Sunscreen is a very important product for overall health. Sunscreen use can help prevent skin cancer by protecting you from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. Regardless of age, gender or race, anyone can get skin cancer. Sadly, it's estimated that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. Even if you don't burn easily, wearing sunscreen is still important. Sunburn is an immediate reaction, but sun damage occurs over a lifetime.
The following information is from the Environmental Working Group:
"Thus, ingredients in sunscreen should be able to withstand powerful UV radiation without losing their effectiveness or forming potentially harmful breakdown products. Ingredients should not be irritating or cause skin allergies. In a spray sunscreen, it's possible to potentially inhale ingredients, so ingredients must not be harmful to lungs or internal organs. Further, sunscreens commonly include ingredients that act as “penetration enhancers” and help the product adhere to skin. As a result, many sunscreen chemicals are absorbed into the body and can be measured in blood, breast milk and urine samples.
Active ingredients in sunscreens come in two forms, mineral and chemical filters. Each uses a different mechanism for protecting skin and maintaining stability in sunlight. The most common sunscreens on the market contain chemical filters. These products typically include a combination of two to six of the following active ingredients: oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate and octinoxate. Mineral sunscreens use zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide. A handful of products combine zinc oxide with chemical filters.
Laboratory studies indicate that some chemical UV filters may mimic hormones, and physicians report sunscreen-related skin allergies, which raises important questions about unintended human health consequences from frequent sunscreen application."
If you are using a chemical-based sunscreen, there's a good chance that it contains oxybenzone. Oxybenzone is one of the most common chemical filters found in chemical sunscreens because it provides UV coverage. While the primary function of oxybenzone is to absorb UV light, research has shown that it is also absorbed by the skin and stays in the human body for an unknown amount of time. Why should you be concerned about this ingredient? The EWG has rated oxybenzone an 8 on their toxicity rating scale, meaning it is one of the most toxic ingredients found in cosmetic products like sunscreen. The EWG and other toxicology experts are concerned about the compound because it has been linked to hormone disruption and has the potential to damage cells that may lead to skin cancer.
Another UV-B filter is octinoxate. It can be absorbed rapidly through skin and has been detected in human urine, blood and breast milk. Octinoxate is an endocrine disruptor that mimics estrogen and can disrupt thyroid function. Octinoxate does not filter from UV-A rays. As it relates to the environment, some states like Hawaii are looking to ban products containing chemicals like oxybenzone and octinoxate because of concerns to coral reefs relating to coral bleaching. Kona athletes - does your sunscreen contain oxybenzone and octinoxate??
To choose a safe sunscreen, here are some top tips:
- Stay up-to-date on all things sunscreen by regularly checking out the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and their annual guide to sunscreens.
- Make sure your sunscreen protects against both UVA and UVB rays.
- SPF 50 or less is recommended. Higher is not better. People are more likely to use high-SPF products improperly and as a result may expose themselves to more harmful ultraviolet radiation than people relying on products with lower SPF values. Why? SPF factor tells you only how much the sunscreen is blocking the sun’s UVB rays, not the UVA rays. And since UVA rays don’t burn your skin as fast as UVB, you may be staying too long in the sun – without knowing it. So even if you don’t actually notice it on your skin, your skin may be damaged from the UVA rays. Properly applied SPF 50 sunscreen blocks 98 percent of UVB rays; SPF 100 blocks 99 percent. When used correctly, sunscreen with SPF values in the range of 30 to 50 will offer adequate sunburn protection, even for people most sensitive to sunburn.
- Avoid harmful chemicals. Read labels and choose companies who are committed to health and safety standards. Ingredients such as Oxybenzone, Octinoxate and Retinyl palminate should be avoided.
Because of my outdoor active lifestyle, I'm always on the hunt for a sunscreen that protects my skin from the sun and is free from chemicals. While there are products out there that meet my criteria, the biggest struggle is finding one that is tolerable for sweating, isn't sticky and is effective.
My friend Katrine, who is a Beautycounter consultant, reached out to me over a year ago regarding the sun protection line of products from Beautycounter. As a long time friend, I trusted her testimonial and asked her if I could try out some of the products. Of course, she did not ask me to promote the products in any way and I received no compensation to write this review. But when I like something, I want to share it with my followers.
Since last April, I have been using the following products:
Protect Stick Sunscreen Body
Protect All over SFP 30
Protect Stick Sunscreen Face
For myself, I have not had any issues with these products in terms of sunburn or feeling like I can't sweat with these products on my body. My favorite is the sunscreen face - it feels like a moisturizer on my skin. I also enjoy the refreshing smell and non-greasy feel. Since I have never been fond of cream-based sunscreens for training because it feels like I am sweating through layers of cream, I haven't had issues wearing the sunscreen cream. The nice thing about the stick is that it's easy to carry/bring with you and it makes sunscreen application very easy with no messy hands (which is a good thing when you are about to ride your bike or eat!). I also liked the size of the face stick, which is small and compact - perfect for traveling or keeping in your jersey or pool bag when you need to reapply.
If you are interested in trying out any of the Beautycounter sunscreen products, Katrine would like to offer you a discount (below). I get nothing back in return from your order....I am just looking out for your skin safety.
Place your order with this link www.beautycounter.com/katrinestrickland and then email your order confirmation to Katrine at katrinebstrickland@gmail.com. She will then immediately reimburse you via mailed check, PayPal or Venmo (which ever you prefer). I do not make any money from your purchase. Just passing along a great deal.
You will receive $25 off any order of $75 or greater (not including tax & shipping). You also do not have to purchase the sunscreen to qualify for this discount.
Happy shopping!
BeautyCounter
|
