While it’s important to use sunscreen to protect our skin, it’s also important to be careful of the products we use because everything we put on our skin ends up in our body.
Fun Fact: The skin on your face has a 100% absorption rate of chemicals and fragrances!
According to the David Suzuki Foundation, a good sunscreen:
1. Is well-rated by the Environmental Working Group.
2. Provides broad spectrum protection: Even though exposure to both UVA and UVB contributes to the development of melanoma — the most deadly skin cancer — SPF measures only UVB. Broad spectrum sunscreens protect against both.
3. Should not contain dangerous ingredients including:
- Oxybenzone, a hormone disruptor that can also trigger allergic reactions
- Retinyl palminate, a form of vitamin A linked to skin tumours and lesions on sun-exposed skin
- The “Dirty Dozen” ingredients, including parabens, phthalate, PEG, parfum (a.k.a. fragrance) and sodium lauryl/laureth sulphateIs a cream (not spray or powder).
4. Mineral based cream: The larger white particles in creams actually provide better UVA protection and research shows that titanium dioxide and zinc oxide don’t migrate through skin, but the nanoparticles in transparent options enter the blood stream through the lungs.
5. Offers SPF 30: The Skin Cancer Foundation reports that sunscreens with an SPF of 15 or higher do an excellent job protecting against UVB when applied properly. Choosing a broad spectrum sunscreen will ensure adequate UVA coverage, but a higher SPF doesn’t mean better UVB protection. Research indicates that an SPF higher than 30 is mostly marketing and that high ratings give people a false sense of security, which leads to inadequate use and increased exposure.
© ONFORM coaching 2023
Photo by Kindel Media: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-boy-with-a-sun-on-his-back-8215118/