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Our Members Asked:
What is the best sunscreen based on safety and efficacy?
Answer:
When choosing a sunscreen, you need to consider how well it protects your skin as well as the safety of the chemicals it contains. We discuss both in this article and identify products that appear to be effective as well as safe. We also identify products that have been discovered to contain carcinogens – benzene and benzophenone.
As discussed below, certain ingredients in sunscreens appear to make a product more likely to contain benzene and/or benzophenone. We have provided several tables showing more than two hundred examples of products that, either through testing or a review of ingredients, may pose some risk or appear to be safer than others. We also compare the UV protection of sunscreen to sun-protection clothing.
In this article:
Facial Moisturizers, Lip Balms & Glosses, and Foundations with Sunscreens
- Contaminants -- Benzene and Benzophenone
- Will sunscreen prevent you from making vitamin D?
- Do you need to wear sunscreen in the winter?
- Are sunscreens in Europe better?
- What are "DNA repair enzymes" in sunscreens and do they reverse sun damage?
Key Points:
- Choose a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 and make sure it is broad spectrum — which means it protects against both UVB (which causes sunburn) and UVA (which causes wrinkles and age spots) in proportional amounts.
- Reapply the sunscreen every two hours, or more often if you are swimming or sweating.
- Mineral sunscreen agents are safest: The only two compounds that the FDA has proposed to be generally recognized as safe and effective as sunscreens are the mineral sunscreens agents, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. They essentially work by "blocking" ultraviolet radiation. Zinc oxide provides protection against both UVB and UVA, while titanium dioxide protects primarily against UVB and provides less protection against UVA.
- Chemical sunscreen agents may help protect better you than mineral sunscreens if you’re going to be in the water for a while. However, they are not generally recognized as safe and effective. They work by "absorbing" radiation, but they are absorbed through the skin and into the body. The FDA has asked manufacturers to provide more safety information about these compounds, which included octocrylene (which can also cause skin redness and inflammation in 4% of people), as well as avobenzone, ensulizole, homosalate, octinoxate, octisalate, and oxybenzone.
- Avoid sunscreens that mix mineral-based ingredients (zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) with chemical sunscreen ingredients, particularly those with avobenzone. This combination can reduce the effectiveness of some of the chemical compounds and potentially create toxic compounds when exposed to sunlight.
- Carcinogenic compounds, benzene and benzophenone, have been found in some sunscreens, likely arising from other ingredients such as butane, isobutane, or propane, which are propellants in aerosol sprays.
- Any clothing can help protect skin from UV radiation, but some fabrics are better than others. Fabric that is dark or bright (e.g., red, black or navy) and less porous (e.g., polyester, cotton blends, fabric used in polo shirts) tends to protect against UV radiation better than light-colored fabrics (e.g., pastels, yellow, or white) and fabrics that are porous (e.g. linen, knitted fabrics).
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