Why You Should be Wearing Mineral Sunscreen

By now, it's no secret that conventional sunscreen is basically just a toxic chemical goop. The active ingredients in your typical sunscreen - avobenzone, cinoxate, dioxybenzone, ensulizole, homosalate, meradimate, octinoxate, octisalate, octocrylene, oxybenzone, padimate O, and sulisobenzone - are all toxic. They're endocrine disrupters, meaning they throw your hormones out of whack, and horrible for our planet's bodies of water.

Sure, they smell like.... some kind of pleasant fragrance? And are fast absorbing but who wants all that garbage floating around in their blood stream any way? In 2021 the FDA announced that the only safe ingredients for sunscreen are zinc oxide and titanium oxide. Here's a great article by the Environmental Working Group. They detail all the dangers with the ingredients in conventional sunscreen. It's pretty gross. To sum up the article, just don't use sunscreens if the active ingredient is anything except zinc oxide or titanium oxide. If you're shopping for a sunscreen and see the phrase "mineral-based," "mineral sunscreen," or "physical sunscreen," it will use one, or sometimes both of these safe ingredients.

Unlike chemical sunscreens, which are absorbed into your skin, mineral sunscreens sit on top of your skin, creating a physical barrier that reflects UVA/UVB light. There's some debate as to whether micronized zinc oxide/titanium oxide can be absorbed by your skin or not. And if these micronized particles are safe for coral reefs. I personally prefer non-nano zinc oxide products. The larger particles can't be absorbed by your skin, are environmentally friendly, and form a true broad spectrum physical barrier to protect you from UVA and UVB.

No matter what your personal preferences are, stay away from sunscreens that aren't mineral based. A lot of people are deterred from using mineral sunscreen because of the "white cast" it can leave on your skin. There's a few ways to combat this. Instead of applying your mineral sunscreen in heaping globs like you would a conventional sunscreen, use smaller dime-to-quarter sized dots spaced 3 to 5 inches apart. This will help you evenly distribute your mineral sunscreen. You can also try a tinted mineral sunscreen. These mineral sunscreens are meant to blend in with your skin tone. Currently we have one tinted mineral sunscreen at Sun Potions but are in the process of testing more tints!

Conventional sunscreens are basically poison. They wreak havoc on your hormones, kill marine life, and there have been some studies that show they may contain carcinogens! Your best bet is to use a mineral sunscreen that uses sustainable, healthy ingredients!

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