It is a question that most of us may not really ask. Many of us trust the manufacturer claims and buy what is highly rated, has the highest SPF, in the most convenient packaging or comes up first in a google search that fits within our budget. Asking the deeper questions may sound like a lot of effort but once you start asking the questions, you will see why it is so important! What we eat and drink is circulated throughout our body but did you know what we put on our skin is also absorbed transdermally into our bloodstream and circulated throughout our body too?! This is why it is imperative to know exactly what we are putting on our skin and our kids’ skin so that no harmful or toxic substances are absorbed into our bodies.
What we should be asking about our Sunscreens!
- Are there harmful and toxic chemical ingredients?
- Is the SPF rating a realistic claim?
- Is there a danger of inhaling the sunscreen?
- Are there harmful additives?
- If a mineral sunscreen, are there nano-particles?
Are there harmful and toxic chemicals ingredients?
According to EWG, “Over the course of 12 years, EWG has uncovered mounting evidence that one common sunscreen chemical, oxybenzone, poses a hazard to human health and the environment. It is an allergen and a hormone disruptor that soaks in through skin and is measured in the body of nearly every American. This ingredient is found in two-thirds of non-mineral sunscreens we assessed. Mainstream sunscreen brands include oxybenzone in most of their products, including those marketed to children.”
The FDA recently performed a clinical trial testing how readily chemicals in conventional sunscreen seep into the bloodstream. The chemicals tested include oxybenzone, avobenzone, ecamsule and octocrylene. The results were ALARMING❗️ Here is what was concluded…
• Contrary to most assumptions, the chemicals in conventional sunscreen do not just sit on the top of the skin, but absorb directly into the bloodstream. 😨
• These chemicals linger in the bloodstream for upwards of one week.
• Some of the potential health implications include: endocrine disruption, lower testosterone levels in adolescent boys, fertility issues and disrupted birth weight.
• Not only is our environment at risk when exposed to these chemicals, but our bodies are as well. 🌏
For more information on other toxic ingredients found in some sunscreens, read more on EWG’s site!
Is my SPF rating high and if so, is this good or bad for me?
According to EWG, “People select products based on their SPF, or sunburn protection factor, and mistakenly assume that bigger numbers are better. In reality, higher SPF ratings don’t necessarily offer greater protection from UV-related skin damage, especially UVA damage, and may lead users to spend too much time in the sun. When people use sunscreen properly to prevent sunburn, they often extend their time in the sun. They may prevent burns, but they end up with more cumulative exposure to UVA rays, which inflict subtler damage (Autier 2009, Lautenschlager 2007).”
Points to consider…
1. Marginally better sunburn protection. Sunbathers often assume that they get twice as much protection from SPF 100 sunscreen compared to SPF 50. In reality, the extra protection is negligible. Properly applied, SPF 50 sunscreen blocks 98 percent of UVB rays; SPF 100 blocks 99 percent. When used correctly, sunscreen with SPF values in the range of 30 to 50 will offer adequate sunburn protection, even for people that are most sensitive to sunburn.
2. Poorer balance. The chemicals that form a product’s SPF are aimed at blocking ultraviolet B rays, which are the primary cause of sunburn and non-melanoma skin cancers, such as squamous cell carcinoma (von Thaler 2010). Ultraviolet A rays penetrate deeper into the skin and are harder to block with sunscreen ingredients approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration for use in U.S. sunscreens. UVA exposure suppresses the immune system, causes harmful free radicals to form in skin, and is associated with higher risk of developing melanoma.
3. High-SPF products may not really be high-SPF. When Procter & Gamble tested a competitor’s SPF 100 product at five different labs, the results varied between SPF 37 and SPF 75. The company determined that a very small difference in testing conditions can have a dramatic influence on the calculated SPF. In this case, a 1.7 percent change in light transmission yields a SPF measurement of 37 instead of 100. Small difference in application thickness could have a similar effect. Because of the way SPF values are calculated, these errors would be most dramatic for high-SPF products.
4. Consumers misuse high-SPF products. High-SPF products tend to lull users into staying in the sun longer and over-exposing themselves to both UVA and UVB rays. Imbued with a false sense of security, people extend their time in the sun well past the point when users of low-SPF products would head indoors. As a result, they get as many UVB-inflicted sunburns as unprotected sunbathers and are likely to absorb more damaging UVA radiation.
