Sunscreen is a product that is intended to be applied to the body every day, for a lifetime. Sunscreen products are regulated as over-the-counter drugs by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) . The active ingredients in sunscreen products are intended to protect the skin from the suns harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays, which can cause sunburns and skin cancer. However, there are concerns about the safety of some of these ingredients.
Positive aspects of sunscreen:
- Sunscreen use can help prevent skin cancer by protecting you from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays.
- Scientific evidence supports the benefits of using sunscreen to minimize short-term and long-term damage to the skin from the sun’s rays.
Negative aspects of sunscreen:
- Some experts are concerned that certain sunscreen ingredients may be absorbed through the skin, leading to skin irritation, hormonal disruption, and even skin cancer.
- The FDA has proposed that twelve ingredients in sunscreen are not generally recognized as safe and effective due to insufficient data.
- Some studies have raised concerns about the endocrine-disrupting effects of certain sunscreen ingredients.
Ingredients or materials:
- Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are two ingredients that are classified as safe and effective based on the currently available information.
- Some of the ingredients in chemical sunscreen include avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, and octocrylene.
- Octocrylene is a sunscreen additive that is often used in combination with avobenzone to neutralize the suns UV rays, but it can also be harmful.
- Oxybenzone is a chemical that is widely used in sunscreen products and is the ingredient most often flagged as potentially worrisome.
In summary, sunscreen is an important product for protecting the skin from the suns harmful UV rays. However, there are concerns about the safety of some of the ingredients in sunscreen products. Consumers should be aware of the active and inactive ingredients in their sunscreen products and choose products that offer broad-spectrum protection, have an SPF of 30 or higher, and are water-resistant.
