The sunscreen active ingredients that harm more than protect.
Chemicalsunscreens rub in clear and absorb the sun’s UV rays when they come in contact with skin.Physical sunscreens have UV filters that deflect, scatter, or block the sun’s rays.
While physical sunscreens usually use a combination of zinc oxide or titanium dioxide as their active ingredients, chemical sunscreens use a combination of usually two or more of oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate, and octinoxate.According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), the FDA has not reviewed the toxicity of active ingredients in chemical sunscreens. Instead, these ingredients were grandfathered in when the FDA began considering sunscreen safety in 1978.This means that although some of these ingredients are considered toxic, they are still allowed in our sunscreens.Seems like it might be time to revisit testing these ingredients, right? It is 2018 after all.Let's take a look at two of the most common active chemical ingredients: Oxybenzone and Octinoxate.OXYBENZONEThis active ingredient can be found in 65% of chemical sunscreens and has been determined to be the most toxic ingredient commonly found in sunscreens. (Rodriguez 2006) The EWG gave this chemical a rating of 8 out of 10 in terms of toxicity, meaning it is a high hazard. Yikes!!
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