Making More Sense of Sun Protection Products | The Ingredients

You put your bikini on, you know what SPF is and that you need to select a product with a level of at least 30, but higher is better in this case. You know the sun emits radiation in the form of UVA and UVB. You know how each kind can harm your skin. That's a great start! Now what?

There are lots and lots of sun protection products out on the market which means lots of different ingredients as well.  To best help you understand what to look for, we are going to point out two basic ingredients to look for and why.  We will also list the ingredients you do not want to put on your skin.  Everything else in between can be considered at your own discretion and preference.

First we need to discuss the two types of sunscreens: physical barriers and chemical barriers.  Physical barriers are what they say they are.  They prevent the sun's rays from penetrating your skin and cause them to scatter instead. Chemical barriers are different because they are absorbed into your skin and from there they absorb the sun's rays before they can cause damage to your skin.  Although effective, there is a question of safety that surrounds them.

There are three ingredients in sunscreen products that should be avoided:  oxybenzone, octyl methoxcycinnamate (OCC), and retinyl palmitate (a form of vitamin A). Oxybenzone is a common ingredient found in a lot of products and it may well be in the product you are using right now. It has a reputation of being a potential hormone disruptor, can cause allergic reactions and penetrates the skin in large amounts. Sunlight can cause oxybenzone to form free radicals which means it will cause skin to prematurely age.  Who wants that? OCC is commonly found in products as well and it is toxic when exposed to sunlight. Great! The last thing to avoid is retinyl palmitate. Yes, it can help slow the skin's aging process, but once exposed to sunlight in a sunscreen, it also forms free radicals and can harm you. 

So what's left to use?  Good old zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are your best bets.  They are also safe to use on children as recommended by pediatricians.  The new formulations that are available now are not heavy feeling and provide the protection you need. 

The next time you go shopping for sunscreen just keep these ingredients in mind and hopefully it will help you make the best choice possible for yourself. We want you to stay safe in the sun while you look beautiful in your swimwear.

We are not health experts, but we want to pass along information that we feel is helpful to our fellow readers and followers to help you start your own research.