|
Problems With Chemical Sunscreens
|
Major Brand(s) and References Relevant To Stated Problem
|
|
Products with SPF ratings of 55 to 100 do not provide significantly improved sun protection; they provide a minimal (i.e., 1-2%) increase in sun protection relative to a SPF 30 product.
59 sunscreens with SPFs from 55-100+ might tempt you to stay out longer in the sun, but they block just 1-2% more sunburn rays than an SPF 30 sunscreen. |
http://www.ewg.org/cosmetics/report/sunscreen09
|
|
Many products which claim to be "Chemical free" and "provide all day protection" are making false claims as they contain synthetic chemicals and (or) are created from ingredients that do not have long term efficacy when exposed to outdoor elements.
|
http://www.ewg.org/cosmetics/report/sunscreen09/investigation/misleading-claims
|
|
Sunscreen sprays, alcohol-based or not, may not provide even skin coverage and, thus, expose the skin to UVA and UVB rays. Alcohol is commonly used to create sprays. Alcohol evaporates when exposed to the environment, as such, altering the formula's efficacy and compromising adequate skin coverage.
EWG does not recommend powder and spray sunscreens due to concerns about inhalation. They are especially concerned about inhalation of nano- or micro-sized zinc and titanium in powdered sunscreens. |
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/faq.php?nothanks=1#33
|
|
Sunscreen chemicals such as octinoxate, oxbenzone and methylbenzlidene camphor have been discovered to cause potential negative environmental impacts on the ocean and ocean life.
|
Coppertone Water Babies, Sea and Ski Sunscreen Sport, many others..
References:
http://skindeep.ewg.org/browse.php?containing=704203¬hanks=1
http://www.smithmountainhomes.com/news/2008/07/sunburns-and-sunscreens-part-3/
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1119992-overview
|
|
Many sunscreen products contain chemicals which absorb UV energy and transfer that energy to skin directly or cause chemical reactions which can damage skin, though the product claims to protect skin. Chemical Sunscreens Have Three Primary Defects: 1. They are powerful free radical generators.
Their free radical generation increases cellular damage and changes that lead to cancer.
2. They often have strong estrogenic activity.
Estrogenic - "Gender Bending" - chemicals interfere with normal sexual development and engendering a host of secondary medical problems.
3. They are synthetic chemicals that are alien to the human body and accumulate in body fat stores. The human body is well adapted to de-toxify biologicals that it has been exposed to over tens of millions of years. But it has often has difficulty removing new and non-biological compounds such DDT, Dioxin, PCBs, and chemical sunscreens. Chemical Sunscreens Include: * Benzophenones (dixoybenzone, oxybenzone);
* PABA and PABA esters (ethyl dihydroxy propyl PAB, glyceryl PABA, p-aminobenzoic acid, padimate-O or octyl dimethyl PABA);
* Cinnamates (cinoxate, ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnamate, octocrylene, octyl methoxycinnamate);
* Salicylates (ethylhexyl salicylate, homosalate, octyl salicylate);
* Digalloyl trioleate;
* Menthyl anthranilate;
* Avobenzone [butyl-methyoxydibenzoylmethane; Parsol 1789] - This is the only chemical sunscreen currently allowed by the European Community. However, its safety is still questionable since it easily penetrates the skin and is a strong free radical generator.
Sunscreen Chemicals May Generate Free Radicals Within Your Body
George Frederick Watts - Eveleen Tennant later Mrs F.W.H. Myers, 1880
Most chemical sunscreens contain, as UVA and UVB blockers, from 2 to 5% of compounds such avobenzone, benzophenone, ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnimate, 2-ethylhexyl salicylate, homosalate, octyl methoxycinnamate, oxybenzone (benzophenone-3) as the active ingredients. Benzophenone (and similar compounds) is one of the most powerful free radical generators known.
|
Avobenzone, Oxybenzone (Neutrogena's Helioplex and Banana Boat's Avotriplex), Octisalate, Homosalate, or Octocrylene (Coppertone's NutraShield)
Supporting Research: http://reverseskinaging.com/toxicsunscreens1.html http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15560736
|