You know those gorgeous movie stars who swear the secret to ageless beauty is staying out of the sun? Fine, maybe they’re not disclosing their commitment to Botox, but all that aside, I’ve always envied people who have the determination to keep UV rays from their skin at all costs.
I, on the other hand, have roasted myself like a chicken on a beach spit with zero protection far too many times. But age smartens a girl up. I actually own sun protection now, and use it. Well, after allowing myself a decent dose of vitamin D, of course. The question is, which sunscreen should you choose?
Since I last wrote about sunscreen four years ago, a lot has changed. Well, sort of. The U.S. is finally bringing in new sunscreen regs, but Canada already has some of those in place (like not allowing products below SPF 15 to make cancer claims). Still, Health Canada may still drop the max SPF on labels to 50 (any higher is meaningless), tighten UVA standards and outlaw waterproof claims to harmonize with the U.S.
Besides that, according to the latest annual sunscreen report by Environmental Working Group, the vast majority of sunscreens are still made with potentially endocrine-disrupting, estrogen-mimicking chemicals like oxybenzone (found in 97 per cent of North Americans and killing coral reefs).
Too many still contain suspected tumour accelerator retinyl palmitate, and too few offer true protection against the UVA rays that give you cancer and age you like a sun-dried tomato.
What’s shifted is that a lot more brands are also offering mineral sunscreens made with titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide instead of chemical sunscreen ingredients. I won’t deny sourcing these minerals does have its own environmental footprint (think open-pit mining), but since they’re also considered top UVA/UVB protectors that happen to be natural, they’re turning up everywhere. Are they always better? Depends.
Aveeno’s Natural Protection Mineral Sunblock (for adults and babies) says it’s made with 100 per cent naturally sourced active ingredients, but what about the non-active ingredients? The baby version contains Dirty Dozen preservative BHT as well as petroleum by-products. It’s certainly cleaner than Aveeno’s conventional Continuous Protection sunblocks, which are supposed to be as “as mild as water,” but meanwhile, back at the beach, they’re loaded with dodgy sunscreen chems, estrogenic parabens and much more.
Keep in mind that a growing number of drugstore sunscreens now add titanium dioxide to their formula to bump up their UVA protection, but the rest of the ingredients are the same junky chemicals and fillers as before.
At health stores, mineral versions of Nature’s Gate, Kiss My Face and Avalon sunscreens are way better options than their sun care products that don’t have “mineral” on the label, since even these so-called natural companies rely on chemical sunscreens.
Why? To be honest, mineral sunscreens can leave a slightly white sheen. Not good if you have any non-Caucasian roots. That’s why almost all brands that contain titanium dioxide and most that contain zinc are made with infinitesimally small nano-particles.
Those of you who have heard me rail against nano-particles in the past know I’m not crazy about the use of these under-researched ingredients about 1 billionth of a metre wide. But EWG maintains that nano versions of both particles don’t seem to be a concern unless you inhale them. (Note: avoid any mineral sunscreens that come in powder or spray form).
The research org otherwise praises all TD and ZO sunscreens for offering the least toxic, most effective sun protection, whether they’re nano or not.
Still, a growing segment of crunchy granolas aren’t convinced and would rather avoid the nano scene wherever possible. Hence, a handful of health store sunscreens like Badger and Soleo have recently been reformulated to be nano-free.
But probably my favourite nano-free zinc oxide brand made with all-natural and largely organic ingredients is Canada’s own Green Beaver. It’s a little greasy, but the new sunscreen formula won’t leave you chalky white. Otherwise, ask companies if they use particles greater than 100 nanometres.
By the way, if you’ve heard good things about Euro sunscreen chemicals, keep in mind that brands like RoC and La Roche-Posay are now incorporating top UVA/UVB protection chemicals with excellent safety profiles. Too bad they combine them with nasty parabens, enviro-polluting siloxanes and less reputable sunscreen chems like octinoxate.
Better to just wear long sleeves and a hat.
