mineral sunscreen or bust

There are two types of sunscreens available today:

chemical and mineral

What if I told you that each of us had our own protective armor like a superhero? And that the armor protects us from things like chemicals and bacteria? It even regulates our body temperature? 

If you identified this armor as our skin, then you would be correct.  Our largest organ, our skin, is pretty cool.  While it does an incredible job of keeping the outside world from penetrating through its outer layer, it’s no Iron Man suit-of-armor.  Icky ingredients can make their way into our bloodstream, wreaking all sorts of havoc on our bodies including an increased risk of breast cancer and endometriosis (4) to name a few.

Unfortunately, those icky ingredients are sometimes included in products that we are using to try and protect ourselves - in this case, from the sun’s harmful rays.  Feel free to say WTF if you find this frustrating and confusing. 

Chemical sunscreen: 

The majority of sunscreens found at your store would likely fall within the chemical sunscreen category. (Think Neutrogena, Nivea, Hawaiian Tropic, etc). Chemical sunscreens are absorbed into the skin and absorb the sun’s rays, thus protecting us. 

These products include a combination of chemicals like oxybenzone, octinoxate, avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene.  (for a full list of ingredients go here) 

Despite the ubiquity and popularity of chemical sunscreens, many of the ingredients used to make them, are harmful, and are either considered to be endocrine disruptors(4) or are being evaluated for potential endocrine effects. (8)

• Endocrine disruptors are hormone impostors that tell our organs to do harmful things to our bodies. They impact everything from our reproductive to metabolic health, especially disruptive for little ones’ growing systems.  Endocrine disruptors are unsafe even in small doses. 

• Oxybenzone, which is included in many of the chemical sunscreens on shelves today, is currently under FDA review for allergic reactions, skin absorption, effects on hormone levels, reproduction and development. “In 2019, the FDA said current data did not justify classifying oxybenzone as safe and effective.” (4)

• Benzene, a known carcinogen, banned by the FDA in sunscreens because of its “unacceptable toxicity,” was found last year in numerous sunscreens, and led to the recall of several sunscreens from brands including Neutrogena, Aveeno and Coppertone(1)(2) 

  • Benzene contamination was found mainly in aerosol sprays but also in lotions and gels. 

At this point you might be feeling frustrated and even angry.  So many of us assume that if something is sold in stores, that it’s safe for use. Unfortunately as we have come to learn, that is not always the case. The good news is that the FDA is currently reviewing many of these ingredients, but the even better news is that we have an alternative option to chemical sunscreens. 

Mineral Sunscreen:

Unlike chemical sunscreens, mineral sunscreens work by reflecting the sun’s ray’s by sitting on top of the skin just like Captain America’s shield. According to a 2019 FDA proposal to reevaluate the safety of chemical sunscreens, zinc oxide or titanium dioxide are currently the only two active ingredients “generally recognized as safe and effective” (GRASE) (5).

Mineral sunscreens are the ones that I, along with the EWG recommend purchasing. (Even though the FDA does not explicitly agree- given that its GRASE ingredients list only includes zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, it seems like they do…)

🚨Important When Buying Sunscreen: 

Just like with your groceries, you should always look at the ingredients-label before making a purchase. Zinc oxide or titanium dioxide should be the only active-ingredients listed on the label.  Marketing-influences are everywhere, so if a product says “mineral-based” you want to carefully read the inactive ingredients to ensure that there aren’t any chemical ingredients. (If it’s too overwhelming to decipher on your own, download one of the apps I mention below)

My Mineral Sunscreen Picks & Where to find them:

Beauty Counter and All Good are my go-to body sunscreens and Juice Beauty and Suntegrity are my go-to face sunscreens.   I experimented for years with different mineral-based sunscreens that felt slightly like rubbing white chalk against my skin, but these rub in just as nicely as the (highly likely chemical-filled) ones we grew up using.  I also always keep this Beauty Counter stick in my purse for when I need a quick reapplication when I’m on the go.  

Goop and Credo both carry a great selection of mineral-based sunscreens.  As always, be your own advocate though, and research the products for yourselves even if they are sold on one of these sites.  Formulations change and research evolves.   That’s why I highly recommend downloading the EWG Healthy Living and the THINK DIRTY apps.  Until we have stricter federal safety testing for sunscreens, we need to be scrutinizing the products we put in and on our bodies.  

It is also important to mention that we should not rely on sunscreen alone to protect us from the sun.  Wear protective clothing and hats, seek shade, and try to limit your direct exposure between the hours of 10-2 when the sun’s rays are at their strongest.  

*I should note that my Beauty Counter mineral sunscreen stick only received a 3 based on EWG’s rating system. I often weigh the risk-benefit, and in this case, This is a situation where I weighed the risk-benefit, and in this case, I’m more afraid of skin cancer then the potential risks of using this as a backup option.  

* The EWG warns against the use of sunscreen sprays, which is a big bummer for those of us looking to make a tedious task easier.  There are several factors contributing to their caution: effectiveness based on the thickness of coverage, benzene contamination(1)(2), and inhalation of nanoparticles contained in mineral-based sunscreens.  

Given the risks involved, I am not willing to take a chance and use even a mineral-based spray sunscreen, especially on my son.  Children have a greater skin surface to body weight ratio, and their skin is shown to be more permeable than an adults(3). Unfortunately for him and I both, this means he will continue to be subjected to the dreaded cream application.