Mineral sunscreen vs chemical sunscreen. What should I choose?
By Estival Life (8 May 2018; Updated on 16 May 2019)
On 1 May 2018, the Hawaii state legislature passed a bill that would ban sunscreen products that contain oxybenzone and octinoxate with effect from 2021. These chemicals are found in many popular sunscreens and are linked to hormone disruption in people and the bleaching of coral reefs and coral death. The government of Republic of Palau also announced in April 2019 to be the first country enforcing this prohibition with effect from 1 January 2020.
The harm of these chemicals are also found in Hong Kong. A study by Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) released in October 2018 has detected an extensive amount of sunscreen chemicals in seawater that could pose a risk to human health. The study also revealed that these contaminants are commonly found in the coastal waters of Hong Kong.
Oxybenzone can cause allergic skin reactions and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is detected in the blood of more than 96 percent of Americans. It is even found in breast milk. A recent study found that adolescent boys with higher oxybenzone levels had significantly lower total testosterone levels. Octinoxate is an endocrine disruptor that mimics estrogen, but more research is needed on this chemical.
“The Hawaii ban calls attention to the fact that the sunscreen market is flooded with products that use potentially harmful ingredients and provide poor UVA protection,” said Environmental Working Group (EWG) President Ken Cook.
Most of the best-scoring beach and sport sunscreen products in the EWG Guide to Sunscreens are mineral-based, using zinc oxide and titanium dioxide to filter harmful radiation.
Sunscreen is indeed a unique body care product: consumers are directed to apply a thick coat over large areas of the body and reapply frequently. Thus, ingredients in sunscreen should not be irritating or cause skin allergies and should be able to withstand powerful UV radiation without losing their effectiveness or forming potentially harmful breakdown products. People can potentially inhale ingredients in sunscreen sprays and ingest some of the ingredients they apply to their lips, so ingredients must not be harmful to lungs or internal organs. Further, sunscreens commonly include ingredients that act as “penetration enhancers” and help the product adhere to skin. As a result, many sunscreen chemicals are absorbed into the body and can be measured in blood, breast milk and urine samples.
Active ingredients in sunscreens come in two forms, mineral and chemical filters. Each uses a different mechanism for protecting skin and maintaining stability in sunlight. The most common sunscreens on the market contain chemical filters. These products typically include a combination of two to six of the following active ingredients: oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate and octinoxate. Mineral sunscreens use zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide. A handful of products combine zinc oxide with chemical filters.
Laboratory studies indicate that some chemical UV filters may mimic hormones, and physicians report sunscreen-related skin allergies, which raises important questions about unintended human health consequences from frequent sunscreen application.
There’re also many misconceptions about sunscreen products. Below FAQ list some common ones:
Q1) Is SPF no. proportional to the sun protection?
A: Nope! The Sun Protection Factor (SPF) was advocated to indicate how well your product protects you from UVB, which is the sunburn ray. But it does not measure how well a sunscreen will protect from UVA rays, which are also damaging and dangerous.
