF, skin care, hairspray and what not, it’s not a potential hormone disruptor. This was the biggest personal risk with oxybenzone. Frankly, NOT wearing SPF is the source of all sorts of troubles…
Lastly, Hawaii, Aruba, and some other territories have completely banned the use of oxybenzone in SPFs in order to help protect coral reefs and the marine life that needs it for survival. The ban in Hawaii went into effect in January 2021.
Corals can be stressed, and in this state, they “kick out” the algae with which they were living in symbiosis. This makes them all pale and without the algae, they’re starving. And eventually, if the expulsion of the algae doesn’t stop the corals die.
But there are many elements that contribute too, for example with climate change, the seawater temperature rises. Or, oceans get more and more sour. Again, in lab conditions, oxybenzone does cause harm to corals. So it’s true that oxybenzone contributes to corals to bleach and eventually dying. But in 2021, a study found that it doesn’t cause significant harm to coral reefs.
It’s good that many seashore territories ban oxybenzone in sun creams. But they’d need to ban everything that causes climate change, oil spills, and the like. Just look at coral beaches that are not in areas where tourists go. You see the same happening.
What does the FDA say?
Oxybenzone was first approved in 1978 by the FDA. It’s one of the oldest chemical ingredients in SPF. Of course, the regulations were revised several times since then.
Alternatives
If you find yourself still concerned, you may want to switch to physical sun creams. These contain zinc oxide and titanium dioxide and so far, there are no studies that found similar problems. SPF formulated with zinc oxide comes with a range of other benefits. They aren’t comedogenic and so you won’t risk blocking your pores. Zinc oxide specifically has antimicrobial properties.
But you may not be able to avoid it all together as it can be found in
- Hair care – shampoos, conditioners, hair sprays
- Personal care – shaving creams, hair removal products, deo, mouthwash, toothpaste
- Nail – nail glue, nail polish, polish remover, cuticle treatments
- Makeup – everything that you can think of: from eye liner and lipsticks to foundations
- Skin care – everything you can think of including moisturiser, cleanser, and bar soap
Closing words
Sun creams are your saviours. They help protect your skin from rashes, sunburn, and even cancer. You don’t need a super high SPF – it’s good to choose something between 30 and 50. SPF gives you an indication of how well it can protect against UVB rays. This type is what causes sunburn.
To protect against ageing, look for a broad spectrum SPF with UVA protection. Mind you, UVA is present at dusk and dawn. It also passes to glass so it’s a good idea to apply sun cream even indoors.
If you know you’re breaking into a sweat easily, you want the water-resistant type. Water-resistant means the sun cream will stay on your skin for about 40 minutes to 1 hour longer when you sweat or are submerged in water.
The perfect SPF is… one that you wear and reapply frequently.
