For the hot summer days of 2020, there are two essential wears that some are forgetting to pull off: wearing your mask and sunscreen! The shocking reality is that over half of the US and UK populations are not wearing enough sunscreen, which could potentially damage the skin with rapid signs of ageing, dull complexion, sunspots, and even increase the risk of skin cancer. While it is important to advocate for good sunscreen protection, what are some factors to consider when a consumer is planning to make a sunscreen purchase? Let’s uncover all of that in an easy read about sunscreen so consumers may make wiser decisions on what they are purchasing, how it affects their skin, and how their contributions may affect other external factors.
Table of Contents:
1. TABLE OF RAYS
Energy Level, Skin Layers, Percentage of Sun’s Rays
2. PHYSICAL VS CHEMICAL SUNSCREEN
Formulation, Ingredients
3. SUNSCREEN INGREDIENTS
A quick rundown of the typical functions of some ingredients
4. NORTH AMERICAN VS GLOBAL
FDA regulations and guidelines
5. REEF SAFE OR NOT
Bleaching Ingredients, Causes, Explanations
6. CREDIT
References
All photos used in the article is copyright free unless stated otherwise
In the modern advancements in the refined world of skincare, sunscreen is an essential, everyday part of an individual’s skin regime, as it is proven to protect the skin by overexposure of the sun, which emits harmful rays that penetrate deep into the skin. The sun emits ultraviolet rays that reach the surface of the Earth, known as UVA, UVB, and UVC, which all vary in terms of intensity, potential risks and causes, and what skin cells are the most affected. Here is a table provided by the Healthline in their article “What’s the Difference Between UVA and UVB rays?”, which categorizes UVA, UVB, and UVC based on 6 sub-categories; source, energy levels, skin cells affected, percentage of the Sun’s rays, short and long term effects.
TABLE OF RAYS
(Provided by Healthline, "What’s the Difference Between UVA and UVB Rays?")
To explain some of the statistics provided by the table above, the energy level is dependent on the wavelength, so the UVA has the lowest energy level because it has the longest length compared to UVB and UVC rays.
Energy Level:
It is important to note that longer waves emit less energy because there is less frequency, a unit to measure the number of waves passing by a fixed point per unit of time, representing an inverse relationship between wavelength and frequency. If the frequency is able to pass with more waves in a quicker time, the photons embedded in the waves increase their energy, creating a direct relationship between frequency and the energy in the photons. As frequency goes up, so will the energy in the phonos that is embedded within the waves, which any exposure of skin could cause critical damage to the outer layer of the skin, known as the epidermis.
% of Sun's rays:
The ozone layer around the Earth is to protect the Earth's surface from harmful wavelengths emitted by the sun, so typically, all UVC rays tend to be filtered by the ozone atmosphere, but rather still allows access to the other sun rats such as UVA mainly.
Skin Layers:
The epidermal layer is responsible for taking in the resistance against pathogens and chemical agents in the environment, and protecting the layer under than itself, the dermis layer. The dermis layer conceals the hidden parts of the skin including hair follicles, nerves, sensuous glands, and sweat glands to keep our body intact with the rest of its system. could cause serious damage to the skin more charged up with energy, and can cause critical damage. All of the ultraviolet rays are dependent on factors such as the time of day, season, latitude, altitude, ozone, clouds, and the wave reflections from other surfaces such as ice or water. In high temperature and in locations near the equator, where the sun is angled more directly to face the Earth’s surface, the ultraviolet rays will direct their energy onto the surface, posing as a cautionary tale for everyone to be wearing their protective sunscreen. However, this does not mean only these conditions will require daily sun protection/blocks, it is a recommendation by dermatologists all over the world that individuals should be wearing their sunscreen daily, even in winter, and reapply every few hours. According to a 2019 PR Newswire report, only 1 in 10 Americans wear sunscreen every day, and about 47% of Americans do not wear sunscreen at all. On average across different statistics, women generally wore more sunscreen compared to men, which is likely due to the marketing nature of sunscreen. In general, sunscreen is branded as a skincare product that is meant for anti-ageing and prevention of darkening the skin, typically grabbing the attention of women’s minds. However, while sunscreen can cater to these concerns, as 90% of premature aging due to sun exposure in early childhood/teen years, it’s main purpose is to protect the skin from sun damage, and prevent skin cancer. Consumers should be not only aware of the purposes of sunscreen but also how it functions on the skin, as sunscreens can be categorized into two types based on function, formulation and ingredients.
