What Chemicals To Avoid In Sunscreen -Shocking Facts You Didn’t Know!
Long-term sun damage to the skin, known to dermatologists as ‘photoaging’, accounts for about 90% of the signs of skin ageing.
That’s right! The sun accounts for about 90% of the signs of skin aging.
The effects of sunlight, specifically ultraviolet (UV) light, include damage to skin cells and their DNA.
Damaged cells cannot perform to their full potential which results in reduced cellular output.
When fibroblasts (which make our collagen and elastin) are damaged, production of these proteins is reduced.
This ultimately leads to fine lines, wrinkles, thinned skin, decreased elasticity, larger pores and worsening of acne scaring.
Irregular pigmentation, age spots and visible vessels are also physical presentations of photodamage.
Why Do UV Rays Damage Our Skin?
Despite common misconceptions, this damage does not occur exclusively through tanning and sunburn.
The UV rays that burn us (UVB rays) are blocked by clouds and windows so only pose risk to the skin when you are outside on a sunny day.
The UV rays that tan and age us are UVA rays.
They make up 95% of the UV rays that reach the earth and pass through clouds and windows, saturating the skin and posing a threat to skin health 365 days a year.
Hence the huge percentage of aging accounted for by unprotected sun exposure.
Can You Tell Someones Age By How Much Sun Damage They Have?
If 90% of the signs of skin aging is caused by daily sunlight, simple mathematics suggests that an aged person who has never worn sunscreen would (at any time of life) look 1/10th as old if they had used a sunscreen every day.
Despite this staggering fact, it is commonly reported during aesthetic consultations that patients reserve sunscreen application for situations in which they might get sunburnt, specifically the beach.
This flawed approach to sunscreen is arguably the sole reason behind the skin characteristics that help us guess a person’s age by decade.
In general, you can identify people in their 40’s by a common percentage of the signs of aging mentioned above, this is the same with 60-year olds and 80-year olds.
What if everyone started wearing an effective sunscreen that blocked UVA and UVB rays from today onwards?
Would today’s tweens look like today’s 50 something’s on their 50th birthdays? Or could we change the landscape of aging as we know it?
What would 50-year-olds look like as a collective in 40 years time if we were able to prevent 90% of the signs of skin ageing between now and then?
Why You Wouldn’t Want To Wear A Daily Sunscreen
Common objections to daily sunscreens include “it’s greasy” and “it makes me break out”. These concerns relate to chemical sunscreens like oxybenzone and octinoxate .
Chemical sunscreens are linked in an ever-growing body of scientific evidence to limited efficacy in sun protection.
In the main, chemical sunscreen filters only protect you against UVB rays and breakdown within about two hours, reducing your protection further.
They have also been linked to toxic loading in the human body and damage to our coral reefs.
What Are The Benefits Of Zinc Oxide In Sunscreen?
Zinc oxide offers broad-spectrum protection. This means it protects your skin against UVB and UVA all year round.
It has exceptional photostability which means it doesn’t break down in the presence of UV radiation and offers protection throughout the day.
Furthermore, zinc oxide poses no risk to coral reefs or human health when applied topically and it allows the skin to breathe, so it doesn’t cause breakouts.
The efficacy and safety profile of zinc oxide is unparalleled and it is, therefore, the dermatologists’ go-to ingredient for sun protection.
There has been much ado about mineral sunscreens and all that buzz needs to be heeded. Why? Simply because the chemicals that are found in chemical sunscreens seep into our bloodstream.
Yes, you read that right.
Why Are Chemical Sunscreens Bad For Your Body?
A recent study by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) confirmed this fact.
According to the FDA, if a sunscreen chemical exceeds a blood concentration of 0.5ng/mL, this indicates potential concerns with that ingredient.
Therefore, it should undergo further “nonclinical toxicology assessment including systemic carcinogenicity and additional developmental and reproductive studies.”
The FDA study included 24 healthy participants with a medium age of 35 years. They were divided into four subgroups with each group trying a specific form of chemical sunscreen: two sprays, one lotion, and one cream.
Researchers applied sunscreen on the participants four times a day for four days and collected 30 blood samples over a seven-day period.
The results were astounding.
Blood concentrations greater than 0.5ng/mL were found for all chemical sunscreen ingredients that were tested, including avobenzone, oxybenzone, and octocrylene.
And this was just after the first day of application.