5. High-SPF products may have greater risks to health. High-SPF products require higher concentrations of sun-filtering chemicals than low-SPF sunscreens. Some of these ingredients may pose health risks when they penetrate the skin, and have been linked to tissue damage and potential hormone disruption. Some may trigger allergic skin reactions. If studies showed that high-SPF products were better at reducing skin damage and skin cancer risk, that extra chemical exposure might be justified. But they don’t, so choosing sunscreens with lower concentrations of active ingredients – SPF 30 instead of SPF 70, for example – is prudent.”
EWG goes into a lot more scientific and technical detail. If you would like to learn more and read up on the studies published, read more on EWG’s site!
Is there a danger of inhaling the sunscreen?
The spray on products are just so convenient and easy, aren’t they?! A quick spray, a quick twirl and voilà, it’s done! No hands to clean, no time spent rubbing in a lotion. Why wouldn’t we want the spray especially with wiggling kids in tow?!
According to the EWG, “sunscreen sprays are popular with consumers. In 2007, just under one-fifth percent of the sunscreens we reviewed were sprays; this year, about 30 percent were. But EWG is concerned that these products pose an inhalation risk and may not provide a thick and even coating on skin. In 2011, the FDA raised similar concerns. The agency indicated it would ban sprays unless sunscreen companies submitted more data to prove that spray sunscreens protect skin and pose no safety hazards. Until companies can provide the data to negate these concerns, EWG cautions people to avoid these products. This applies to both chemical and mineral sunscreens. Nanoparticles could cause lung damage when inhaled. Inhalation of nanoparticles is dangerous for many reasons. EWG strongly discourages the use of loose powder makeup or spray sunscreens using titanium dioxide or zinc oxide of any particle size.”
Bottom line – be very cautious when purchasing a spray sunscreen or powder make-up!
Are there additives that are misleading?
Sometimes, labelling can be tricky. We read the word natural or vitamin and we think that it must be good for us. As a society that has seen a rise in vitamin and supplement intake, the word “vitamin” on a label must be good, right? Not exactly!
Retinyl palmitate and other vitamin A ingredients are found in many sunscreen formulas on the market and this is probably not necessarily a good thing! According to EWG, ” Many Americans and Europeans get a lot of pre-formed vitamin A in their diets, and Norway and Germany have cautioned that any additional exposure from skin products could increase the number of people at risk for hypervitaminosis, or excessive vitamin A. A study by U.S. government scientists suggests that retinyl palmitate, a form of vitamin A, may speed the development of skin tumors and lesions when applied to the skin in the presence of sunlight (NTP 2012). Officials in Germany and Norway have cautioned that retinyl palmitate and other vitamin A ingredients in cosmetics could contribute to vitamin A toxicity due to excessive exposure (German BfR 2014, Norwegian SCFS 2012a). The evidence for these effects, while not definitive, is troubling. The sunscreen industry adds vitamin A to nearly 12 percent of beach and sport sunscreens, 15 percent of moisturizers with SPF, and 5 percent of all SPF-rated lip products in EWG’s 2018 sunscreen database. ”
Are there harmful inactive ingredients?
Read the fine print! Sometimes the inactive ingredients are hidden on labels. According to the EWG, “The FDA must also take a close look at the so-called inactive ingredients in sunscreens. These typically make up 50 to 70 percent of a sunscreen product. One ingredient in particular is a cause for concern, the preservative methylisothiazolinone. Methylisothiazolinone is used alone or in mixtures with a related chemical preservative called methylchloroisothiazolinone. The American Contact Dermatitis Society named methylisothiazolinone its “allergen of the year” in 2013. This year, EWG has found methylisothiazolinone listed on the labels of 44 sunscreens – a decline from 94 products in 2017.
Laboratory studies indicate that methylisothiazolinone is a skin sensitizer or allergen. Over the past several years, physicians have reported serious cases of skin allergies, most notably in children exposed to methylisothiazolinone, from baby wipes and other products meant to be left on the skin (Chang 2014). In a study published in 2014, researchers at Baylor University surveyed the ingredients in 152 children’s body care products labeled “hypoallergenic” and found methylisothiazolinone in 30 of them (Schlichte 2014). Three of the sunscreens in this year’s database are marketed for use on babies.
