what damages are we trying to protect against when using sunscreen?
This is a sunscreen that a person attending one of my workshops asked me to review. It’s very cheap at Rs 500 for 50ml. This is not a sunscreen that I would use and I’ll put it through my sunscreen test.
What do I think?
The only reason to both a sunscreen is to PROTECT against UVA and UVB – I am not sure how long this does that for and I am sorry there is simply no excuse for sunscreens to mess up the UVA and UVB protection. Period.
There are many fantastic sunscreens in the market – so why would I buy this ??
Ingredient list (as at 9 June 24 from this website)
Aqua, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Dimethicone, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Hyaluronic Acid, Glycerin, Benzophenone-3, 1,3 Butylene glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Lecithin, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Xylitol, Glucose, Sodium Levulinate, Phospholipids, Propylene Glycol, Ethoxydiglycol, Anhydroxylitol,
Oxothiazolidine, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Allantoin, D-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate, Phoenix Dactylifera Extract, Vaccinum Sect , Cyanococcus (Blueberry) Fruit Extract , Citrus Paradisi (Grapefruit) Extract, Zinc Oxide, Cyclopentasiloxane, PEG-10 Dimethicone, E-Ascorbic Acid, C9-12 Alkane, Hydrogen Dimethicone, Titanium Dioxide, Aluminum Hydroxide and Polyhydroxystearic Acid
Angeli Sinha sunscreen test
1) What are the harmful chemicals present?
The harmful chemicals I look for are BHT, Oxybenzone, Formaldehyde releasing preservatives and Oxybenzone is present.
(See this blog: Chemicals to avoid Oxybenzone) for more information.
Read also this article on the presence of Benzophenone-3 in breast milk that was published as far back as 2008.
2) Is this an SPF 30?
Yes
3) What are the UVA and UVB filters present?
Filters present are:
- UVB filter: Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate (Octinoxate)
- UVA filter: Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane (Avobenzone)
- Broadspectrum filter providing both UVA and UVB protection: Benzophenone-3 (Oxybenzone)
My concern is UVA protection. Studies show that combining Octinoxate with Avobenzone reduces the efficacy of BOTH sunscreen filters.
