Sun Protection! Is There a Natural Sunscreen that Works?

If you're like me you understand the dangers of excessive sun exposure and recognize the importance of wearing a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 when you're going to be outdoors. BUT, I worry about the potentially harmful chemicals in these mass market sunscreens. Is there an alternative?

Conventional sunscreens you buy at your drugstore come in two different types. There are "chemical" sunscreens and "physical" sunscreens. Chemical sunscreens are the ones most commonly purchased by the consumer. They contain a mishmash of chemicals that have in studies been shown to have the potential for adverse effects. Physical sunscreens have as their primary ingredients titanium dioxide and zine oxide. They are commonly perceived to be a bit safer since they lack some of the chemicals that have been called into question.

Just what are these substances in chemical sunblocks that have earned such a bad reputation? They have important sounding names such as octylmethoxycinamate, octocrylene, benzophenone-3, padimate-o, and avobezone among others. What is disturbing is these chemicals have been shown to generate free radicals when exposed to sunlight which may play a role in damaging skin cell DNA. And that's not all. Some of these chemicals in question have been shown to have estrogen like properties meaning they have the potential to behave like estrogen at certain receptors in the body such as the breast or ovaries. This raises the question as to whether these substances could raise the risk of breast or ovarian cancer. Unfortunately, it appears these chemicals are able to penetrate the skin deeply enough to reach these important receptors and exert their estrogenic effects. No wonder, the world is ready for a natural sunscreen!