Skip the Uncertainty, Not the Sunscreen
About 5 million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year, more than 90% attributed to UV exposure. That’s why it’s so important to wear sunscreen, proven to protect against skin cancer and other harmful effects of the sun.
“The negative effects of sun exposure – skin cancer and premature skin aging – are very well known. And using sunscreen has been shown to decrease those risks,” says Henry Lim, M.D., a dermatologist at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and immediate past president of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Dr. Tanya Nino, M.D., a dermatologist at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, CA, agrees. “Ultraviolet light is the single most preventable factor for skin cancer – which can have horrible effects and, in the case of melanoma, can be deadly.”
However, several sunscreen ingredients are questionable in terms of their effects on our health and the environment. In fact, the FDA recently asked for additional safety information on 12 common chemical sunscreen ingredients, including oxybenzone, avobenzone, homosalate, octinoxate, octisalate, and octocrylene.
“People want to choose whether or not to use these products. But in order to make that choice, you need to have all the information,” says Hilary Sutcliffe, director of Matter, an emerging technologies thinktank.
Skip the uncertainty with pure haven.
Non-chemical
Pure haven sunscreen uses titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, which are considered “non-chemical” because these ingredients are minerals already found in our environment. Physical blockers, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide act as barriers between skin and the sun’s rays, protecting against UV radiation. Unlike chemical sunscreens, which are more likely to cause allergic reactions, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide sit on the surface of the skin, deflecting UV rays rather than absorbing them.
Non-nanoparticle
Engineered nanoparticles are used in virtually every type of personal care product on the market. So why is it so important that pure haven uses non-nanoparticle titanium dioxide and zinc oxide in its sunscreen?
Because of their size, nanoscale ingredients (which can be toxic) are able to penetrate deeper layers of the skin. Although this means they’re nearly invisible on the skin, they are more readily taken up by the human body than larger particles, and are able to cross biological membranes and access cells, tissues, and organs, while larger particles cannot.
Additionally, nanoparticles of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide have been shown to be photoactive, producing free radicals and causing DNA damage to skin cells when exposed to UV light. They basically attack the sunscreen itself, breaking it down and making it less effective. Non-nanoparticle titanium dioxide and zinc oxide (used in pure haven sunscreen) are both safe and effective.
Tips for sunscreen use
- Use a shot glass full (about 1 oz) of sunscreen lotion for your entire body.
- Seek shade between the hours of 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., when the sun’s rays are the strongest.
- Wear sun-protective clothing.
- Use lotions or sticks instead of sprays, which may be unsafe to inhale, make it more difficult to tell how much you’re using, and make it easy to miss areas of skin.
For more information about pure haven’s sunscreen, contact your Consultant today!
Resources:
Barbalich, Andrea. (12 Apr 2019). Is Your Sunscreen Doing More Harm Than Good? Here’s What to Look for. Reader’s Digest.
Friends of the Earth. Nano-Ingredients Pose Big Risks in Beauty Products. Ecomall.
Stuart, Colin. (22 Dec 2011). Why sunscreens are in the nanotechnology safety spotlight. The Guardian.
Wadyka, Sally. (27 Mar 2019). What You Need to Know About Sunscreen Ingredients. Consumer Reports.