Earthley Wellness

When the sun is out and shining bright, many people get excited to enjoy their days out and about. Living life out in nature is both mood-lifting and a great, natural source for making vitamin D!

However, in large part, thanks to advertisements, it is worrisome. Will it burn me? Will it give me skin cancer? All the worries come rushing in fast.

The sunscreen industry brings in over $800 million annually offering over 1,800 different products available for purchase.

However, many of these products contain questionable and/or toxic ingredients.

Here at Earthley Wellness, we want to empower you with information so that you can make your own decisions on what is best for your family. Therefore, we compiled a list of things you need to know when shopping for a safe, non-toxic sunscreen for your family.

Why it Matters

Did you know certain ingredients found in sunscreens have been banned in many locations, including the U.S. Virgin Islands, Hawaii, Key West, Florida, Bonaire, Palau, and multiple Mexican vacation spots (1)?

These ingredients can induce bleaching, damage DNA, deform, or even kill coral. These ingredients are so problematic that the Center for Biological Diversity has petitioned the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to ban these coral-killing sunscreen ingredients nationally (2).

The mainstream has recommended avoiding mid-day sun to reduce the risk of sunburns for years.

But is that best for us? The UVA rays that can cause skin cancer and deep-level skin damage are always strong. The UVB rays that can cause sunburn also produce vitamin D in the skin and are strongest around mid-day. Why would you expose your skin to rays that can’t produce much vitamin D but can cause long-term damage?

Additionally, exposure to sun rays isn’t always bad. In fact, it is one of the main sources of vitamin D production. Vitamin D deficiency is far-reaching and affects seasonal affective disorders, joint pain, psoriasis, sarcoidosis, mycosis fungoides, and numerous other conditions (3).

Vitamin D exposure is why it’s important to get 10-30 minutes of mid-day sunlight daily as many days per year as possible (until the skin turns pink). Remember, wearing sunscreen while you do this will block almost all UVB rays.

If you’re in the sun for longer, then being cautious of your sunscreen is important because you don’t want toxic ingredients soaking into your skin or getting burned.

How it Works

There are two basic types in this regulated category: sunblock and sunscreen. The difference between sunscreen and sunblock is in how they protect the skin. Generally, they work by either or both scattering and absorbing UV rays. Physical sunblocks like zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, form a protective layer on the skin that scatters the UV away from the skin (like a mirror but not quite as perfectly reflecting). Chemical sunscreens (like the petroleum-based options) penetrate into the skin and absorb the UV where it is converted is treated as an energy and converted into heat and dissipated into the wearer’s body.

Mainstream sunscreens typically contain a combination of physical and chemical sunscreens to provide broad-spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB rays.

Sunscreen uses chemicals that penetrate the skin and absorb the UV rays. These will often go on clear and leave a thin layer on the skin. Sunblock uses minerals (either zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) to block the UV rays from the skin. Sunblock often goes on pasty and is more difficult to wash off. Many people use the terms interchangeably, but it's important to note that the term sunblock is no longer allowed by the FDA. So from here on out, we will just say sunscreen.

If a sunscreen is labeled broad spectrum or full-spectrum, that means that it protects from both UVA and UVB light. UVA light is what is responsible for aging your skin (free radical damage and skin cancer too), while UVB light is what activates your vitamin D production in the skin and causes sunburn.

SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor and only refers to protection from UVB rays. The SPF label can be misleading. A consumer may see a high SPF and think that it provides a substantially greater amount of protection than a lower SPF.

SPF 15 blocks ~94% of UVB rays
SPF 30 blocks ~97% of UVB rays
SPF 45 blocks ~98% of UVB rays

There are several ingredients you will definitely want to avoid when shopping for a non-toxic sunscreen.

Toxic Ingredients Found in Mainstream Sunscreen

Parabens

Parabens mimic estrogen and can act as potential hormone (endocrine) system disruptors damaging both female and male reproductive processes. Some research has found an association with parabens (prpylaparaben) in urine output with decreased fertility (4).

