These are sunscreens containing the active ingredients titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, which are often called mineral sunscreens.Ĭategory 2: Not GRASE. In a proposed rule in 2019, the FDA placed 16 active ingredients found in many sunscreens into 3 categories:Ĭategory 1: Generally recognized as safe and effective (GRASE). What is being done to determine the safety of sunscreen ingredients?
Lim, adding that mineral sunscreens containing titanium dioxide or zinc oxide are less controversial.
The scientists note that their studies do not show that people should refrain from using sunscreens, but rather indicate that further research to determine any health effects of this absorption is needed.īeyond human health, the detrimental effects of 2 sunscreen ingredients, oxybenzone and octinoxate, on coral reef ecosystems prompted Hawaii to ban the sale of sunscreens with these ingredients in 2021. “The 2 most controversial ingredients are oxybenzone and octinoxate, mainly because they have been studied the most,” says Dr. Then, in a 2020 JAMA study, 48 people showed absorption of 6 active ingredients (even after a single use) that remained in the body for up to 3 weeks. In a 2019 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association ( JAMA), 24 people showed absorption of 4 active ingredients over 4 days.
#Chemical sunscreen ingredients skin#
Lim says he worries the controversy could discourage the overall use of sunscreen, despite the overwhelming benefit of sunscreen in preventing skin cancer.Ĭoncerns over the safety of sunscreen ingredients were raised when 2 studies by scientists at the FDA found that people absorbed active ingredients found in sunscreens through their skin and into their bodies. “Right now, there is a lot of controversy and a lot of discussion,” says Henry Lim, MD, chair emeritus of the department of dermatology at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. Why are people talking about possible health risks of sunscreen ingredients? A large-scale study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology of more than 1,600 people in Australia over 15 years found that regularly applying sunscreen reduced skin cancers when compared to not taking this step. Sunscreen contains active ingredients that protect the skin from UV radiation, and their effectiveness makes them one of many critical tools for preventing skin cancer. Exposure to UV radiation over time, or severe UV radiation exposure during childhood, can lead to changes that cause skin cells to grow abnormally, which can later develop into skin cancer. There are 2 types of UV radiation: ultraviolet A (UVA), which can pass through glass, and ultraviolet B (UVB), which cannot pass through glass. The sun emits ultraviolet (UV) radiation that can be harmful to unprotected skin. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates sunscreen safety, and why it’s still so important to take sun protective measures, including wearing sunscreen. Here, learn where the controversy around specific sunscreen ingredients stems from, how the U.S. But you may have seen recent headlines questioning whether certain ingredients in sunscreens may pose their own health risks. Sunscreen is a proven, important measure in protecting against skin cancer, which is the most common form of cancer in the United States.
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