Why should we care? For starters, because the thought of having chemicals seep into your bloodstream is unnerving.
Especially when it concerns a product that should be used daily to protect your skin from the harmful UVB and UVA rays.
Is there a safer alternative To Chemical Sunscreens?
The simple answer is yes!
Go for sunscreens containing zinc oxide and or titanium oxide, these physical filters reflect the suns rays acting as a shield’
These are mineral based and completely free from any of these chemical which means nothing is absorbed in to the bloodstream.
A much safer alternative to be using everyday to prevent premature aging.
Final Thoughts
Every time you do your morning skincare routine, you have one choice: use an effective, broad-spectrum, mineral sunscreen to defend against skin damage by the sun, or don’t and allow the damage to happen.
Do your 10-year-into-the-future self a favour; prevent up to 90% of the signs of skin aging between now and then by using an physical sunscreen every day.
Hey,
This is such an important article to have come across for me. I am one of those people with fair skin and burns in the sun very quickly. One of those reasons is because I don’t take enough care of myself when it comes to blocking the sun. I have a bald head so I put a lot of sunscreen on my head and arms when it is hot, and it can work but other times it can’t and I do burn.
I see you are telling us to use sunscreen every day, and I get the reasons so I will take that on board.
It probably just needs me to stay out of the sun a lot more than I do, and pay more attention to myself when it comes to the sun and the heat.
Thank you for sharing and keep up the great work.
All the best,
Tom
Hi Tom, yes I guess you do need to be extra careful when you don’t have as much hair to protect your head, also wearing a hat can help.
Thanks for taking the time to read my article and leave a comment.
Hi Tom, I don’t think you’re alone there! it is really important to protect your skin especially when you have fair skin or less hair to protect you, also wearing a hat can help.
Thank you for commenting though.
I loved your post, especially your closing sentence “Do your 10-year-into-the-future self a favour” <3
I wasn't even aware of some of some of the side efects you mentioned, but now once I am, I'll make sure to keep an eye out next time I go shopping for suncreams. 🙂
Thank you Gorjan, I’m glad you enjoyed my article!
Thanks Gorjan, I appraise that, glad you found my post helpful.
Great article on What Chemicals To Avoid In Sunscreen. I always wear a hat and sunscreen when outside. I will take your advice because I definitely don’t want chemicals in my body.
Thank you Alyse, wearing a hat is really great for extra protection!
Hi Alyse, yes wearing a hat is a great way of protecting yourself from the sun too. Thanks for commenting, I’m glad you found my article helpful.
It really is shocking and scary to know that these things are getting into our bloodstreams. I am one of the majority that rarely uses sunscreen. I do think about it often but for the same reasons, you stated that being greasy and feeling heavy on my skin, although I have not had a problem with breaking out. I do have kids though and I try my best with them. I do not like the idea of the chemicals and now I will be on the hunt for a good zinc oxide sunscreen. Do you have one you recommend that isn’t too greasy?
Hi Cheyenne, it’s very scary isn’t it, take a look at this post, theres some great recommendations for chemical free sunscreens to suit you and your children https://beautifulskinguru.com/best-natural-sunscreen-for-the-face-why-you-should-avoid-chemical-filters/
Amy,
Great information on sunscreen! I don’t usually worry about sunscreen too much in Alaska except in the summer months. The Sun is odd up here during the summer since the Sun is so close to us, it burns easily. I’ve lived in very warm climates before like Hawaii and Oregon, and I used sunscreen often there since the Sun was so intense.
But in Alaska, the Sun is different – almost like a white light versus the standard yellow from other places. You also aren’t aware you’re burning up here since the temperatures rarely reach above 75 degrees. However, because is so close to the Axis when we’re tilted towards it, it’s very intense and very bright.
I’m making a note of sunscreens to use for next summer, we won’t see much Sun until April of next year since winter’s coming now. In the winter, we see “daylight” from about 10am until 5pm, but moving into November, we see less and in December, we get about 4 hours of “daylight” a day. No one goes in the sun, unless they’re an avid skier or snowboarded. Only your nose is exposed for those sports, so they use very intense sunscreen for their noses.
Thanks for this information!! Loved it!
Katrina
Wow Katrina, I can’t imagine only 4 hours of daylight! that must be very different from living in Hawaii. Thank you for commenting though, I love to hear everybody’s very different lifestyles.