Parabens also can damage coral in the water as well as combine with chlorine for volate byproducts in tap or pool water. It has also been found in breast milk.

Homosalate

This is yet another “not sufficient evidence” for them to determine whether it isn’t safe to use. It is nonetheless commonly found in sunscreens. Other countries put a limit as low as .5% concentration on how much can be used in a product (5). The US has the limit at 15% concentration!

The biggest concerns are for how well it penetrates the skin, its hormone-disrupting effects, and ability to increase cell growth in human breast cancer cells (6,7). It has been found in breast milk as well.

Retinyl Palmitate (synthetic vitamin A)

Retinyl palmitate is also known as natural. It is helpful for slowing aging as vitamin A does support collagen production, but there is some science that suggests that it may speed the development of tumors when applied on the skin in the presence of sunlight (8).

Petroleum-based compounds

Petroleum clogs pores and often causes acne breakouts as well as rashes. Petroleum has been linked to estrogen dominance. Estrogen dominance is a common condition in which sufferers have a high ratio of estrogen, with little to no progesterone to balance its effects in the body (9) affecting reproduction and many other health issues such as auto-immune, PCOS, cancer, thyroid troubles, blood clots, endometriosis, and the list really does go on. Our hormone levels affect everything!

Petroleum-based compounds found in sunscreen: oxybenzone, avobenzone, octinoxate, octocrylene, and other benzophenone derivatives.

Oxybenzone

Oxybenzone (benzophenone-3) is a chemical compound that blocks UV rays. It is found in many popular sunscreens, but people are starting to question the safety of this chemical.

In a 2008 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, oxybenzone was found in 97% of urine samples.

There are studies suggesting that it is an endocrine disruptor, nuerotoxic effects, and even DNA cellular level changes (10)! The interesting part of that research paper is “the negative effects that may be induced by BP-3 on human health, cannot be clearly stated due to an insufficient number of performed studies.”

If this were an herb, insufficient number of studies would be cause to say it is unsafe even when used widely by the general public! Yet here, it is insufficient number of studies means we can’t say it isn’t safe! That is a double standard in our book!

According to this research:

“Our results showed that oxybenzone is rapidly photo-oxidized, yielding oxybenzone semiquinone, a potent electrophile, which reacts with thiol groups on important anti-oxidant enzymes and substrates, such as thioredoxin reductase and reduced glutathione, respectively. Although oxybenzone is an excellent broad spectrum UVA filter, its rapid oxidation followed by the inactivation of important antioxidant systems indicates that this substance may be rather harmful to the homeostasis of the epidermis.”

This chemical also releases toxins in the water damaging the coral and other lifeforms. This stress awakens dormant viral infections in algae, causing the coral to expel the algae (11). Not to mention it also make its way into drinking water and breast milk.

Avobenzone

According to Safety Data Sheet, you should "wash off immediately with soap and plenty of water while removing all contaminated clothes and shoes upon skin contact with this chemical. Get medical attention (12)." Aside from that, avobenzone degrades when sun exposure, releasing harmful free radicals into the body (13). Avobenzone can disrupt the endocrine system and can be found in the blood weeks after use (14). It is found in breast milk and damages coral and other aquatic life as well.

Octinoxate

Octinoxate or octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC) is often marketed as "natural" despite being a mix of sulfuric acid and methanol, a petroleum by-product. Octinoxate can also be found in some drinking water supplies (15). This ingredient is absorbed into the body quickly and has been detected in human urine, blood, and breast milk. Octinoxate is an endocrine disruptor that mimics estrogen and can disrupt thyroid function (16). This chemical is damaging to beaches, aquatic life, and coral reefs.

What to look for in Non-Toxic Sun Lotions

When reading the ingredients used in making the sunscreen, you will want to make sure they are ingredients you are OK with your body absorbing. Generally, if you recognize the ingredients and they are OK to eat, it's probably a good sign that the ingredients are non-toxic!

