| Have you heard the latest buzz about harmful chemicals in your sunscreen? It seems like every summer we learn something new and alarming about the summer must-have product that is supposed to be keeping us safe from the sun. Just last week the headlines revealed that several popular brands are contaminated with BENZENE ← not good. But, we will get to that in a minute. Today I’m breaking down what you need to know about sunscreen, so you can make a safer choice! We all know that sunscreen is important, but we also want to make sure that it isn’t harming us in other ways, too. Listen, I’m not here to scare you. But I am here to arm you with information so you can make an educated choice about the products you are using. My motto will always be: progress, not perfection. Let’s start with the 2 types of sunscreens: chemical and physical |
| Chemical sunscreens are where most of the health concerns arise. In an effort not to overwhelm you with the details, here are the main concerns about chemical sunscreens: |
- Absorb into our bloodstream at higher than FDA approved levels
- Can persist in our bodies for up to 21 daysKill coral reefs – they have been banned in Hawaii
- Mess with our hormones (we call this endocrine disruption) Up until last week, the biggest concern was endocrine disruption. Chemical sunscreens like oxybenzone, octinoxate & homosalate have been shown to decrease testosterone, contribute to endometriosis, impact our metabolism and more.
To that, this infertility mama says “NO THANK YOU!“
I wish that was where the concern ended– it’s enough right? But last week we were alerted to another, possibly bigger, concern: benzene in our sunscreen.
| LET’S DIVE IN, SHALL WE? |
| An independent, watch-dog lab, Valisure, tested 294 unique batches from 69 different companies and found 78 sunscreen and after sun products contained up to three times the conditionally restricted FDA concentration of BENZENE. Benzene is no joke. Benzene is the reason we spent that first 3 months of Austin’s life living in a hotel during the Aliso Canyon Gas Leak (fun times, really helped my postpartum anxiety) So what is it? Benzene is a carcinogen linked to blood cancers, like leukemia. |
| TO BE CLEAR: these brands aren’t adding Benzene as an ingredient in their sunscreen products. They aren’t intentionally trying to give us cancer, okay? “Health experts speculate the chemical may have contaminated these products during the manufacturing process, as benzene levels varied between batches of the same product from the same companies.” This is where post-production testing is so critical. The only way to know if your sunscreen is free of benzene is if the company is testing for it AFTER it has been manufactured. I only know of one company that tests all their products after production to ensure nothing – like benzene – snuck in: Beautycounter. I’m not saying we are the only company. In fact, I would LOVE to know about other companies that do this. I want to be able to provide you a list of companies I trust. So far, on the benzene issue, I’m left with Beautycounter (what a relief I can say that about the brand I choose to sell!) Now, Valisure did provide a list of products where they did not detect any benzene and I am happy to see that ThinkSport and Badger are on it. Those have been my other trusted brands prior to the benzene issue. However, these companies do not test their products post-production as far as I am aware. |
| Now, to wrap this up… |
| When you’re looking for a safer sunscreen – READ THE INGREDIENTS LIST. AVOID: Oxybenzone Octinoxate Octisalate Homosalate Avobenzone Retinyl/Retinol Fragrance PEG EDTA LOOK FOR: Non-nano Zinc Oxide Titanium Dioxide ** Bonus points if the brand tests their sunscreen for benzene** |
A note from Nicole …
| Like I said, it’s about progress, not perfection. We can’t avoid every dang harmful chemical. They surround us. So, don’t freak out. But, don’t quit either. Just make one informed, safer choice at a time. Every little bit makes a difference. It’s my joy to help you on this journey. Please reach out with any question you have! |
