Slip, slop, synthetic...
Friday, November 13, 2009 at 11:08AM The Australian weather has well and truly heated up. We are packing away our blankets and our uggies and heading outdoors in our singlet tops and thongs. We are heeding the advice of the professionals and are applying sunscreen by the bucket load to protect ourselves from skin cancer.... but are we cutting off our nose to spite our face?
Like many things we assume that the sunscreens on our supermarket shelves have been thoroughly tested and is safe for use. However, with 985 different sunscreens on the market all with varying claims from easy application to repelling bugs, the amount and combination of chemicals being used in their production is extremely under researched.
In addition to this, sunscreen is exempt from the Trade Practices Act that states all ingredients need to be listed on cosmetic formulations. Sunscreens only need to have the active ingredients and preservatives listed, but generally this makes up only 20% of the overall product, leaving 80% unknown to the consumer. This makes it almost impossible for the consumer do to their own research on what they are applying to thier skin religiously in the summer months.
According to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) Zinc Oxide and Titanium dioxide are 2 of the most common ingredients used in sunscreens (except I have 3 bottles of sunscreen in front of me here and only 1 lists those as the active ingredients! Where is the TGA research on the others?).
The TGA have tested zinc oxide and titanium dioxide and to date regard them as safe (However, according to their fact sheet, they are continuing to monitor research). Other parties are sceptical (particularly with titanium dioxide), because manufacturers reduce these materials down to nanoparticle size (800 times smaller than a human hair or 100 billionth of a metre). Reducing the ingredients down to nanoparticle size makes the sunscreen easy to apply and less visible on the skin. BUT it also makes it easier to enter the bloodstream and cross the blood-brain barrier.
It is also possible that whilst ingredients in sunscreen have minimal toxicity when first applied to the skin when heated by the sun the active ingredients can react with the inactive ingredients and have a myriad of effects such as:
- having a mutagen affect on DNA, which can in actual fact lead to skin cancer
- irritate the skin - rash, pigmentation, swelling
- disrupt the endocrine (hormonal) system which can lead to cancer in the mammary glands and reproductive organs and can impact the development of a growing foetus
- Increased bone reabsorption, leading to osteopenia and osteoporosis
- Delay the onset of puberty in boys and reduce testosterone levels in men because some of the chemicals used have an estrogenic effect
I'm not by any means encouraging you to dispose of all of your sunscreens and disregard the anti-cancer warnings. I am just highlighting that once again our regulations have let us down and we need to be a little sceptical about the safety of products on our shelves.
Instead of automatically reaching for the sunscreen lotion and deeming yourself shielded from the hot Australian sun, ensure you are using it in combination with other alternatives, such as:
- Eat healthily: Good nutrition enables the body to repair a certain amount of cell damage caused by the sun.
- Drink green tea: it has been found to prevent skin damage and therefore skin cancer
- We've been told to slip, slop and slap, but we tend to just do the slop. Remember to slip on a shirt and slap on a hat. And find some shade!! Enjoy the summer from under a tree.
- Look for sunscreens that list all of thier ingredients (hard to find!). There should be at least 10 ingredients listed. Then do your own research and see what you can find (or send me a note and I will happily check some of my resources).
- Consider organic sunscreen: there are a number of sunscreens available that have food-like ingredients. This is especially important for kids, because they tend to spend more time in the sun, therefore need more sunscreen, but aren't as efficient as eliminating the toxins as adults. Plus they are more likely to swallow small amounts during the application on face and lips. Breastfeeding mothers should also go organic - frightening levels of toxins are eliminated through the breast milk.
- Bring back the thick white cricket stripes - gone are the days when kids and cricketers alike would get around with thick white stripes on their noses and cheeks. Zinc oxide is considered relatively safe and an effective barrier.
- Spend a little time in the sun - a small amount of time in the sun each day is good for us. Get out early in the day or later in the afternoon and soak up some Vitamin D.
Reader Comments (3)
Where can I find a list of organic alternatives and where to buy them?
Kerri, I haven't had a chance to research all of the ingredients but the products offered at http://www.naturallysafe.com.au/product_list.asp?keyword=sunscreen&button.x=10&button.y=10 seem fairly good. Organic shops and health food stores would also be a good place to start looking.
Stay away from synthetic toxic chemical sunscreen. Use one that is a physical block using zinc. Soleo Organics is a great organic sunscreen that can be used safely for the whole family. You can find it at Green Organics Beauty/a>