America’s consciousness of skin health as soared in the last few decades. We have progressed as a society from encouraging women to roast in the sun like fried eggs to warning about the dangers of tanning without the proper skin protection. Tanning beds have largely been replaced by safer alternatives like spray-on tans, and more and more women have begun to embrace the natural tone of their skin.
All of this points to the fact that sunscreen is a very important puzzle piece in the quest to avoid sun-damaged skin and skin cancer. But more studies are popping up every year to warn of the dangers of conventional sunscreen. Can something considered so essential for skin protection actually be damaging us just as much as—or more than—the sun?
Dangerous Chemicals in Some Sunscreens
Sunscreen works by blocking the UV rays coming from the sun so the skin does not absorb the dangerous rays and suffer accordingly. However, research is largely indicating that a number of chemicals used in even the “gentlest” sunscreen formulas have been linked to causing cancer and other perilous conditions.
Certain sunscreens react to the sun poorly and ultimately release free radicals into the bloodstream. Free radicals are dangerous invaders that are known to cause disease and cancer. In fact, antioxidants are so important in your daily diet because they fight free radicals to keep you healthy. The last thing you want to do is lather on sunscreen that will just place more free radicals back into your system.
Other sunscreen chemicals mock estrogen and create an imbalanced hormone reaction by the body. If that danger isn’t enough to make you leery of regular sunscreen, common sunscreen chemicals called oxybenzone, methoxycinnamate, and para amino benzoic acid (PABA) have been linked to cancer.
How is it possible that sunscreen can be dangerous, you ask? The FDA hasn’t regulated it since 1978, so sunscreen manufacturers haven’t been under any pressure to adjust their formulas in response to recent research on chemical dangerous.
How Can You Still Stay Safe in the Sun?
You don’t need to stay indoors, just find a mineral sunscreen free from the chemicals listed above. Mineral sunscreens don’t breakdown in sunlight, so none of the ingredients will end up in your blood. Kiss My Face and Aubrey Organics offer safe sunscreen options that block UVA and UVB rays from the sun without putting you or your children in danger.