Sunscreen is a necessary product in most people’s lives when they are outside. However, many sunscreens contain chemicals that have been proven to cause cancer according to different studies. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the most common sunscreen ingredients and how they affect your health. You may be surprised at what you find!
The safety of sunscreen is a hot topic, with concerns that it could be potentially harmful to the skin and may even cause severe medical issues like Skin Cancer. The main concern is the presence of chemicals called oxybenzone and octinoxate in most sunscreens.
Benzene in Sunscreen Products
When you use a sunscreen product, your skin is covered with chemicals. Sunscreen products contain many different types of chemicals that help protect the skin from UV rays and reduce damage to your skin. Oxybenzone is one of those ingredients in some sunscreens that have been found to cause cancer by disrupting hormones and harming reproduction system. It is one of the most dangerous substances found in sunscreens and one that many researchers have rallied against. One expert even said that Benzene shouldn’t be used in any product let alone something that we apply on our skins.
Octinoxate in Sunscreen Products
Oxybenzone also prevents Vitamin D production, which can affect bones as well as hormone levels such as estrogen or testosterone levels, according to Consumer Reports. There are other common chemical components like octinoxate (octyl methoxycinnamate), but this ingredient has not yet been proven harmful. However, there isn’t enough research on it for us to be sure, so it’s best to avoid sunscreen products with octinoxate in them.
Homosalate in Sunscreens
Homosalate is another ingredient used in sunscreen products that has been shown to have estrogen-like effects on the body. It also absorbs into your bloodstream more quickly than oxybenzone, which allows it to accumulate faster. Both of these are dangerous because they can cause cancer and other harmful side effects with prolonged exposure.
Titanium Dioxide in Sunscreens
Titanium dioxide is mostly used in sunscreens that are applied to the skin after you have been exposed to the sun for a period of time. It also absorbs into your bloodstream, but it has not yet been proven harmful. However, most experts agree that there isn’t enough information on this sunscreen ingredient either and recommend avoiding products with titanium dioxide as well.
Avobenzone in Sunscreens
Avobenzone is another ingredient that has been found to cause cancer in sunscreen products. It also absorbs into the bloodstream more quickly than most ingredients and many researchers believe it should not be used for this reason. If you want sun protection, there are better ways like wearing protective clothing or staying indoors during peak hours if possible.
Zinc Oxide in Sunscreens can Cause Cancer
Many people believe this ingredient does not absorb into the skin and is safe. However, it has been found that even though other dangerous ingredients of sunscreens can directly cause cancer, zinc oxide can cause DNA damage as well which can lead to cancerous tumors or other harmful effects on your body over time. It may be safer than chemicals like oxybenzone but it still shouldn’t be used without caution because of its potential dangers according to experts.
Octocrylene in Sunscreens
Octocrylene is a chemical used in sunscreens that can cause cancer when it absorbs into your skin. It also has phototoxic effects which means the sunscreen product could be more harmful when you are exposed to sunlight. If possible, avoid this ingredient and choose natural products instead of over-the-counter varieties whenever possible.
How Do These Chemicals Cause Cancer
These chemicals have toxic properties that can cause cancer when the sunscreen is overused. The way these sunscreen products get passed the approval requirements is that they use only a certain ‘allowable’ amount of these toxic chemicals in their products. So if you apply them once, it wouldn’t cause a lot of harm but if you overuse it then with time, it can become very dangerous. For example, benzene in sunscreen products is one of the most dangerous chemicals. So no sunscreen offering company should ever use it. When you apply these creams on your body, they get absorbed by the skin and by now you know what happens when the sunscreen gets absorbed by the skin, it becomes part of your blood stream which means that with time your body is going to start suffering from benzene contamination which is a very dangerous thing. It can cause skin cancer which may become fatal. So it is very important to be careful when using such products.
