Is your Sunscreen safe?

Now that we are in mid-summer, and the temperatures are going off the scale, we thought it would be appropriate to write an article about the properties of sunscreen, and if in fact they are safe to use. People search for sunblock in all sorts of names such as zinc oxide sunscreen, mineral sunscreen, best suncream, natural suncream, and even scalp sunscreem. And they search for the sun protection factor (SPF) too; but what we have to accept is that they all form an important part of our summer sun cream, skin care routine.

Our first port-of-call for information, for the safest, scientifically supported articles for a skincare product is the US database PubMed. By forming a physical body on the skin, inorganic sunscreen blocks ultra violet (UV) radiation and heat, keeping the skin cooler outside. But as with any skincare product, organic sunscreen ingredients should be chosen carefully. According to this 2024 PubMed article, some like octocrylene, are safe and effective, but others like oxybenzone, are dangerous to human health. Organic sunscreens advantages are its ability to absorb into the skin and create a better skin feeling and physical look, rather than inorganic sunscreen.

This PubMed article from 2025 writes that “Sunscreens play an essential role in preventing skin cancer and photoaging. Nevertheless, concerns about their systemic absorption and environmental impacts persist. In this extensive literature review, we discuss the mechanisms of action, efficacy, and safety concerns related to sunscreen use, aiming to clarify current understandings and dispel prevalent myths. Despite ongoing debates regarding certain ingredients, the scientific consensus supports the use of sunscreens as a critical defence against ultraviolet (UV) radiation.”

What matters most is adherence to a sunscreen regimen. It’s just as important as choosing the right product. You should also know that by under-applying inorganic sunscreen due to its white appearance on the skin, potential hesitancy from users exposes them to harmful UV radiation. On the other hand, organic sunscreen offers cosmetic and UV radiation protection while leaving considerably less residue.

The safest sunscreens are generally considered to be mineral sunscreens containing zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide. These ingredients are often referred to as “generally recognized as safe and effective”(GRAS) by regulatory bodies like the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They work by creating a physical barrier that reflects and scatters UV radiation.

Barrier sunscreens like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are the mostly well tolerated products with few, potential adverse effects. However, because they can leave behind a white, greasy residue, they are less preferred due to the look and feel on the skin. Absorbable sunscreens like avobenzone and octocrylene are very popular due to the lack of white haziness point absorption into the skin, better feeling on the skin overall, and minimal adverse effects. Sunscreens like oxybenzone, should not be used due to adverse neural endocrine modulation, but finding a sunscreen that is acceptable to all of us is patient-specific, i.e., designed for you, and with distinct explanatory instruction for use. In other words, adherence and reapplication are the two factors that are equally important as the product itself.

James Templeton: We have spoken several times about the cancer survivor James Templeton. He lives in Idaho in the United States and is a 40-year survivor of stage four melanoma (skin cancer). His website is full of interesting articles where he interviews other cancer survivors, and doctors and scientists who have information of value to bring to all of us. Recently, he interviewed. Dr Gary Grune, a member of the (ACS) American chemical Society, and an expert in the manufacture of sunscreens.

Grune explains that he doesn’t know everything about the skin or the medical condition that leads to skin cancer, but he does know a lot about skincare formulations. It’s an enjoyable, informative interview with some interesting topics that he touches on in the conversation. He speaks about Margaret Schlump, a toxicologist at the university of Zürich in Switzerland. In 2001, she looked into the science of organic sunscreens, especially transparent sunscreen, i.e., those that didn’t contain zinc or titanium, and applied them to female rats in her laboratory. She discovered that the rats who had the application of this formula grew abnormally large uterus. Known as endocrine disruptors, or female mimicking hormones, these endocrine disruptors affect every organ in the body. So, really what she was saying was that rather than putting a lotion on your skin to prevent you from getting skin cancer it was actually damaging your body.

Australia: Grune talks about Australia where 90% of the population live on the coast. Back in the 90s there was a lot of discussion about the ozone hole and the intensity of the sun. The problem with the Australian sunscreens in those days was that even if they used beeswax intended to stay longer on the skin and make it waterproof, it didn’t work because it wasn’t water resistant. A further complication was the fact people were making sunscreen products in their kitchen and garages, and unregulated, it was open to risk.

