Harmful Sunscreen Ingredients to Avoid for Non Toxic Protection
Learn which sunscreen ingredients may be harmful to your health and the planet, as well as the ingredients to look for in clean sunscreen products so you can shop with confidence.
All sunscreen is created equal – right? WRONG!
Turns out your basic bottle of sunscreen could be harboring some chemicals that are not good for your health or for the planet either.
In this post we’ll take a look at the ingredients you should avoid in sunscreen and what you should look for to be sure you are buying a safe and effective sunscreen product.
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Sunscreen Chemicals to Avoid
The sun’s damaging rays can be blocked by two types of sunscreen agents – mineral (physical sunscreen blockers) and chemical (ingredients that absorb harmful rays).
Unfortunately, some FDA-funded studies have shown that several chemical sunscreen ingredients are absorbed into the bloodstream at levels exceeding the FDA’s threshold.
While this does not necessarily mean they will cause harm, it is reason to think twice before using chemical sunscreen agents. The FDA says that further research is needed to assess the health impacts of these chemicals, but when this might happen is unclear.
In addition, some chemical sunscreens have been shown to have potential hormone-disrupting activity and others have been associated with skin allergies, particularly in sensitive individuals.
To be safe, avoid the following chemical sunscreen ingredients as often as possible:
- Oxybenzone – This one has been studied the most and has been shown to affect hormone-sensitive organs in mice during development.
- Octinoxate
(Octyl methoxycinnamate) - Homosalate
- Octisalate
- Octocrylene
To be clear, it is very important to protect your skin from harmful rays when out in the sun. If a chemical sunscreen is all that is available, USE IT – do not go without sunscreen!
Other Ingredients to Avoid in Sunscreen
Like many other conventional personal care products, sunscreen lotions and creams may have non-active ingredients that aren’t great as well. Some of those include:
- paraben preservatives
- artificial fragrances
- PEG compounds
- benzene (in sunscreen sprays)
A note about benzene in sunscreen: A report by Valisure, found a known human carcinogen called benzene in 78 popular sunscreen products. You won’t find benzene on the ingredient list because it is a contaminant from the manufacturing process. Unfortunately there is no way to know if a particular sunscreen does not contain benzene, unless the company has a policy of spot testing for contaminants. The only company I know that does this is Beautycounter. You’ll find the Beautycounter sunscreen below (it’s my favorite!) and you will find the list of sunscreens with benzene here (on page 12 of the report).
Here’s a list of important ingredients to avoid in personal care products.
What to Look for in Clean Sunscreen
We all know how important it is to protect our skin from the sun, but according to the EWG, only 1 out of 4 sunscreen products meet their standards for ingredient safety and sun protection efficacy.
With guidance from the EWG, here are some things to look for in safer sunscreens.
1.) Mineral Based Active Ingredients
The active ingredients in a sunscreen should be minerals, not chemicals. Mineral-based sunscreen ingredients like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are physical sun blockers, meaning they act as a barrier on the skin, but are not absorbed into the skin. They do an excellent job blocking UV light and ultimately protect you from the threat of skin cancer.
It’s also important the the minerals used are non-nano sized particles, due to concerns that extremely small nanoparticles may be absorbed into the skin and bloodstream.
2.) Non Toxic Inactive Ingredients
Even when you are buying mineral sunscreen, you need to pay attention to the other, inactive ingredients in a sunscreen lotion or spray.
Avoid the ingredients mentioned in the section above and instead, look for natural ingredients (and some organic ingredients) that have beneficial properties for your skin. The best sunscreens will be either unscented or lightly scented with natural essential oils.
3.) Broad Spectrum Formula
To properly protect skin from the sun, a sunscreen needs to provide protection from both UVA and UVB rays. UVB rays are associated with skin burning and UVA rays are associated with skin aging and damage. Sunscreens that protect from both types of rays are known as broad spectrum sunscreens.
In addition, avoid sunscreens with SPF over 50 because high SPFs give us a false sense of security and can lead to overexposure of both UVA and UVB rays.
4.) Water Resistant Formula
If you are active and/or planning to be in the water, it is important to consider the water resistance of the product. All water resistance claims must be tested in water for either 40 or 80 minutes.
5.) Reef Safe Formula
Another important feature of a good sunscreen is that it is safe for coral reefs and marine life. Sunscreens that contain chemicals like oxybenzone and octinoxate have been shown to contribute to the bleaching of coral which puts it under severe stress and can cause the coral to die. A reef-safe sunscreen uses physical sunscreen blockers like zinc oxide, instead of those toxic chemicals.
6.) Clear Sunscreen Formula
One of the biggest complaints about mineral sunscreen is that it is difficult to rub into the skin. I’ve found that there has been a huge improvement on this front – even compared to a few years ago. It is now possible to find mineral sunscreen that is easy to apply and rubs in easily – yay! Look for clear zinc sunscreen formulas to ensure they are easy to rub in without leaving a white residue on your skin. Find my favorite sunscreens for kids that rub in easily here.
How to Find the Safest Sunscreen
Advocacy groups like the Environmental Working Group (EWG) have evaluated thousands of sunscreens for safety. Each year the EWG comes out with a Sunscreen Guide including a ratings scale that allows us to make safer choices.. Sunscreen ratings range from 1 – 10, with 1 being the gold standard and 10 meaning don’t touch it with a ten foot pole!
We also have our own Non-Toxic Sunscreen Guide on the blog, so be sure to check that out as well! It covers sunscreen lotions, sticks and sprays for both full body and face. There is something for everyone on our list!
Have you checked the ingredients on your sunscreen yet? How did it fare?
