Recent
research reveals that
less than 10% of the sun
protection creams on the market
are actually safe for health!
Find out which
creams are
safe & why
Learn how to protect Yourself
& Your family from sun's harmful rays
Almost
half of the popular
sunscreen products
may increase the risk of skin cancer
Oxybenzone
is a
hormone-disrupting
chemical
Vitamin
A may speed
up cancer formation
when used in
the sun
The
health hazard
of using vitamin A
in sunscreens
was known
10 years ago
Skin
cancer rate
has steadily increased since
synthetic sunscreens became popular
EWG
rated
ONE
Group's SPF 15
one of the
top sunscreens
SPF 25 provides a
96% protection
while
SPF 50 provides a
98% protection
Top-rated
sunscreens all contain the
minerals
zinc or titanium
WASHINGTON (May 24), Andrew Schneider, Senior Public Health Correspondent says that recent research reveals that less than 10% of the sun protection creams on the market are actually safe for health. Mr. Schneider says,
"Almost
half of the 500 most popular sunscreen products may actually increase
the speed at which malignant cells develop and spread skin cancer
because they contain vitamin A or its derivatives, according to an
evaluation of those products released today.
AOL News also has learned through documents and interviews that the Food and Drug Administration has known of the potential danger for as long as a decade without alerting the public, which the FDA denies.
Store shelves are crammed with tubes, jars, bottles and spray cans of sunscreen. The white goop, creams and ointments might prevent sunburn. But don't count on them to keep the ultraviolet light from destroying your skin cells and causing tumors and lesions, according to researchers at Environmental Working Group.
In their annual report to consumers on sunscreen, they say that only 39 of the 500 products they examined were considered safe and effective to use.
The report cites these problems with bogus sun protection factor (SPF) numbers:
AOL News also has learned through documents and interviews that the Food and Drug Administration has known of the potential danger for as long as a decade without alerting the public, which the FDA denies.
Store shelves are crammed with tubes, jars, bottles and spray cans of sunscreen. The white goop, creams and ointments might prevent sunburn. But don't count on them to keep the ultraviolet light from destroying your skin cells and causing tumors and lesions, according to researchers at Environmental Working Group.
In their annual report to consumers on sunscreen, they say that only 39 of the 500 products they examined were considered safe and effective to use.
The report cites these problems with bogus sun protection factor (SPF) numbers:
-
The use of the hormone-disrupting chemical oxybenzone, which penetrates the skin and enters the bloodstream.
-
Overstated claims about performance.
- The lack of needed regulations and oversight by the Food and Drug Administration.
But the most alarming disclosure in this year's report is the finding that vitamin A and its derivatives, retinol and retinyl palmitate, may speed up the cancer that sunscreen is used to prevent.
Environmental Working Group
The industry includes vitamin A in its sunscreen formulations because it is an anti-oxidant that slows skin aging.
But the EWG researchers found the initial findings of an FDA study of vitamin A's photocarcinogenic properties, meaning the possibility that it results in cancerous tumors when used on skin exposed to sunlight.
"In that yearlong study, tumors and lesions developed up to 21 percent faster in lab animals coated in a vitamin A-laced cream than animals treated with a vitamin-free cream," the report said.
The conclusion came from EWG's analysis of initial findings released last fall by the FDA and the National Toxicology Program, the federal government's principle evaluator of substances that raise public health concerns.
"There was enough evidence 10 years ago for FDA to caution consumers against the use of vitamin A in sunscreens," Jane Houlihan, EWG's senior vice president for research, told AOL News.
"FDA launched this one-year study, completed their research and now 10 years later, they say nothing about it, just silence."
"Retinyl palmitate was selected by (FDA's) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition for photo-toxicity and photocarcinogenicity testing based on the increasingly widespread use of this compound in cosmetic retail products for use on sun-exposed skin," said an October 2000 report by the National Toxicology Program.
In a perfect world
The ideal sunscreen would completely block the UV rays that cause sunburn, immune suppression and damaging free radicals. It would remain effective on the skin for several hours and not form harmful ingredients when degraded by UV light, the report said.
National Cancer Institute
Graph of melanoma of the skin rates from 1975 to 2006. APC stands for annual percent change and AAPC stands for average annual percent change.
The report's researchers say that an effective sunscreen prevents more damage than it causes, but it wants consumers to have accurate information on the limitations of what they buy and on the potentially harmful chemicals in some of those products.
EWG does warn consumers not to depend on any sunscreen for primary protection from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. Hats, clothing and shade are still the most reliable sun protection available, they say.
Don't count on the numbers
Drugstore shelves are crammed with sunscreens boasting SPFs of 30, 45, 80 or even higher.
However, the new report says those numbers are often meaningless and dangerous because products with high SPF ratings sell a false sense of security, encouraging people using them to stay out in the sun longer.
"People don't get the high SPF they pay for," the report says. "People apply about a quarter of the recommended amount. So in everyday practice, a product labeled SPF 100 really performs like SPF 3.2, an SPF 30 rating equates to a 2.3 and an SPF 15 translates to 2."
In 2007, the report says, the FDA published proposed regulations that would prohibit manufacturers from labeling sunscreens with an SPF higher than "SPF 50." The agency wrote that higher values would be "inherently misleading," given that "there is no assurance that the specific values themselves are in fact truthful."
This is being widely ignored by the sunscreen makers who are heavily advertising their 80, 90 and 100 SPF products.
"Flouting FDA's proposed regulation," companies substantially increased their high-SPF offerings in 2010 with one in six brands now listing SPF values higher than 50. "Neutrogena and Banana Boat stand out among the offenders, with six and four products labeled as 'SPF 100,' respectively," the new report says.
All the above information is obtained from:
http://www.aolnews.com/health/article/study-many-sunscreens-may-be-accelerating-cancer
Environmental Working Group says that top-rated sunscreens all contain the minerals zinc or titanium. "They are the right choice for people who are looking for the best UVA protection without any sunscreen chemical considered to be a potential hormone disruptor."
EWG continues, "All non-mineral products contain at least one sunscreen chemical considered to be a potential hormone disruptor, and many offer only moderate or weak UVA protection."
Miessence SPF 15 - one of the EWG top-rated sunscreens - is a water-free nourishing balm with natural minerals that help reflect damaging ultraviolet radiation. Microfine zinc oxide offers protection from harmful rays whilst organic olive oil keeps the skin supple. Potent antioxidants including natural vitamin E, beta carotene and polygonum extract, protect the skin from premature aging and prevent damage caused by the elements.
Ingredients of the Miessence Reflect Outdoor Balm SPF 15: zinc oxide, daucus carota (carrot) CO2 extract , natural coconut extract, avena sativa (oat) kernel flour, mixed tocopherols, certified organic copernicia prunifera (carnauba) wax, certified organic olea europaea (olive) fruit oil, certified organic simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, certified organic rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract, certified organic butyrospermum parkii (shea) fruit butter, certified organic unrefined cera alba (beeswax).
Price for 100 gr/3.5 oz is $ 27.90 US or £ 18.60 UK
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our safe & effective sun protection cream!
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