PHYSICAL VS CHEMICAL
The main two types of sunscreen, physical and chemical, differ between how it functions to serve its main purpose to protect the skin. Physical sunscreens work in such a way that the sunscreen blocks the UV rays, as a shield. Chemical sunscreens, however, are designed to absorb the UV rays in the skin and create a chemical reaction to neutralize the UV rays by emitting a by-product of heat. These two distinctions of sunscreen often use different lists of ingredients, but it seems that more Asian/European brands tend to use a chemical formula, compared to how the North American market promotes the use of physical sunscreen.
SUNSCREEN INGREDIENTS
While it may not seem such a drastic change, a lot of online hype is picking up in favor of more globalized sunscreens brands in Japan and South Korea. The difference in ingredients between the global market vs North American Market is a reflection of some outdated policies and guidelines set by the FDA and therefore puts the North American sunscreen market behind the competitors for endorsing old-fashioned and limited ingredients. Taking a look at the list of banned ingredients in North American sunscreen, it will list a lot of modern and improved organic ingredients, while allowing more inorganic ingredients in sunscreen such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.
(Provided by a 2015 CN RSS article, "After More Than A Decade, FDA Still Won't Allow New Sunscreens.")
“Sunscreens are regulated as over-the-counter drugs here in the United States,” Dr. Joshua Zeichner explained on the Nylon article, "WHY ASIAN SUNSCREENS TRUMP AMERICAN ONES". “Because of this, the ultraviolet light blocker used in sunscreens is limited by an approval process by the FDA. Outside of the United States, including in Asia, there are newer ingredients used in sunscreens that actually provide broader protection against UVA light than what we currently have available in the U.S.” he continues, expressing his opinion that the FDA needs to update their regulations.
For example, one of the main ingredients listed as a banned ingredient, octyl triazone, is a powerful oil-soluble chemical is one of the newer and local sunscreen ingredients, as it is capable of protecting against UVB rays from a range of 280-320 nm, with an added protection of 314 nm, and provides the highest photo-stable absorption of all available UVB filters today. Around the world, it can have a high concentration of 5% (v/v). However, in the US and Canada, as stated by Health Canada and FDA, this concentration percent is not allowed in any cosmetic products due to the regulation rules. The FDA insists that manufacturers who make sunscreens for the North American market stick to a list of 17 known ingredients.
Therefore, lots of Asian sunscreens have been proven to be better quality and more effective than North American sunscreens, which can be marked through the Pa+. The Pa+ is an indication of the protection against the UVA rays, as UVA rays can penetrate deep into the dermis, which can lead to premature skin ageing and wrinkling. The more + added to the PA+, the higher the UVA protection. The typical chemical sunscreen made in South Korea has an average rating of a Pa+ rating of Pa++++, which is extremely high protection against UVA rays, as well as SPF 50. However, the higher the SPF number, does not suggest that it prolongs the window of time when you need to reapply sunscreen. It is simply a number to indicate how much UVB rays are being blocked. The higher the number, the more rays it will be able to block off. It is still necessary to reapply sunscreen every few hours!
As well, the North American market should revise its list of approved ingredients, as many of the existing sunscreen ingredients are actually harmful to the coral reefs, which is a diverse ecosystem that houses over a million marine species.
REEF SAFE OR NOT?
These are the current approved list of ingredient in sunscreen:
(Provided by a 2015 CN RSS article, "After More Than A Decade, FDA Still Won't Allow New Sunscreens.")
