So we all know how important sunscreen is in your EVERY day routine. If you don’t, then we’ve got a problem. In short, sunscreen protects us from skin cancer and helps to keep fine lines, dark spots, and premature aging at bay. The extremely vast majority of our aging comes from environmental damage from the sun.
Now, what a lot of people don’t know, is that there are two different categories of SPF - physical and chemical. Physical sunscreens act as a literal shield that block your skin from absorbing any UV rays, and chemical sunscreens allow your skin to absorb the UV rays, but create a chemical reaction that neutralizes them into rays that are not damaging to your skin.
Here are some examples of both types of active ingredients that you will find in sunscreens:
Physical - zinc oxide & titanium dioxide
Chemical - avobenzone, oxybenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, octinoxate, and homosalate
So why would you choose one over the other? Is one “better” than the other?
Feel: physical SPF is generally a thicker feel than chemical sunscreen and can leave a white cast to the skin
Safety: there have been some controversial new studies coming about that show chemical sunscreens to potentially have a negative affect in the body and endocrine system. Sunscreen ingredients have been found in blood, breast milk, and urine samples. Oxybenzone has the worst reputation of all since it has been noted to cause issues with hormone production. All of this research is very new and inconclusive. However, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are the only two active SPF ingredients that have been proven to be safe. For me, this is enough to keep me using only physical sunscreens. *
Environmental toxicity: active SPF ingredients (including nano-zinc oxide and nano-titanium dioxide) are extremely toxic to marine life! They can cause coral bleaching, impair the photosynthesis of algae, decrease reproduction capacity of fish, induce defects in young mussels, etc. ** The only way to make sure you are using a safe sunscreen when you are swimming in the ocean is to get one labeled “reef safe” AND to also double check the ingredients.
There’s a lot to know about chemical and physical sunscreens and which you think is right for you. You will generally see a combination of at least 2 different active ingredients - sometimes they are all chemical, all physical, or they can be a combination of both. It is most common to see at least 1 chemical SPF ingredient on a label.
With all of this being said, I feel safest using an all physical, non-nano sunscreen. The non-nano part means that the particles used are not so small that they can be absorbed into your blood stream. If I am in a pinch, and there is nothing else around besides chemical SPF, I will still always choose chemical over nothing. You always need to protect your skin, for anti-aging AND of course for skin cancer prevention.
Below are a couple of my favorite SPF products. Stay sun safe out there friends.
Xoxo, Lauren
References:
* “The Trouble With Ingredients in Sunscreens” The Environmental Working Group (https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/report/the-trouble-with-sunscreen-chemicals/)
** “Skincare Chemicals and Coral Reefs” National Ocean Service (https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/sunscreen-corals.html)