Sunscreen Risks and Rewards

I don’t remember a year of my life when I didn’t get a sunburn, whether in summer or winter. No matter how careful I am, I always miss a spot or underestimate the effectiveness of the sun’s rays. I even got sunburned eyeballs while snowboarding without eye protection one year. The first time I was on vacation with Christian’s family, he watched me apply sunscreen according to the instructions on the bottle (something he’d never seen before) and then proceed to turn into a lobster over the course of our first day on the beach (something he’d also never seen before).

There have been rising concerns for years about the content of our sunscreen – up to and including a recall of certain products this past week – but that certainly doesn’t mean we should stop using it. For people like me who keep emergency tubes of sunscreen in purses, cars, etc., foregoing sunscreen because of potential health impacts of ingredients is not an option. So in this seemingly no-win scenario, we need to examine some options and determine what the least-worst course of action may be.

Sunblock, Sunscreen, and Other Options

First to define some terms: the terms sunblock and sunscreen are generally used interchangeably, but they do function differently. Sunblock stops the sun’s rays from actually reaching your skin – it is typically more opaque and sits on top of your skin (think of lifeguards you’ve seen with white cream on their noses). These usually contain zinc oxide or titanium oxide. Sunscreen, on the other hand, is absorbed by your skin, and the chemicals absorb the sun’s UV rays so they don’t damage your cells. This option is more aesthetically pleasing and less noticeable, particularly for people with darker skin. Sunscreens contain ingredients such as avobenzone, oxybenzone, and para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), which we will cover in further detail later.[1]

I wasn’t going to mention suntan lotion (because I honestly forgot about it), but it did come up in my research. Suntan lotion is generally a type of sunscreen with an incredibly low sun protection factor (SPF) – generally below 15. The idea is that it will protect you from some of the sun’s damaging power, but not all of it, so you will tan. There are people who will tan with little or no protection (like my husband), but I am not one of them. I will burn, peel, and freckle, no matter the circumstances. The only time I ever appear to be tanned is when I have accumulated so many freckles that they – like a Seurat painting – give the impression of a tan from a distance.

The best guidance from dermatologists is to use as many means of sun protection as possible in combination. First, choose a “broad spectrum” sunblock or sunscreen that works best with your skin, and use more than you think you need (most people apply about 1/4 of the amount they’re supposed to), reapplying every two hours. But most important, supplement your sunblock/sunscreen with hats, long clothing, sunglasses, and shade. These steps are the best way to prevent your skin from aging and to prevent skin cancers.[2]

Endocrine Disruptors and Carcinogens

Although these products are designed to help protect us, certain chemicals that make them so effective can have lasting negative impacts once we’re done with them, both inside and outside our bodies. For example, after washing off our sunscreen in the shower – or after it comes off in the ocean – components such as oxybenzone and octinoxate (from sunscreens), as well as nano titanium dioxide and nano zinc oxide (from “clear” or “transparent” sunblocks) can harm coral and reef fishes. (It’s the “nano” that makes the titanium and zinc oxides dangerous – they’re typically too big to enter into cells, but formulations that are less visible on the skin can be more harmful to living tissue.) In 2018, Hawaii banned the sale products containing the chemicals mentioned above, following up with another law in spring 2021 also banning avobenzone and octocrylene.[3]

Several of these banned chemicals (octinoxate and oxybenzone to be specific), along with phthalates (commonly found in sunscreens and other cosmetics) are endocrine disruptors, meaning they affect hormones within humans and other animals.[5] Endocrine disrupting chemicals can affect everything from body development in children and adolescents to fertility in adults. Granted, some researchers argue that exposure amounts used in rat trials are higher concentrations than what humans would encounter through normal product use, but a 2015 study suggests that certain sunscreen components – at levels found in human male urine – were correlated with reduced semen quality.[6],[7]

