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With the weather nice and warm the prospect of being outside just too good to resist, a good sunscreen is once again high on the priorities list.

So with so many choices available, where do you start?

First let’s have a look at the two different types – chemical absorbers and physical blockers.

Chemical Absorber Sunscreens

These are the most common and usually found in your supermarket aisle. They work by reacting with your skin to absorb UV rays, convert the UV rays into energy, and then release them from your skin.

All the big brands use chemical blockers because they are nice and easy to apply – you don’t look like a white faced clown and you can apply your makeup as normal over the top.

They do have a few down sides though.

1. No one chemical absorber protects against the entire broad spectrum of UV rays. They do well at protecting you against UVB rays but not UVA. This means that they stop you burning, but not ageing. Manufacturers use a combination of chemical absorbers to protect against UVA and UVB.

2. Some chemical absorbers such as Avobenzone become unstable when exposed to UV rays. Recent research has opened up the debate that chemical absorbers like Avobenzone are actually increasing free radical damage in the skin rather than stopping it.

3. Other negatives are that many chemical absorbers can irritate the skin, trigger allergies, penetrate into the blood stream and linked to hormone disruption. This is why supermodel Giselle Bundchen publicly stated she refused to use sunscreen on her children.

If you want to know how to spot a chemical absorber ingredient it is very easy. It is any active sunscreen ingredient that isn’t zinc oxide.

Eco Concerns

Chemical absorbers are also not very friendly to our reefs. Researchers are finding that compounds in chemical absorber sunscreens are harmful to reefs because they trigger a virus that causes it to become sick, turn white and die. It is estimated that 4000 – 6000 tons of sunscreen is washed off every year onto reefs. That is because 90% of tourists visit 10% of the world’s reefs.*

Physical Blockers Sunscreens

These are the old fashioned sunscreens using Zinc Oxide which sit on top of the skin and reflect the UV radiation. It is the only ingredient that provides true broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection.

If you want to avoid chemical absorber sunscreens, these are the only other choice available at the moment.

Along with Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide is also considered to be a physical blocker but it is more of a hybrid. It both reflects and absorbs UV rays, but has concerns over its safety when used at nano particle size (not sure what nano-particles are? Read below ).

Zinc-based sunscreens have come a long way but they are still very thick and can leave your skin looking a lighter shade. There are some good options but nothing that is as easy to use as a chemical absorber sunscreen. They are our personal preference when it comes to sun protection.

What about Nano Particles? Are they really evil?

Nano particles are particles that are smaller than a micron, used in some physical blocker sunscreens because they’re so small they’re transparent. They are invisible to the human eye and reduce the white film appearance that thick blocker sunscreens can leave on your face.

They have been hitting the headlines lately and no one can agree on whether they are safe or not. So it is a hard one to comment on. Some believe that due to their size the nano particles could be absorbed into human cells and the health impacts of this are unknown.

There are some brands who market their sunscreens which are “nano free” but the independent group Friends of the Earth did a test of 20 sunscreens and they all failed because they contained nano particles, even those that claimed to be “nano free”. This prompted Friends of the Earth to remove all sunscreen recommendations for 2013. We will be looking into this some more for you.

Last but not least – a quick guide to SPF

Sun Protection Factor (SPF) is an indication to how well a sunscreen protects against UVB rays (Not UVA). So always look for a sunscreen that has a SPF and says that it is broad spectrum.

• SPF 15 blocks about 93% of UVB

• SPF 30 blocks 97% of UVB

• SPF 50 blocks 98% UVB

So which sunscreen do you choose?

We are on the hunt for the best one but until we find it here are 3 things to keep in mind

1. Zinc based provides the best protection and is more reef friendly even if they are not as easy to use.

2. SPF 30 or above is best

3. Always choose broad spectrum.

* Coral Reef Research – Danovaro R, Bongiorni L, Corinaldesi C, Giovannelli D, Damiani E, Astolfi P, et al. 2008. Sunscreens Cause Coral Bleaching by Promoting Viral Infections. Environ Health Perspect 116:441-447.

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  • An interesting article about sunscreen l didn’t know.I use the 50+ on my face and body to avoid skin cancer.

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  • thank you phoebe for this sunscreen info

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  • Good to know! Very interesting! Thanks for sharing this!

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  • I love the aerosol spray on sunscreen as I find it protects them more because it is easier to put on.

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  • We’ve moved to the SPF50 this year. I use a Neutrogena face sunscreen SPF50+ and then a different 50+ for my body.

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  • Great information, thank you for the article.

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  • I often develop rosacea from some sunscreens but I have recently started using MooGoo sunscreen and have found it to be good but a little thick. No reactions yet. I don’t let my son go outside without sunscreen but as he doesn’t get skin reactions I wasn’t too fussy with what I used on him. I think I will start researching sunscreen ingredients in any sunscreen that we use.

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  • i just personally hate using greasy sunscreen especially on my face.

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  • Good old fashioned zinc, an oldie but a goodie.
    Thanks for this very helpful and extremely informative article.

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  • Thanks for a very interesting article.
    There was a lot of information that I didn’t know about sunscreens.

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  • Very informative. So much to know. Thanks.

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  • We have a huge range of sunscreens in a box near our door – ready for going out in the sun, incl. cheaper stuff and Wotnot – but from this article I will now look into the zinc options…

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  • great to learn more about sun protection.

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  • Great information, thank you for the article.

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  • there are so many different types out there, its hard to know which one to use

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  • My kids 8 n 6 can not use any brand sun screen because they get skin reactions 2 days later and its not nice. It was only 2 months ago i thought if there was such thing as organic sunscreen and i did find one in health shop. It worked well on them but they dislike the feel because its really thick but its better than getting sunburnt and skin reactions. Turned out less chemicals worked for them. Expensive to buy though.

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  • Thanks for sharing. I never knew there was so much to consider.

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  • Thankyou for a very good article for something that we use and often confused by the variety on the shelves.

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  • It’s nice to have a choice but sometimes too many choices can make us make the wrong choice – I’ll just continue to stay of the sun I think.

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  • Gosh! Never realised there was so much to consider.

    Reply

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