Quote:
Originally Posted by thevillager1988
Coming to the smart people on TOTV again for some help finding sunscreen that doesn't contain all those harmful ingredients. I was using the sunscreens designed for babies that say minerals. No one would harm a baby, right? And minerals are good for you. Apparently not so.
Any help is appreciated.
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I have researched sunscreens. There is a difference among sunscreens and specific recommendations. First, a bit about UV-B and UV-A. UV-B is the cause of sunburn and cancer and UV-A is perhaps a more dangerous cause of cancer. UV-A can penetrate even glass (80%). Sunscreens best protect against UV-B and less so against UV-A. To get good UV-A protection you must use at least a minimum of SPF 30, but higher is recommended (and specific ingredients are recommended). SPF is considered a variable, non-scientific measurement.
Clothing: Minor role but dark colors protect better than light colors (just the opposite of what I thought). Hats are the most important articles of clothing. A 4-inch wide brim is required to cover the entire face and neck.
Ingredients: There are two types of ingredients: minerals and chemicals.
Minerals: Zinc oxide and Titanium oxide. The new nanoparticle formulations diminish the white appearance. Titanium Oxide has been demonstrated to be much LESS effective than Zinc Oxide. The recommended concentration of Zinc Oxide is 20% or more – some products only have 5%.
Zinc Oxide + Chemicals – Just Say No. Zinc Oxide 5% when combined with chemical sunscreens caused the chemicals to degrade much more extensively than when Zinc Oxide was not added - chemical sunscreens alone had 15% degradation after 2 hours but when combined with Zinc Oxide there was a whopping ~85% degradation after 2 hours. This was based on UV-A penetration.
Chemicals. There should be a combination of chemicals to protect against both UV-A and UV-B. The 4 recommended combination of ingredients are:
(1) Avobenzone
(2) Octocrylene
(3) Homosalate
(4) Octisalate
A 5th ingredient, tetraphalydine dicamphor sulphonic acid (say that 3 times fast) also increases protection from UV-A, but you are unlikely to find a product with that as an ingredient.
The above 4 ingredients are the most highly recommended by Consumer Reports as well.
Speaking of Consumer Reports, here are the sunscreens they state offer the most protection:
(1) Coppertone Water Babies Lotion
(2) Eucerin Advanced Hydration Lotion
(3) Walmart’s Equate brand of Ultra Lotion (be careful because the
ingredients could change in store brands)
Lastly, you really do need to apply 15 minutes before going out in the sun because the chemicals need to form a complex. Likewise, you really do need to reapply every 80 minutes because the chemicals degrade quickly. (And reapply after swimming or sweating a lot).