According to Coral Isles, in their article "Is Your Sunscreen Reef-friendly?", ingredients such as oxybenzone and some parabens are very harmful to the coral reefs. Oxybenzone damages coral DNA and thus can cause deformities in the coral's ability to reproduce. It can act as an endocrine disrupter as well, which is known to cast themselves on the coral's skeleton and leads to a short life span, preventing further reproduction.
Two common ingredients found in physical sunscreens are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which is known to be reef-safe. However, many manufacturers have been producing zinc oxide and titanium dioxide nanoparticles, which is less than 100 nanometers. The reason behind this change was to improve on the "white cast" of many physical sunscreens. Reducing these minerals into nanoparticles had reduced the white film left on the skin to make the product blend more, and appear seamless. However, due to the microscope size of these particles, it can be easily digested by marine life (ex. fish breathing through their gills, and coral reefs absorbing it on), causing internal organ damage, and thus, killing off many species of fish and coral reefs. As well, if these nanoparticles are washed off in the ocean, there is a potential for these particles to react with UV rays to produce hydrogen peroxide, which is known to be toxic to phytoplankton.
In conclusion, consumers need to be aware of ingredients are used in sunscreen, as it does not affect their own skin, but how it impacts the environment as well. A lot of the currently approved sunscreen ingredients in North America seem to impact the coral reefs in a negative way, and overall does not bring out the best performance in sunscreen. This market definitely needs a revisit of new such ingredients and, as everyone should be applying sunscreen every day without the risk of harming the g the most o, and getting the most out of their purchase. Thankfully, some places are choosing to take action, such as Hawaii! The article written by Coral Isles, "Is Your Sunscreen Reef-Friendly?" mentioned Hawaii is officially the first state to take action and ban any sunscreen product that is not considered reef safe, which is going into effect in January 1st, 2021.
Written By Elina J
Works Cited:
Bryant, Taylor. “Why Asian Sunscreens Trump American Ones.” Nylon, Nylon, 15 May 2018,
Coral Isles. “Is Your Sunscreen Reef-Friendly?” Coral Isles Sunscreen, www.coralisles.com/reef-
friendly.aspx.
D'Orazio, John, et al. “UV Radiation and the Skin.” International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Molecular
Diversity Preservation International (MDPI), 7 June 2013,
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3709783/.
EWG. “U.S. Sunscreens Get Flunking Grade for UVA Protection.” EWG Research, 28 Sept. 2010,
www.ewg.org/release/Sunscreens-Get-Flunking-Grade-for-UVA-Protection.
NHS. “Sunscreen and Sun Safety.” NHS Choices, NHS, www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/sunscreen-
and-sun-safety/.
North Carolina Climate Office. “Longwave and Shortwave Radiation.” Longwave and Shortwave Radiation
| North Carolina Climate Office, climate.ncsu.edu/edu/RadiationTypes.
RealSelf. “2019 RealSelf Sun Safety Report: Only 1 in 10 Americans Uses Sunscreen Daily; Men
Significantly More Likely Than Women to Reapply Sunscreen and Get Annual Skin Check.” PR
Newswire: News Distribution, Targeting and Monitoring, 24 July 2019, www.prnewswire.com/news-
releases/2019-realself-sun-safety-report-only-1-in-10-americans-uses-sunscreen-daily-men-
significantly-more-likely-than-women-to-reapply-sunscreen-and-get-annual-skin-check-
300889933.html.
Reisch, Marc S. “After More Than A Decade, FDA Still Won't Allow New Sunscreens.” CEN RSS, 18
May 2015, cen.acs.org/articles/93/i20/Decade-FDA-Still-Wont-Allow.html.
Vandergriendt, Carly. “UVA vs. UVB Rays: What's the Difference?” Healthline, Healthline Media, 12
Sept. 2019, www.healthline.com/health/skin/uva-vs-uvb.
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