Sunscreen

SUNSCREEN: Boy is that word loaded!

There seems to be so many confrontational issues today, but sunscreen is quickly becoming another one. Why? Because on one hand, we have the scientists, physicians, and dermatologists who are demanding that we, the public, protect ourselves from the harmful UVA and B rays (ultraviolet rays). On the other hand, we have people who are begging us to protect the environment. The question is: Can we protect our skin from the harmful UVA/B rays AND protect the environment? The answer is: YES! Before I get to the "How?" answer, let's deep dive into the sun and why its rays are so harmful to us. I mean, we were put on this earth... why don't we have innate protection?

The sun:

Our sun is at the center of our solar system and referred to as a yellow dwarf star that was formed roughly 4.6 billion years ago.(1) (Want more information on the sun? Click here for the wikipedia link I found this information) Our sun gives us light that includes visible and not visible light. Some of the not visible light includes the ultraviolet rays that can cause plants to grow and skin to age or burn. It is necessary for our skin to be exposed to the sun for us to make vitamin D, but too much of a good thing can backfire on us by causing skin cancer development. We do have some protection inherent in our skin in the form of melanin. Some of us have more and some of us have less. Regardless, we ALL can get burned and form cancers from sun exposure!

UVA versus UVB versus other sunlight:

UVA makes up 95% of the ultraviolet light that gets through our atmosphere and is a longer wavelength than UVB. Most UVC does not make it through the atmosphere, but helps to make our ozone layers. Most of us know about UVC now as we can buy lights that emit the C wavelength and it's known as being germicidal (2), so we've seen the lamps being used against Covid-19 and other infectious diseases in recent years. UVB is important in plant hormone development and our skin making vitamin D, which is actually a hormone. (3)

KEEP them straight: UVA = AGING UVB = BURN UVC = CLEAN

Blue Light:

What is "blue light"? Well, it's a part of the visible light spectrum... we know the parts of the rainbow are visible light separated by prism (or water) into Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet or ROYGBIV. So, blue is just one of the colors and is the dominant color we see in our sky. It is also given off by our electronic devices, and because of that it is coming into the limelight as we see that it, too, causes aging of our skin. It also has some negative properties that can cause us not to make as much melatonin (a natural hormone we make as the sun goes down to help us get to sleep) and can contribute to sleep disorders (4).

Sunscreen vs Sunblock:

Sunscreen is a substance that helps protect the skin from the sun's harmful rays (5). Sunblock is anything that physically blocks the sun from getting to the skin. It can be a shirt, a cream/spray, or a coating on your lens or windows. For the purposes of most articles, "sunscreen" is the term that we use to reference any cream or spray we put on our skin. It is divided into two categories: chemical blockers and physical blockers.

Chemical blockers are the questionable ingredients when we talk about safer sunscreens for our body and our environment. These include: oxybenzone, oxtinoxate, homosalate, octisalate, avobenzone, and octocrylene. The problem, specifically, with these 6 chemicals is that they are absorbed INTO our body after just ONE use and remain in the skin and blood for weeks after that use! What concern should we have about this? Oxybenzone, octinoxate, homosalate, and aveobenzone are all known hormone disruptors and all contribute to skin allergies and other concerns. (6) As for the environment? Hawaii was the first state to ban sunscreens with oxybenzone and octinoxate in 2018. (7) Since that time, more research has shown that it isn't just those two chemicals that are causing the bleaching of our coral reefs, but a huge list of others! (8)

Physical blockers are thought of as "safer" because they are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. However, in order to avoid that white smear that happens with the larger diameter minerals like zinc and titanium, they have been reduced in size to nano particles. Unfortunately, these nano particles can absorb into the body through the skin. Personally, I'd recommend using a "non-nano" formulation which many safer companies are gravitating toward and the EWG recommends. (6) The Environmental Working Group puts together a yearly sunscreen listing for our convenience and you can find that here: https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/best-sunscreens/best-beach-sport-sunscreens/ (9)

The below image was obtained from: https://savethereef.org/about-reef-save-sunscreen.html

I hope you feel you now know something about sunscreen and why it's important to READ the label! Please do not assume that the product is safe just because the advertisements or bottle claims to be "reef safe" and "mineral" (many that have SPF numbers higher than 30 are augmented with chemicals!). Thank you for taking the time to read this blog! I am here for you as I do my own homework!!

Lastly, my personal favorite is the Beautycounter sunscreens as they are non-nano zinc oxide and even the sprays do not have propellants in the bottles! If you're interested, you can use the code cleanforall30 for the month of April 2022 as a first time customer!!