Sunscreens: Friend or Foe?
Just about now, people all over Britain are starting to shop for the coming sunny days and sunny holidays, and sunscreens will be at the top of most peoples’ lists. We have been told that sun creams can protect us from sunburn and, ultimately, skin cancer; they’re easy to use and they smell nice. But is this the whole story?
Commercial sun cream was first created in Australia in the 1930s and the rest of the world soon followed. Many people believe that sun creams give complete protection from sun damage, but this is not correct. The SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of a cream refers only to its ability to protect from UVB rays, which are the rays that cause sunburn, but UVA rays also cause sun ageing and skin cancer.
Sun cream company researchers have also been criticised for over-stating the benefit of sun cream, since the results of a tightly controlled lab test on a small group of people does not translate well into real-life sun cream use and this also gives the user a false – and dangerous – sense of security.
World Health Organisation studies have revealed that people using a higher SPF spend more time in the sun, under the mistaken belief that they are significantly better protected. But the difference in protection between a sun cream with an SPF 50 versus one with an SPF 100 is a gain of only 1% more protection.
Meanwhile, most sun creams contain a variety of toxic chemicals, which have been identified as harmful to human and animal health. And the higher the SPF, the higher the concentration of these chemicals, which can penetrate the skin and cause serious health risks, including hormone disrupting actions.
In fact, only two active ingredients in sun cream have been recognised as safe and effective by the American Food and Drug Administration: zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, and it notes that neither of these should be inhaled. In 2021, the European Commission published reports warning of the poor safety data on three organic ultraviolet chemical filters – oxybenzone, homosalate and octocrylene – and concluded all should be used in concentrations significantly lower than currently in sun creams.
All of the above chemicals, plus octinoxate, octisalate and avobenzone, are currently commonly used in sun creams. A study by the FDA reported that all of them are absorbed into the blood, and they can still be detected in the blood and on the skin weeks after just one use. So, with all the dangers hidden in many sun creams, what is the best thing to do to avoid sun damage?
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) offers some great advice on their website. Acknowledging the fears consumers have regarding sun cream, the AAD recommends people seek shade between 10am and 2pm, wear protective lightweight clothing – including long-sleeved shirts and trousers, a wide brimmed hat and sunglasses and, lastly, apply sunscreen to all areas of the skin that cannot be covered by clothing.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) also has the same sound advice and, in addition, has provided some good advice for choosing a safer sun cream. These include: choose a cream between factor 15 and 50, which also offers UVA protection; avoid oxybenzone; never use a spray cream as these can be inhaled; avoid mixing sun cream with bug spray, and avoid creams that contain vitamin A, also called retinol palmitate or retinol as these have been shown to encourage tumour growth.
The EWG also ranks sun creams for safety and effectiveness. The best ones are ranked with a number 1 and most of these will be mineral sunscreens, which contain one of the two UV filters approved by the FDA, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Using these standards, some of the best creams available in the UK are the Attitude Mineral Sunscreen range, Suntribe Zinc Suncream, and Babo Botanicals mineral sunscreen range. If you can’t find these, or you’re stuck at the airport searching for a last-minute sun cream purchase, keep this blog to hand and check the ingredients.
References:
American Academy of Dermatology Association (2023) aad.org aad.org/public/everyday-care/sun-protection/shade-clothing-sunscreen/is-sunscreen-safe
Andrews, D. et al. (2021) Laboratory Testing of Sunscreens on the US Market Finds Lower in Vitro SPF Values Than on Labels and Even Less UVA Protection. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/phpp.12738
Environmental Working Group (2023) EWG.org ewg.org/sunscreen/report/top-sun-safety-tips/
Ghazipura, M. et al. (2017) Exposure to Benzophenone-3 and Reproductive Toxicity: A Systematic Review of Human and Animal Studies. sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0890623817302277?via%3Dihub
