How Safe is Your Sunscreen?

When I was pregnant with Babyzilla, I began researching safe sunscreens to protect her delicate baby skin. Most sunscreens have ingredients that are unpronounceable, and having sensitive skin, I’ve never been one to blindly trust the chemicals in most cosmetics and skin care products.

However, even after reading the back of every sunscreen bottle in Whole Foods, I found myself frustrated and disappointed. It turned out that all of the so-called “green” and “organic” brands had at least one highly questionable chemical ingredient in them!

Why should anyone have to trade short-term protection for long-term harm?

Petrochemical Ingredients

New labeling requirements notwithstanding, most FDA-approved petrochemical-based sunscreens include one or more of the following:

• Octylmethoxycinnamate
• Oxybenzone
• P-aminobenzoic acid (PABA)
• Cinoxate
• Dioxybenzone
• Ensulizole
• Homosalate
• Menthyl anthranilate
• Octocrylene
• Octyl dimethyl PABA
• Octyl salicylate
• Sulisobenzone
• Trolamine salicylate
• Avobenzone, also known as Parsol 1789
• Tterephthalylidene dicamphor sulfonic acid, also known as Mexoryl SX.

Because they are applied to your skin, all of the petrochemical-based sunscreens are absorbed into your bloodstream in amounts higher than any other petrochemical contaminant found in our air, water or food. Petrochemical-based sunscreens can have significant side effects because many mimic estrogen’s effects in our bodies. They also don’t biodegrade, and therefore accumulate in the watershed everywhere we swim, damaging aquatic ecosystems and coral reefs.

All of these petrochemicals are toxic, and by using them, you trade UV damage for chemical damage in the long term. Parents need to know that NONE of the petrochemical sunscreen ingredients listed above are FDA approved for use on children and babies. In fact, none of these compounds are tested for SPF on children’s skin, so products that use these ingredients and are marketed as “baby” formulas are misleading you. (To learn which sunscreens are most harmful to your children, see EWG’s Sunscreen Hall of Shame.)

Unfortunately, these petrochemicals are found in virtually all major brand names, and even in many of the “eco” brands found at the health food store.

Shame, shame! No one should have to choose between skin cancer and breast cancer!

1. Zinc oxide has a broader UVA and UVB absorbance spectrum than Titanium dioxide, so it provides better UVA protection.
2. Zinc oxide is safer because it creates fewer free radicals than Titanium dioxide.
3. Zinc oxide is the only active ingredient approved for use on babies under 6 months of age; Titanium dioxide is not.
4. Zinc oxide is made from a critical mineral nutrient that’s also found in many multivitamins; Titanium dioxide is made from a toxic heavy metal.

Micronized vs. Nanoparticles

Nanoparticles are defined as having a diameter of less than 100 nanometers, (0.1 millionth of a meter) which is about the size of a virus. Micronized particles, on the other hand, are defined as having a diameter of less than 100 microns, (0.1 thousandth of a meter) which is about the width of a human hair.

Micronized mineral sunscreens have been on the market for decades, and have a lot of supportive data on their safety. Nanoparticle mineral sunscreens, however, are very new and have been marketed by chemical manufacturers as an innovative way to make their formulas less whitening on your skin.

The problem with nano sunscreens is that the safety of these particles is unknown, and some recent scientific studies, including one published in Scientific American, have demonstrated these particles can damage the ecosystem. Other potential issues include elevated skin penetration and free radical creation in the body.

Manufacturers often market their nanoparticle sunscreens under the ‘micronized’ umbrella, since technically nanoparticles have been micronized very finely. This is dishonest marketing. Unfortunately, the only way you can tell if a manufacturer is not using nanoparticles, is if they say it’s “non-nano.” Look for that on the label.

Toxic Additives

Most sunscreens—even the ones without petrochemical or nano-sized ingredients—have questionable or toxic additives. Synthetic vitamin A, sometimes called Retinyl palmitate or retinol, is added to many sunscreens and cosmetic products as an antioxidant, anti-aging ingredient.

Unfortunately Retinyl Palmitate has photo-toxic and photocarcinogenic properties, according to several studies. In other words, when exposed to sunlight, the synthetic vitamin A in sunscreens and cosmetics does the opposite of what it is supposed to do, and becomes harmful to your skin, potentially encouraging the growth of tumors.

Many sunscreens also contain preservatives, parabens and other noxious chemical additives you really want to avoid consuming. After all, skin is very absorbant, and anything you put on your skin goes directly into your bloodstream. (Which is precisely why some medicines are administered in patch form.)

Is Sunscreen Really Necessary?

The answer is “maybe,” and only when you can’t control how much sun you are exposed to. For instance, if you work outside all day as part of your job, if you plan on spending the whole day at the beach, or if you need to protect sensitive areas of your face, like around your eyes, that are particularly susceptible to photo-aging, it’s smart to use a safe sunscreen. Even smarter still, is to have an umbrella, a hat, and protective clothing.

But under most circumstances, you don’t want to block your body’s ability to produce vitamin D, and should go without sunscreen. The fact is, getting some sun exposure every day is one of the best things you can do for your health. Sun exposure allows your body to naturally produce your own supply of vitamin D, and experts agree that this is the best form of vitamin D you can get.

Moderate daily sun exposure has also been shown to help protect against as many as 16 different types of cancer, including; skin (yes, ironically), breast, colon, endometrial, esophageal, ovarian, bladder, gallbladder, gastric, pancreatic, prostate, rectal, and renal cancers, as well as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Optimizing your vitamin D levels can literally cut your risk of several cancers in half!

You’ll need to expose more than just your face and hands to get optimal vitamin D though. In fact, you really need to expose your face, full arms, hands, legs from knee down and feet—or about 40% of your body—to get enough of this essential vitamin.

The point to remember is that once your skin turns the lightest shade of pink (if you’re lighter skinned), or begins to darken a shade (if you are darker skinned), it’s time to get out of the sun or cover up. This could be just a few minutes for some people. Past this point of exposure, your body does not produce any more vitamin D, and you’ll begin to get sun damage, and sunburn is never good for your health.

Supplementing with microalgae such as spirulina, astaxanthin, and blue-green algae can make the body naturally resistant to sunburn (and help heal one quickly, too!). Astaxanthin has extraordinary antioxidant powers to protect your skin against sunburn, and supplementing with 4 mg a day for at least a month can potentially double (at least) the time you can ordinarily spend in the sun without burning.

Astaxanthin is fat soluble, so it must be taken with a healthy meal that includes plenty of fat or you just won’t absorb it.

So, What Sunscreen is Safe?

After a long online search, we eventually purchased Kabana Skin Care’s Green Screen for Babyzilla and general family use. Kabana is a small company located in Boulder, Colorado, where outdoor enthusiasts enjoy 300 days of sunshine a year. Their products are very effective and low-allergen, and their website is very informative.

Kabana is a tiny bit waxy and leaves a white sheen unless you buy the skin-toned version, but this simply means it has some staying power on your active child’s skin. They scored a #1 for low harm on the Skin Deep Sunscreen Database.

The only ingredients in Kabana Green Screen are:

1. 25% Zinc Oxide (non-nano)
2. Eldorado Springs Artesian Water
3. Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4. Organic Jojoba Oil
5. Vegetable Glycerin
6. Organic Shea Butter
7. Vegetable Emulsifying Wax
8. Iron Oxide (skin-toned version only)
9. Vegetable Vitamin E

Wow! I feel very comfortable putting these ingredients on my child’s skin.

For my sensitive, adult facial skin, I also really like Kettle Care Sunscreen, too. Produced by another great family-owned, small company, Kettle Care smells good and blends in well, like a moisturizing lotion with no sheen. But at only 8% zinc oxide, needs to be re-applied more often than Green Screen. And unlike Green Screen, Kettle Care contains a variety of essential oils, plant extracts and Xanthan gum, which can be allergens for some people.

Kettle Care Sunscreen was not rated by the Skin Deep Sunscreen Database, but all of their other body care products are rated #0 or #1 for no or low harm. Kettle Care contains:

1. Organic Aloe Vera Gel
2. Grapeseed, Organic Sunflower, Almond, Avocado, Safflower, Organic Jojoba Oils
3. Montana Beeswax
4. Organic Cocoa Butter
5. 8% Zinc Oxide (non-nano)
6. Extracts of Grapefruit, Organic Green Tea, Sea Buckthorn, Organic Chamomile, Organic Echinacea, Witch Hazel, Organic Mallow and Vanilla
7. Organic Shea Butter
8. Xanthan Gum
9. Tocopherol (Vitamin E for product freshness)
10. Essential Oils of Peru Balsam and Ylang Ylang

Now, these basic, understandable ingredients make sense to a health-conscious person!

Even if you don’t buy one of the sunscreens recommended above, whatever sunscreen you do use this summer, the Skin Deep Sunscreen Database is a great resource for checking its safety and impact on the environment.

In fact, the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database, made by the same great non-profit, is a great resource for researching the safety of all your skin care and beauty products, so you can be a wise consumer, and choose personal care items that will protect your family in every way.

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