In 2015, researchers from 15 clinics in the U.S. and Canada reported an increase in methylisothiazolinone allergies in patients. The researchers concluded that they had documented “the beginning of the epidemic of sensitivity to methyliosthiazolinones in North America” (Warshaw 2015).
The use of methylisothiazolinone has become relatively common in sunscreen and is a matter of concern because sunscreen users are likely to be exposed to significant concentrations of this chemical. The products that contain this chemical are intended to be applied to large portions of the body and to be reapplied often.
In March 2015, the European Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety concluded that no concentration of the chemical could be considered safe in leave-on cosmetic products (EU SCCS 2014). However, methylisothiazolinone is still allowed in U.S. products. In 2014, the Cosmetics Ingredient Review expert panel – an independent, cosmetics-industry-funded body which is paid to advise the American cosmetics industry on the safety of cosmetics ingredients – told the industry that methylisothiazolinone was safe for use in body care products as long as manufacturers come up with formulations that would not cause allergic reactions (CIR 2014). Since the FDA has little legal power to regulate cosmetics ingredient safety, it has authorized the cosmetics industry to police itself through this CIR panel. The body’s recommendations are not legally binding on any company. In several decades, it has declared only 12 ingredients or chemical groups to be unsafe (CIR 2017).”
Food for thought!
A little more about Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide…
After further reading on the EWG website, it is clear that chemical sunscreens pose a risk to our bodies. So what about mineral sunscreens? According to the EWG, “Sunscreens made with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide generally score well in EWG’s ratings because:
- They provide strong sun protection with few health concerns;
- They do not break down in the sun; and
- Zinc oxide offers good protection from UVA rays. Titanium oxide’s protection is not as strong, but it is better than most other active ingredients.
And Nano-Particles…
Quoted from www.rawelementsusa.com…
“Many sunscreens and personal care products have been using nano-sized particles to formulate lotions that rub in more easily and leave less of a tint. The concern with something being so small is that it can be absorbed through the skin and ultimately into the bloodstream.
Chemical sunscreens are nano-sized and, by design, absorb into the skin where they soak up the sun’s energy and convert that energy from UV radiation to heat or light within the body. Zinc Oxide particles sit on top of the skin and scatter the sun’s rays away from the skin like tiny little mirrors. For them to be effective as sunscreen, they must remain on top of the skin. Most studies show that even nano-sized zinc oxide particles do not absorb into human skin, however, there is still concern for marine life. Non-nano zinc oxide is the only active ingredient in sunscreen that has been proven not to harm corals.
Learn more…
EWG’s guide is a lengthy, researched guide brimming with everything you need to know to make an informed decision!
So what should I buy?
At Birdie’s Room, we are proud to offer one of EWG’s best rated mineral sunscreens, RAW ELEMENTS. EWG has rated Raw Elements products as a 1 which means that overall, Raw Elements sunscreens score well and are a top choice for sun protection. These product provide EXCELLENT UVA protection and a EXCELLENT balance of UVA protection in relation to the SPF. The ingredients in these products pose a LOW health concern.
About Raw Elements…
Raw Elements mineral-based sunscreen that uses only NON-Nano Zinc Oxide. The zinc is recycled, sustainable, uncoated. All ingredients are either certified natural or organic, and all are sustainably-sourced. No preservatives. No chemicals. No fragrances added. It is a broad spectrum sunscreen so protects against UVB and UVA rays! It is gentle and hypoallergenic making it great for kids, and it will never sting the eyes! Waterproof to boot!
Certified Natural Zinc Oxide is a natural mineral which provides the safest and most effective protection against UV rays. Our zinc is recycled, sustainable, uncoated and non nano form. Unlike chemical sunscreens, zinc forms a physical barrier on the skin, reflecting the sun’s rays rather than absorbing them. Zinc oxide is the best performing ingredient for blocking both UVA and UVB rays.
