No ad sunscreen ingredients11/6/2023 Good move! Octinoxate: Sunscreen’s secret saboteurĪnother common culprit on top of the sunscreen ingredients to avoid list is octinoxate. It also accumulates in the tissues of various fish species and other marine creatures, affecting their reproduction and growth.īecause of environmental concerns, places like Palau, Aruba, Bonaire, and Hawaii have banned oxybenzone in sunscreens. This process can eventually lead to coral death. Moreover, when you swim or shower after applying sunscreen with oxybenzone, it enters the aquatic environment, where it bleaches our vibrant coral reefs. Several studies have shown that oxybenzone can cause endocrine disruption and may increase the risk of breast cancer and endometriosis. This chemical is linked to hormone disruption, allergic dermatitis, and cellular damage. ![]() Oxybenzone (benzophenone-3) might effectively absorb UV rays, but it is definitely one of the most harmful ingredients in sunscreens and best kept at bay. Yikes!ĭon’t want to deal with the health damage? Here are the chemical sunscreen ingredients to avoid. They even show up in places like breast milk. Some harmful ingredients in sunscreens can enter the bloodstream and accumulate in the body in far higher concentrations than the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s safety threshold. While sunscreens are skincare superheroes, not all wear the perfect cape. Let’s dive in! Sunscreen ingredients to avoid: The chemical SPF version On the other hand, physical sunscreens (mineral sunscreens) operate as a protective barrier sitting on top of the skin, deflecting these harmful rays back into the atmosphere.īoth chemical and physical sunscreens come with their benefits and drawbacks, and each has certain ingredients that are best avoided. ![]() To properly discuss harmful ingredients in sunscreens, we first need to understand that sunscreens are broadly classified as chemical or physical.Ĭhemical sunscreens absorb damaging UV radiation and convert it into harmless heat. We can continue enjoying the sun, but let’s do so in an informed and healthy manner. ![]() Let’s identify these harmful ingredients in sunscreens and make safer choices. To make this easier, I’ve dived into the world of dermatologists, general physicians, environmental specialists, and research papers. It’s simply a matter of checking product labels against a list of harmful ingredients. Thankfully, modern formulations offer safe alternatives. Yes, we are talking about those harmful ingredients in sunscreens that can cause health concerns ranging from hormone disruption and cancer to DNA changes and allergies. Sometimes, lurking inside your trusted SPF bottle are less-than-friendly ingredients. Moreover, it’s our most formidable ally against skin cancer.īut, and this is a big but, all sunscreens are not our knights in shiny armor. A sunscreen with BP-3 is definitely better than no sunscreen.Two decades into the 21st century, we understand the absolute necessity of daily sunscreen to fight against dark spots, loss of elasticity, fine lines, wrinkles, sagginess, and those unforgiving sunburns. However, if you find a formula that you love and contains BP-3, we do not think that you should throw it away. ![]() Overall, BP-3 is probably our least favorite sunscreen agent and we prefer sunscreens without it. It can be used in concentrations of up to 10% in the EU and up to 6% in the US. On the up side, sunscreens are pretty well regulated in several parts of the world, and BP-3 is considered " safe as used" and is an allowed sunscreen agent everywhere. If that was not enough, Wikipedia claims that BP-3 is nowadays the most common allergen found in sunscreens, and the always-trustworthy smartskincare writes that " have been shown in some studies to promote the generation of potentially harmful free radicals". In fact, a 2004 follow-up study to examine the estrogenic effect of sunscreens when used topically on the whole body found that "the endogenous levels of reproductive hormones were unaffected" (even though BP-3 could be detected both in plasma and urine, so its absorption is no doubt too good). Estrogenic activity was confirmed only in-vitro (in test tubes) and when taken orally by lab animals, and not when used topically as you would normally. Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate CrosspolymerĪnother concern of BP-3 is that it shows some estrogenic activity, though it's probably not relevant when applied topically to the skin.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |