I’m sure those of us dealing with some form of skin cancer saw the recent article (on Time.com no less) that up to 80% of the ingredients in sunscreen don’t really work or have ingredients that are “worrisome”. For someone who is counting on sunscreen to protect me and keep me healthy, this news is particularly “worrisome”.
First the stats, only 14% of American men wear sunscreen regularly; while only 30% of the women say they do. That’s way too low, even from a vanity perspective. I mean, the weird leathery skin look was never really in, right? Don’t get me started on wrinkles…
But then the article notes that a recent study of over 1,700 sunscreen-related products showed that 80% of those products had ingredients that were ineffective or had ingredients that could even heighten sensitivity to the sun when the human body processed it. That is freaking ridiculous that products that are supposed to help protect you from the sun could actually make your body more sensitized.
Neutrogena was called out for being one of the worst offender, and of course, that is my brand of choice. (Or was…) While I don’t use the baby products, I do use the SPF70 for my face and scar. I know from my smart friends here on the blog that anything over SPF30 is really just marketing; but I always felt that false sense of security that at least the product felt thicker on my skin. Now, I’m left wondering if my daily slather was less effective than water and potentially more harmful with “inferior or worrisome ingredients”.