Shopping for sunscreen: Are all brands equal?

Last week in the playground another mom remarked that she had just ordered all her sunscreen from Europe: “They have much better ingredients. I ordered one with Tinosorb.” This conversation ironically occurred on the same day that I was asked to write this post and I realized that my sunscreen knowledge was a bit passé. As I started to research sunscreen ingredients — in both medical journals and blogs — I discovered why Americans are compelled to go to international markets to find the “best” products. What is indisputable is the need to protect skin from both UVA and UVB — the type of cancer-causing rays that reach the Earth’s surface. But to ensure you are using a sunscreen that protects from both forms of UV rays, it is important to understand sunscreen labeling in the US. The SPF number is primarily a measure of protection against UVB, whereas the “broad spectrum” label designates UVA coverage. When purchasing a sunscreen, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends selecting one with an SPF of at least 30, with broad-spectrum coverage, and that is water resistant. Although it seems straightforward, just under half of the products marketed on Amazon fall short. How do you choose? So now the hard part: selecting a good sunscreen. There are two types of products, organic filters (or chemical blockers) and inorganic filters (or physical blockers). The physical blockers are fairly straightforward as there are two common ingredients, zinc oxide and tit...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Cancer Health Prevention Skin and Hair Care Source Type: blogs