Zinc oxide is a mineral often used in sunblocks because it can provide a great block from UVA and UVB rays. When looking for a non-toxic sunblock, however, you will want to make sure the zinc oxide is not nano sized and has not been micronized. If the sunblock rubs into the skin clear, you will know it contains nano-sized particles because the particles are small enough to absorb into the skin which is what we do not want.

There is a lot of conflicting research about the toxicity of nano-sized particles, but for now it's better to stay on the safe side and stick with non-nano zinc oxide. If you are interested in doing your own research, this report is a good place to start with reference to a lot of research that shows harm. And this critical review is a good place to start with reference to some research that shows no evidence of harm.

Antioxidants can offer another form of protection from sun damage by eliminating free radicals. Vitamin E is an antioxidant you may find in sunscreen. Ideally, vitamin E would be paired with Vitamin C to stabilize it. You may also find green tea as an antioxidant ingredient, but research varies on how long it is actually effective at capturing free radicals once applied to the skin and exposed to the sun. Your best bet would be to make sure you are getting a plentiful amount of antioxidants through diet so your body has the proper tools to fight of free radicals and prevent damage.

Many seed oils offer natural SPFs as well! Here is a general list of approximate SPFs.

Seed oils and their SPF

Raspberry seed oil: Varies between SPF 2.6 and some suggest up to 50
Wheat germ oil: SPF around 20
Carrot seed oil: SPF of around 2.5
Olive oil: SPF around 8
Coconut oil: SPF around 8
Hempseed oil: SPF around 7
Macadamia oil: SPF around 6
Shea butter: SPF around 6
Castor oil: SPF around 6
Sweet almond oil: SPF around 5
Jojoba oil: SPF around 5
Sesame oil: SPF around 2

How Can Earthley Help?

Earthley's Sun Shield is an antioxidant-strong natural sun lotion that may help soothe skin and support the skin from free radical damage at a cellular level. Organic, cold-pressed oils and butters are rich in antioxidants, have anti-inflammatory properties, a natural source of SPF, and are a source of vitamins A, C, and E. All while supporting your vitamin D absorption mission!

Note: Sun Shield is NOT a sunscreen.

Fun fact: The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) considers sunscreen a nonprescription drug (17) and regulates the use of the term strongly.

Some people prefer to make their own sunblock so they can be confident in the ingredients and save money. If this is you, there are a lot of great recipes online that you can follow. Here is one of our favorites.

DIY: Sun Salve {No Zinc}

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. coconut oil
1 tbsp. raspberry seed oil
1 tbsp. beeswax

Directions:

Step 1: Combine all the oils in a small saucepan over very low heat. Let them melt completely (only the coconut oil isn’t liquid at temperatures below 76).

Step 2: Add the beeswax and allow this to melt completely.

Step 3: Remove from heat and pour into a jar or tin. It makes 4 ounces. You may choose a 4-ounce jar or two 2-ounce tins. I made mine in two 2-ounce tins because it’s easier to get out and use. Plus, I can keep one with me and one at home.

Usage:

Rub on a little when you will be in the sun for extended periods of time, concentrating on the face, neck, and other likely-to-burn areas. For safety, reapply every few hours or after going in the water. Since it’s not chemical, it’s not waterproof. It may keep working since it’s not a physical block; it is fully absorbed, but it is better to be safe, especially if you or your child burns easily.

Sources: 1.https://www.smartertravel.com/sunscreen-ban-destinations/

2.https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/coalition-petitions-federal-government-to-ban-coral-killing-chemicals-in-sunscreens-2021-09-09/

3.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3460660/

4.https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3855500/

5.https://health.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2022-08/sccs_o_260.pdf

6.https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10965677/

7.https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11631346/

8.http://www.ewg.org/news/news-releases/2011/01/26/nih-panel-links-vitamin-sunscreen-skin-tumors

9.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4318791/

10.https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8953895/

11.https://www.mbnep.org/2019/06/11/the-truth-about-sunscreen-its-effects-on-us-and-the-environment/

12.https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Avobenzone#section=Toxicological-Information

13.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32120142/

14.https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/report/the-trouble-with-sunscreen-chemicals/