{"id":13854,"date":"2021-08-18T16:34:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-18T23:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/?p=13854"},"modified":"2021-08-25T13:34:15","modified_gmt":"2021-08-25T20:34:15","slug":"controversial-sunscreen-ingredients-and-the-gold-standard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/controversial-sunscreen-ingredients-and-the-gold-standard","title":{"rendered":"6 Controversial Sunscreen Ingredients\u2014and 3 That Are the Gold Standard"},"content":{"rendered":"

The debate between mineral and chemical sunscreen continues to live on, but if there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that slathering any<\/em> type of sunscreen on your skin is probably better than nothing. And while you should be applying sunscreen every day year-round, the days are getting longer, which means your exposure to the sun is increasing—so now is the time to really up your sunblock game. <\/p>

Whether you’ve been applying SPF all winter or are just now shopping for this year’s sunscreen stash, below are the things you should know prior to your purchase. From ingredients that help soothe sensitive skin to those that may be harmful hormone disruptors, there are multiple ingredients found in sunscreens that you need to know about. <\/p>

Controversial ingredients: avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene, ecamsule, homosalate, octyl methoxycinnamate, and para-aminobenzoic acid (aka PABA)<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>

Although sunscreens are helpful in preventing both skin cancer and sunburn, a recent study <\/a>published in the Journal of the American Medical Association<\/em> (JAMA) about specific product ingredients—mostly those found in chemical sunscreens—seems to be raising some red flags. “U.S. Food and Drug Administration scientists found that four active ingredients found in commercial sunscreens—avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene, and ecamsule—were ‘systemically absorbed’ into users’ skin—one of the ingredients, oxybenzone, has been [found] in breast milk, urine, and blood plasma [after use],” explains Dr. Sonia Badreshia-Bansal<\/a>, a board-certified dermatologist in Danville, California. “The high absorption rate of these ingredients means we need to study their potential toxicity levels further, the researchers wrote.” According to Dr. Badreshia-Bansal, more studies are needed to confirm these findings and understand if these ingredients are actually harmful to the body and\/or the skin. (To that point, the FDA is actually calling for more safety data on 12 common sunscreen ingredients total, though five of these are rarely used in the US, before they can deem them GRASE—generally recognized as safe and effective.) The big disclaimer here? Just because an ingredient is absorbed into the skin and through the body doesn’t mean that it’s actually harmful to your health. And it also bears mentioning that chemical sunscreen ingredients need<\/em> to penetrate into the skin in order to work; their very mechanism of action is absorbing ultraviolet rays as they get into the skin.<\/p>

According to Dr. Hadley King<\/a>, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, some recent studies have shown that some chemical sunscreen ingredients (particularly oxybenzone, octinoxate, and homosalate) may be potentially harmful because they mimic hormones in the body. “Oxybenzone has been linked<\/a> to allergies, hormone disruption<\/a>, and cell damage, while avobenzone, upon exposure to sunlight, may become reactive and cause free-radical damage to DNA when absorbed,” says Dr. King. <\/p>

Along with oxybenzone, other common chemical sunscreen ingredients, including octyl methoxycinnamate and para-aminobenzoic acid, are more likely to cause an allergic reaction compared to ingredients like titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, found in mineral sunscreens. Plus octinoxate and oxybenzone have been banned in Hawaii, due to their damaging effects on coral reefs.<\/p>

Related: 6 Commonly Neglected Places for Sunscreen and How Doctors Recommend Protecting Them<\/a><\/em><\/p>

UV blockers to look for: zinc oxide, titanium dioxide<\/strong><\/h2>

If you really want to play it safe, Dr. Badreshia-Bansal suggests looking for sunscreens with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. “These pure mineral products work by blocking the sun’s rays, reflecting them directly off the top of the skin,” she says. Unlike ingredients found in chemical sunscreens, the iron oxide found in mineral sunscreens “can provide additional protection against visible light coming from our electronic devices, which can further skin damage,” explains Dr. Charlotte Birnbaum, board-certified dermatologist in New York City. Those concerned about that aforementioned study should also take comfort in knowing that, to date, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are the only two sunscreen ingredients the FDA has deemed GRASE<\/a> for use in sunscreen.<\/p>

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