Is Sunscreen Safe To Use?

Is Sunscreen a Friend or Foe?

Sunscreen - we've been advised since we were kids to slather it on to protect against the sun's harmful rays. But as of late, it feels like health professionals all over the internet are telling me “sunscreen bad”.

I’ve never been so conflicted. When my mother and daddy (Huberman) tell me two completely different things, what the hell am I supposed to think?

How will my supple Scottish skin fare against the elements? How will I maintain my youthful glow? How will I avoid “the melanomas”? I am as white as they come. When god ordered me, he didn’t even pre-heat the oven. Time to get educated I guess.

Types of Sunscreen - What to avoid

There's been quite the hullabaloo around certain types of sunscreens - particularly those chock full of less-than-desirable ingredients like benzene, avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene, and ecamsule. To understand why these chemicals are bad, we need to have a basic understanding of the two types of sunscreen, how they work, and what types have these chemicals in them.

The Protectors: Mineral vs. Chemical

Think of mineral sunscreen as Batman. Just as Batman aims to protect Gotham City within the law, mineral sunscreen is all about defending your skin in the most safe and natty way possible. Like Batman uses his physical strength and advanced technology to shield the citizens of Gotham, mineral sunscreen forms a physical barrier on your skin, deflecting harmful UV rays away. It's like having Batman's high-tech armoured suit for your skin. It doesn't invade your body (Gotham), but rather stands as a sentinel, preventing the damage from ever happening.

On the other side, we have chemical sunscreen, the Ra's al Ghul in our analogy. Ra's al Ghul and chemical sunscreen share a similar goal of protection, but their methods involve a more drastic, arguably destructive approach. Ra's al Ghul believes in annihilating Gotham to rebuild it anew, an aggressive strategy to achieve his version of peace. Similarly, chemical sunscreens work by absorbing into the skin, soaking up the UV radiation, and releasing it as heat - they do protect you, but in the process, they change the very nature of your skin and potentially cause collateral damage. Just as Ra's al Ghul's actions could potentially harm innocent civilians, chemical sunscreens, with ingredients like oxybenzone, can permeate your skin, enter your bloodstream and disrupt your hormone levels, mirroring a kind of internal havoc.

Simply put, mineral sunscreen deflects UV like a mirror. Chemical sunscreen absorbs UV and releases it as heat. Both accomplish the same goal, but at what cost?

I don’t want to just leave you with a batman analogy, so here’s the cold hard science you’ve come here to learn.

Mineral Sunscreen:

Also known as physical sunscreen, mineral sunscreen uses active mineral ingredients, such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Acting like tiny mirrors, these minerals sit on top of your skin and reflect the sun's rays back into the atmosphere. Think of it like a protective shield.

The FDA has actually determined that zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are the only two sunscreen active ingredients considered safe.

So why don’t most people use them? Well, humans are funny. It’s largely due to the fact that these are the sunscreens that often leave a white cast on your skin, but don't worry, many newer formulations are designed to blend more seamlessly.

Chemical Sunscreen:

Now, let's move on to chemical sunscreens. These use organic (carbon-based) compounds, such as benzene, avobenzone, octinoxate, oxybenzone, octocrylene, and ecamsule. Instead of sitting on top of your skin, chemical sunscreens absorb into the skin and then absorb UV rays. Once absorbed, these sunscreens trigger a chemical reaction, converting the UV rays into heat, which is then released from the body. These chemicals are what’s known as lipophilic, i.e. they get absorbed into your fat cells and just chill there.

While chemical sunscreens don't leave that ghostly white cast and tend to be more water-resistant, they're more likely to cause skin irritation, have negative health implications, cause harm to the environment and negatively affect your hormones.

Benzene is a potentially harmful chemical found in various sunscreens. Regular exposure to this sneaky ingredient has been linked to a range of health issues, including cancer, infertility, anemia, and leukaemia. Anything over 2 parts per million (ppm) of benzene is considered unsafe, but several spray-on aerosol sunscreens have been found to contain over 6 ppm and have been recalled.

Oxybenzone is one of the most common chemical filters in sunscreen. This chemical has been known to be an endocrine disruptor, which means it can interfere with your body's endocrine (hormone) system.

Your endocrine system is like the body's messaging service, controlling a wide range of biological functions through hormones. It's a well-oiled machine, with each hormone playing a specific role. When a substance like oxybenzone enters the picture, it's like a wrench in the machine's gears—it can mess with the natural flow of things.

Research suggests that oxybenzone can mimic, block, or alter hormone levels, disrupting your body's normal functioning. When absorbed into the skin, oxybenzone can behave like estrogen in the body—causing what scientists call "estrogenic activity." This can lead to an imbalance in your hormones, as your body can't tell the difference between your natural hormones and these imposters.

For men, this might lead to decreased testosterone levels and subtle changes to the body over time.

Avobenzone, Octocrylene, Ecamsule: These chemical ingredients, while efficient in UV protection, have come under scrutiny for their potential to and harm the environment. They are absorbed by your skin and can enter the bloodstream, which may have unknown long-term effects.

Daddy Huberman on Sunscreen Crossing Boundaries

Dr. Andrew Huberman, someone we frequently quote, had some interesting things to say on why he avoids the use of chemical sunscreen based on its ability to cross the blood brain barrier.

The blood-brain barrier is a protective layer that selectively allows substances to pass from the bloodstream into the brain while blocking potentially harmful substances. Some sunscreen ingredients, like oxybenzone, have been found to be absorbed into the bloodstream and, potentially, they could cross the blood-brain barrier and cause neurodegenerative like condition in the brain.

While more research and investigation into sunscreen is needed, it’s worth paying attention to as we do not clearly know what the long term implications of this actually is to the body.

Practical Advise For Protecting Your Largest Organ

Generally speaking, most doctors would recommend that you protect yourself from the sun no matter what. So if your two options are 1) wear chemical or 2) go unprotected, you’re better off lubing up. Skin cancer is no joke.

Skin Cancer Stats you should know:

• Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States

• ~1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime

• 9,500 cases of skin cancer are diagnosed every day in the US alone

• Melanoma bad

Sunscreen is a critical part of our defence against skin cancer and skin aging (just ask the woman above). Given that not all sunscreens are created equal, you have to make a choice.

If you’ve got the choice between mineral or chemical sunscreen, I think we can all agree that mineral is probably the bette long term choice.

Another option is to manage your sun exposure. You can check your weather app for the day's UV index and try to stay out of direct sunlight during peak UV times, typically between 10 AM and 4 PM. Consider wearing sun-protective clothing and a wide-brimmed hat, seek shade whenever possible, and remember that UV rays can penetrate clouds, so protection is necessary even on overcast days.

In the end, your skin health matters, and you have the power to protect it. After all, your skin is your largest organ.

Sources:

1. Sunscreen can be absorbed in the bloodstream, new study says

2. Sunscreen ingredients to avoid like the plague

3. Skin cancer incident rates

4. Recent Advances on Endocrine Disrupting Effects of UV Filters

5. What 28 years of sun damage does to your face

6. Huberman’s thoughts on sunscreen

Wishing you a sunburn free weekend.