Most sunscreens offer little protection – and some may up your risk

Dear Reader,

It’s been three years since the FDA was supposed to take action and help get bad sunscreens off the market.

Store shelves are flooded with ones that don’t work very well… lie about how well they protect you… and even contain dangerous chemicals. Some brands even have ingredients that can actually promote skin cancer.

But with summer just around the bend, it would be nice to know which brands work — and work safely – and which brands are plain junk.

Fortunately, we don’t have to wait for the FDA to gets its act together. That’s because the Environmental Working Group has been screening sunscreens for us. And what they’ve found in their new 2015 review may knock your flip-flops off.

Sun burned

Even the FDA admits that all sunscreens are not created equal – which is why the agency was supposed to set new standards for sunscreens back in 2012. But so far the FDA is still sitting on its hands, and the EWG report proves that many of the sunscreens on the market today might be doing us more harm than good.

The most shocking revelation from the group is that about 80 percent of the sunscreens sold today either provide substandard levels of protection or contain ingredients that could be hazardous to your health.

EWG even developed a “Hall of Shame” for products it considers either a waste of money or potentially harmful. And you’ll find that list full of many of the most popular sunscreens on the market today — including several from Coppertone, the original sunscreen maker.

Some of the worst sunscreens contain chemicals like oxybenzone, which can produce abnormal hormonal changes, especially in children. Or retinyl palmitate, a form of vitamin A that a study by government scientists found can actually form free radicals, which speed up the growth of skin cancers – the very thing that sunscreen is supposed to prevent.

Then there are sunscreens that contain aerosols, which can pose a real health hazard when inhaled, either deliberately or by accident.

The EWG’s “Hall of Shame” also includes products that give users a false sense of confidence by boasting a ridiculously high SPF, when maximum effectiveness for an SPF ranges from 30 to 50. And remember, the SPF only protects you against UVB rays that cause sunburn, not UVA rays that cause deep skin damage. In order to get UVA protection, you need a sunscreen labeled “broad spectrum.”

Some of the better sunscreen brands typically contain ingredients like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. These stay on your skin without being absorbed into your body, and they effectively block UV rays from penetrating. They also are in that “broad spectrum” category that offers maximum protection against UVB and UVA rays.

Besides switching to a better sunscreen, here are some of the other ways you can maximize your sun protection while getting the most benefit from those rays:

• Spend up to 20 minutes a day in the sun without any sunscreen on. Direct sunlight is considered the best way to get vitamin D, which can help both your immunity and your sense of well-being.
• After you’ve upped your vitamin D, try to avoid unnecessary sun exposure. Whenever possible, cover up with a hat, long sleeves and long pants or a skirt.
• Remember, sunscreens are chemicals, and should not be applied routinely, but reserved for those times when you can’t help but expose your skin for longer periods. In those cases, you should use a sunscreen recommended by the EWG that will protect you without risky chemicals.
• If you have to spend more than a couple hours in the sun, re-apply your sunscreen, as its effectiveness wears out during that time.

To read the EWG’s 2015 report on sunscreens, click here.

Sources:

“80% of sunscreens don’t really work or have ‘worrisome ingredients: Report” Alexandra Sifferlin, May 19, 2015, Time, time.com

“EWG’s 2015 guide to sunscreens?” Environmental Working Group, ewg.org