Harmful Ingredients in Sunscreen & Clean Alternatives
Learn about the harmful ingredients in sunscreen and the effects these toxic chemicals can have within our bodies. Discover clean, non-toxic alternatives that are even more effective than common chemical-based brands.
Originally published on faciallounge.com
By now we have all had the importance of sunscreen crammed in our heads enough that we understand we should be wearing it on a daily basis. Now that doctors and dermatologists are finally getting their patients to adhere to the strict sunscreen guidelines new concerns are arising.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) tested over 1,400 sunscreens and found that over 40% were potentially carcinogenic and despite our newfound respect for sunscreen and increased hours indoors skin cancer rates are actually rising by 4.2% annually!
When it comes to choosing a sunscreen the choices seem endless. Unfortunately, not all of these sunscreens are made equally and the harm they can cause to our body far outweighs any benefits. Read through to learn more about harmful chemicals in sunscreens and scroll to the bottom for our safe product recommendations!
Harmful Ingredients in sunscreens
The idea of sunscreen is to create a barrier that shields our skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays. Sunscreen brands achieve this through one of two means: mineral barriers or chemical barriers.
Mineral barriers typically include zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. These ingredients remain on the surface of the skin. Chemical barriers, however, can include an array of chemicals: oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate and octinoxate. Many of these chemicals in sunscreen are actually absorbed by the body, ingested when applied around the mouth and even inhaled when sprayed around the face.
Why is this cause for concern? Common chemicals in sunscreens have been proven to be allergenic, endocrine disruptors, estrogenic and have even been shown to increase cancerous cell growth!