In 2001 sunscreens changed when companies started to produce mineral sunscreen active formulations, or chemical sunscreen as they really should’ve been known because of the complex ingredients they contained, (all of which, few of us have a clue as to what or why they are included in the formula) – and of course if they are safe to use? This begs the question, “if you wouldn’t put it into your mouth, why would you put it on your skin?” 

Lightning Bugs: One interesting fellow he speaks about is Dr George Clark a scientist from the US Duke University. He had developed a bio-assay utilising luminescence and used it in sunscreen. He called it Lumacel, because it was developed from the enzyme luciferase, taken from fireflies. They use it to light up what they would call in the US, “lightning bugs.” I’m sure we can all remember the wonder of them flying about in a number of Disney movies.

Tanning: Grune discusses whether or not the current sunscreens cause cancer, what’s good for the skin and what’s good for health; and he goes on to explain how tanning isn’t really healthy. In the US most people think that somebody who looks tanned is healthy, but he prefers to refer to the dermatologist Eric Bernstein who in 2004 wrote the article entitled “Tanning your Hide,” where he explains how the sun that comes through the glass in your car windows is 5 to 10 times more intense than the sunlight that would hit you if you were sitting outside. He goes on to explain that what causes you to burn are UVB rays (short, high-energy waves), where if you are Caucasian with light skin, after 20 minutes, you will start to turn pink.

Why do you turn pink? A number of factors can affect it, but that we read is that it is because your body has synthesised as much vitamin D from the sunlight as you need for that day. Blue-eyed people are especially vulnerable. So, the answer is to look for a lotion that will contain ingredients that will protect us from both UVA and AVB rays. Oxidative damage from UVB is much lower than that from UVA radiation.

SPF: Most interesting is what he says about the sun protection factor (SPF). He explains that if you are in the sun for 20 minutes and you have on your skin an SPF 30 this provides 600 minutes of protection. That’s 20 minutes multiplied by an SPF of 30. The US food and drug administration (FDA) requires SPF on the label but it fails to explain UVB and UVA. This is where the rays go into the first layer to make it pink but then they go deeper into the lower cell layers. In extreme circumstances, they can damage the skin cells by splitting the DNA of the skin. And if you split the DNA of the cells, then you start to have pain, skin-damage, aging and wrinkling. And if your immune system is impaired that’s when eventually you are a susceptible to skin cancer. He quotes that in the US these days at age 65 there’s a 50-50 chance you’re going to get some form of skin cancer.

Is my sunscreen safe? Well, it is if you only use it to keep yourself exposed to the sun for 20 minutes. But after that, you are being overexposed, especially at this time of year when the intensity of the sun is greater. The problem is that most of the older organic sunscreens use oxybenzone. This works by filtering out the UVA, but it also starts to degrade in the presence of the sun. The only ingredient that really doesn’t change when it’s under the sun is one that contains zinc oxide. The difficulty is incorporating into the formula. It doesn’t have to be SP 30, but zinc oxide is really the most desirable ‘active mineral sunscreen’.

From what we read, it’s best to avoid the nasty chemicals in the sunscreen, because they can actually end up in your bloodstream. The ones known as endocrine disruptors are worst and are what you should be looking for in the label. The main culprits are oxybenzone, homosalate, and octinoxate.

Of note to young-folks: When you’re a teenager you will probably visit McDonald’s, Burger King and such places regularly. The highly processed foods these places sell, eaten regularly are damaging to your immune system. And if your immune system is impaired and you’re getting burnt a lot and your diet is not good then that’s the sort of thing that can eventually lead to a disaster; what some people would call a doctor’s Christmas present.

Star Rating: Here in the UK, we have something known as the UVA star rating and if they have five stars that means the UV absorption is premium. At the top. And that’s really what you want to look for. It also has to contain zinc oxide. There’s really no substitute for it. Some of the sunscreen smell good and girls and women like them because of their coconut smell, but it’s not the smell that counts. It’s the ingredients it contains.

Lots indeed to write on such an important topic. So, please listen to the interview, read the PubMed articles and gird yourself with the best protection for wonderful summer. It is truly worth the effort. Remember to buy organic, and of course accept that this article is for information purposes only. If you need specific advice on sunscreens, your first port-of-call is your doctor or medical practitioner.

Last but not least, don’t forget that that while Essence of Egypt don’t make a sunscreen, we do make the very best, natural, clean AFTER SUN to be found anywhere. It’s been a saviour for families for many years, leaving them safely tanned and without peeling.

All the best from the team at Ess.