In addition to ongoing concerns about endocrine disrupting chemicals, this past week Johnson & Johnson and Neutrogena voluntarily recalled some of their spray sunscreens that were found to contain small levels of benzene, a volatile organic compound (VOC) that is a known human carcinogen, linked to leukemia and other blood cell cancers.[8] Benzene exposure can happen through inhalation, which is why these spray-based sunscreens are so concerning. Typically benzene exposure can happen in industrial environments (e.g. rubber production facilities, oil refineries, chemical plants, etc.), but it is also found in second-hand smoke. In fact, according to the American Cancer Society, “cigarette smoke accounts for about half of the exposure to benzene in the United States.”[9] Recent testing has shown detectable levels of benzene in certain sunscreens,[10] but not all.[11]

Important note: if you’re using an aerosol spray to apply sunscreen, dermatologists say you still need to spray on enough until it glistens and then rub it into your skin to ensure sufficient protection and even coating. Given that, you’re not saving much time or effort and might as well just use the lotion to start with. While aerosol sprays produced in the United States can no longer include chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which harm the ozone layer, they still include hydrocarbons and compressed gases that contribute to climate change and VOCs that contribute to ground-level ozone and related health effects.[12]

So What Do We Do?

At this point, the question seems to be weighing the possibility of skin cancer against the possibility of blood cancer, infertility, and a damaged ecosystem. The simplest solution would seem to be avoiding sun exposure in the first place, thus reducing the need for sun-protection products that can harm both us and the environment. I recognize how unrealistic that suggestion is, both for people who regularly work outside and for people like myself who have seasonal depression and need sunlight.

The first step is – if possible – minimizing your time in the sun. After that, as mentioned above, following leading dermatologists’ advice to cover up with long pants and sleeves, hats, and sunglasses when you are outside, even when you’re in the shade. These first two steps will help to protect your skin and reduce the amount of sunscreen you actually need to use in the first place. Finally, making sure that the products you use are safe for your body and the environment. Look for “reef-safe” products and “mineral sunscreens” – but remember that there are currently no guidelines dictating what is “reef-safe,” so you still need to check the label. NBC News compiled a list of the best mineral sunscreens of 2021,[14] and Rolling Stone Magazine compiled a list of the best reef-safe sunscreens of 2021.[15] If your price point is a little lower than what they suggest, and/or you only have access to more mainstream brands, it is important – at a minimum – to know which ingredients to avoid.[16]

It can be frustrating when it seems like any choice you make is going to result in a negative impact, and to a certain extent it’s true that simply by living our lives, we humans are going to hurt something somewhere with every choice we make or don’t make. However, we have the opportunity to make informed choices that at least minimize the negative impacts we make on ourselves, each other, and the environment, and bringing light to those options is and will always be an ongoing goal of this blog.

If you’ve tried any mineral sunscreens or reef-safe sunscreens, I’d love to hear how they work. Please share your experiences below. If you haven’t found something that works for you yet, good luck with your responsible shopping.
Thanks for reading!

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[1] https://www.healthline.com/health/sunscreen-vs-sunblock

[2] https://www.skincancer.org/blog/get-the-most-out-of-your-sunscreen/

[3] https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/hawaii-senate-bill-bans-harmful-sunscreen-chemicals-2021-03-09

[4] https://www.blockislandorganics.com/Blog/post/2015/07/08/How-Sunscreens-Work-Mineral-vs-Chemical.aspx

[5] https://stream2sea.com/what-is-avobenzone

[6] https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190722-sunscreen-safe-or-toxic

[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4592813/

[8] https://www.prevention.com/beauty/skin-care/a37036039/johnson-and-johnson-neutrogena-sunscreen-recall-2021/

[9] https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/benzene.html

[10] https://www.valisure.com/wp-content/uploads/Valisure-Citizen-Petition-on-Benzene-in-Sunscreen-and-After-sun-Care-Products-v9.7.pdf

[11] https://www.valisure.com/wp-content/uploads/Attachment-A-Table-5-of-Valisure-FDA-Citizen-Petition-on-Sunscreen-v2.pdf

[12] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-aerosols-still-bad/

[13] https://www.theinertia.com/health/7-steps-to-ensure-your-sunscreen-isnt-bleaching-coral-reefs/

[14] https://www.nbcnews.com/shopping/skin-care/best-mineral-sunscreens-n1267839

[15] https://www.rollingstone.com/product-recommendations/lifestyle/best-reef-safe-sunscreen-1180223/

[16] https://stream2sea.com/ingredients-to-avoid/

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