Here are just a few issues surrounding sunscreen safety:
The safest sunscreen you can buy is a PHYSICAL (zinc-based) sunscreen, but you’ve
got to choose the right kind.
Best to avoid physical sunscreens with titanium dioxide, especially in nano-particle form, which might also undergo changes during light exposure. Nano-particles in mineral sunscreens are minuscule at one-billionth of a meter. Little is known about their safety and because their particle size they are easily absorbed and enter into our bloodstream, resulting in DNA damage after exposure to sunlight and skin cancer risk. There is also a risk of polluting our aquacultures as well.
Oxybenzone is absorbed through our skin and may disrupt our hormone systems, so that isn’t good either.
Retinol, or retinyl palmate, both forms of vitamin A, may speed up the development of skin tumors when applied to sun-exposed skin.
Fragrance, whether or natural or not, is very deceiving. The term,“fragrance”, is propitiatory, and by law a trade secret. Companies often add chemicals, such as pthalates, which are known to reduce sperm counts, cause reproductive malformation, and have been linked to liver and breast cancer, diabetes, and obesity.
Only 800 of the approximately 4,000 chemicals used as fragrances have been tested for toxicity, either alone or in combination with others. These chemicals are so bad that, “the US National Academy of Sciences has grouped fragrances with insecticides, heavy metals, and solvents as categories of chemicals that should be given high priority for neurotoxicity testing!
So then what?
A zinc-based STICK is the best…..
One mistake people make when choosing safer sunscreen is that they don’t realize when the ingredients have SEPARATED.
In many lotions, the zinc separates from the suspension ingredients and we don’t even realize it! Sun products are difficult to mix up. They don’t shake up well, and since so many zinc sunscreens nowadays are meant to leave less of a white, thick appearance, it is even harder to tell whether we’re adequately covered.
Add that to suspension ingredients that don’t maintain the blend of zinc with carrier ingredients and you’ve got compromised protection.
That’s why zinc-based sunscreen STICKS are ideal. I’ve been a convert to sticks ever since! The suspension ingredients are much more solid and often, more skin conditioning, so you’re more likely to get the coverage you need, especially on the face.
Here are some to look for:
Badger Balm Sunscreen -https://www.badgerbalm.com/p-464-spf-35-sportsunscreen-
face-stick.aspx
Beautycounter Protect Stick Face Sunscreen – http://www.beautycounter.com/protectstick-
sunscreen-spf-30-sweet-tooth-face.html
Beautycounter Protect Skin Sunscreen Body – http://www.beautycounter.com/skincare/
sunscreen/protect-stick-sunscreen-body.html
For more info on sunscreen:
EWG Sunscreen Guide – http://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/report/executive-summary/