Natural Sunscreens

Summer is in full swing and outside activities abound. While I believe that the sun is good for you sometimes you need some protection. Most commercial sunscreens contain dangerous chemicals that actually may cause cancer, while they are supposed to protect you from getting cancer from the sun?????? Yes that is crazy but true.

EWG Releases Toxic Sunscreens’ List

Top-selling sunscreen brands including Neutrogena, Rite Aid, Walgreens “Well” brand, “Up and Up” brand from Target, and Coppertone were among those that made the most toxic list. Most contained the following three “red flag” ingredients. If you see them listed on the label of your sunscreen, throw it away and choose another

 1. Oxybenzone This is one of the most troublesome ingredients found in the majority of sunscreens. Its primary function is to absorb ultraviolet light. However, oxybenzone is also believed to cause hormone disruptions and cell damage that may provoke cancer. According to EWG:

“…the chemical oxybenzone penetrates the skin, gets into the bloodstream and acts like estrogen in the body. It can trigger allergic reactions. Data are preliminary, but studies have found a link between higher concentrations of oxybenzone and health harms.

One study has linked oxybenzone to endometriosis in older women; another found that women with higher levels of oxybenzone during pregnancy had lower birth weight daughters.”

      2. Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A palmitate)Sunscreen products may actually increase the speed at which malignant cells develop and spread skin cancer because they contain vitamin A and its derivatives, retinol, and retinyl palmitate.

The problem occurs when this form of vitamin A is exposed to the sun (as opposed to when it is used in night cream, for example), which is why sunscreens that contain it should be avoided.

     3. Fragrance I caution against using personal care products that contain synthetic fragrance, as this term describes any number of harmful chemicals that do not have to be listed individually on the label. Some common “fragrance” chemicals include:

• Parabens: Synthetic preservatives known to interfere with hormone production and release.
• Phthalates: Another synthetic preservative that’s carcinogenic and linked to reproductive effects (decreased sperm counts, early breast development, and birth defects) and liver and kidney damage.
• Synthetic musks: These are linked to hormone disruption and are thought to persist and accumulate in breast milk, body fat, umbilical cord blood, and the environment.

The sunscreens featured in EWG’s best sunscreens’ list do not contain the three toxic ingredients listed above. In lieu of the skin-penetrating hormone-disrupting chemicals like oxybenzone, the safer sunscreens tended to use non-nanoparticle sized zinc- and titanium-based mineral ingredients, which block the sun’s rays without penetrating your skin.

So use some common sense and if you do need sunscreen be sure to check the ingredients first.

I will not be blogging in July, I am going out to get some sun……I will be back in August.

Submitted by Tricia @ Nutrition by Tricia