A new report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that few sunscreens on the market meet safety standards. The report analyzed 2,990 products and found that only 597, or about 20%, deliver safe and effective protection against the harmful rays of the sun.
What to Look for in a Sunscreen
To be recommended by EWG, sunscreens must protect against both UVA and UVB, two types of ultraviolet rays known to damage DNA and age the skin. Consumers are often drawn to more expensive products that reach SPF levels of up to 100+, which claim to block 99% of UVB rays. Yet, there is little difference in effectiveness, as a cheaper 50+ SPF sunscreen can block 98% of rays.
The report also found that some products may have inflated SPF numbers, with a peer-reviewed study by EWG scientists finding that sunscreens provided only a quarter of the UVA protection and 59% of the UVB protection stated on the labels.
Mineral vs. Chemical Sunscreens
The majority of the 597 products recommended by EWG are predominantly made from minerals that sit on the skin and physically deflect and block the sun’s rays. Mineral-based sunscreens cause little skin irritation or toxicity. Chemical sunscreens, on the other hand, are designed to soak into the skin and work by creating a chemical reaction that absorbs ultraviolet radiation as energy, dispersing it as heat.
Some chemical ingredients, such as oxybenzone, have been found to enter the human bloodstream at unsafe levels after only one day of use and can remain in the blood for days after application stops. Oxybenzone is a well-studied endocrine disrupter linked to birth defects, reproductive and thyroid hormone changes, and skin allergies.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new sunscreen ingredient, bemotrizinol, which experts say is a safer option than many chemical ingredients currently in use in the United States. Products containing bemotrizinol should be on the shelves by early fall.
Original reporting: Oklahoma City News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