Certified Organic Beeswax is produced naturally in honeycomb structures by worker bees. It acts as a surfactant forming a protective barrier on the surface of the skin. The barrier provides a film of protection against irritants while still allowing the skin to breathe. Beeswax acts as an emulsifier and offers unmatched environmental defense against wind, salt water and sun.
Certified Organic Beeswax is produced naturally in honeycomb structures by worker bees. It acts as a surfactant forming a protective barrier on the surface of the skin. The barrier provides a film of protection against irritants while still allowing the skin to breathe. Beeswax acts as an emulsifier and offers unmatched environmental defense against wind, salt water and sun.
Certified Organic Beeswax is produced naturally in honeycomb structures by worker bees. It acts as a surfactant forming a protective barrier on the surface of the skin. The barrier provides a film of protection against irritants while still allowing the skin to breathe. Beeswax acts as an emulsifier and offers unmatched environmental defense against wind, salt water and sun.
Certified Organic Black Tea is made from the same dried leaves of Camellia Sinensis as green tea, but further dried. Black tea is immensely rich in antioxidants, vitamins E and C and help to fight free radicals that cause pre-mature aging. Topical application of black tea is also effective in repairing UV induced damage to the skin cells.
Certified Natural Candelilla Wax is derived from the leaves of the small Candelilla shrub native to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. Candelilla offers a many of the same defensive properties as beeswax, while offering more rigid, slick properties to a finished formulation.
Certified Organic Cocoa Butter is extracted from the cocoa bean and has a rich pleasant chocolate aroma. It is known for its high oxidative stability as a result of it being naturally rich in antioxidants and vitamin E. Vitamin E is proven to help with skin renewal and repair. Cocoa butter is also an antioxidant and a lustrous moisturizer, leaving the skin soft and protected.
Certified Organic Coffee oils and extracts from both green coffee cherries and roasted beans have a host of benefits to the skin. Thanks to its high levels of antioxidants, coffee is an very useful skin protectant. Coffee has excellent anti-aging properties and also contains phytosterols and polyphenols which are instrumental in protection against UV radiation, cellular degeneration and have amazing anti-inflammatory properties.
Certified Organic Green Tea is made from the dried leaves of Camellia Sinensis which is a perennial green shrub. Green tea contains a number of potent antioxidants called catechins, which help fight damage caused by free radicals. The most common cause of free radicals in skin cells is UV radiation from sunlight, which causes up to 90% of all signs of premature aging.
Certified Organic Hemp Seed Oil is pressed from the seed of the hemp (cannabis) plant irrespective of the strain of cannabis. Cold pressed, unrefined hemp oil is dark to clear light green in color, with a pleasant nutty flavor. The oil is of high nutritional value because of its 3:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 essential fatty acids, which matches the balance required by the human bod. Hemp seed oil possesses healing and regenerative properties to the skin along with cell repair.
Certified Natural Mango Butter, a soft, creamy butter with avery mild scent, is extracted from the de-shelled fruit kernels of the mango tree. Mango butter has natural softening properties and is full of nourishing antioxidants. It has a protective effect against UV radiation. Dermatologists even recommend this hydrating butter to help with reducing fine lines and wrinkles.
Certified Organic Rosemary Oil is extracted from the the leaves of the Rosemary plant. This herb has many wonderful applications from culinary to aromatherapy and skincare. The extract is full of natural antioxidants and vitamins and also acts as a stabilizer of the finished formula.
Certified Organic Sunflower oil is expressed from sunflower (Helianthus annuus) seeds. It contains vitamin A, which is essential for many of your body’s functions. Sunflower oil contains antioxidants from beta-carotene, which can help to neutralize sun-induced free radicals that can penetrate your skin and lead to sunburn and other types of sun damage, including skin cancer.
Certified Natural Tocopherol (Vitamin E) Soy Free is extracted from non-gmo sunflowers and possibly the single most valuable compound to the skin. It has an abundance of different antioxidants, which not only aid the skin but act as a natural stabilizer to the finished product. Vitamin E is used to effectively treat skin burns and prevent UV damage. Vitamin E is a very effective moisturizer and neutralizer of age and sun spots on the skin.
If you want to be further impressed, Raw Elements believes in making a positive impact on the environment and has recyclable and re-usable packaging!
