So many sunscreens contain yucky ingredients you don’t want absorbed into your body.
When choosing a sunscreen, avoid these 4 hormone disrupting chemicals:
1) Avoid Oxybenzone
Oxybenzone is found in nearly every chemical sunscreen. It’s recommended to avoid this ingredient because it penetrates the skin, gets into the bloodstream and acts like estrogen in the body. It can also trigger allergic skin reactions. Although research is preliminary, studies have found a link between higher concentrations of oxybenzone and health issues. One study has linked oxybenzone to endometriosis in older women; another found that women with higher levels of oxybenzone during pregnancy had lower birth weight daughters.
2) Avoid Octinoxate
Octinoxate gets into the bloodstream and demonstrates hormone-like activity. In animals, octinoxate altered the reproductive system and thyroid. It can also trigger allergic skin reactions. Breastfeeding moms, take caution, this chemical can be found in mother’s milk so please avoid so it isn’t passed to your beautiful baby.
3) Avoid Retinyl Palmitate
When used in a night cream, this form of vitamin A is supposed to have anti-aging effects. But on sun-exposed skin, retinyl palmitate may speed development of skin tumors and lesions, according to government studies. Why is this “inactive ingredient” allowed in sunscreens intended for use in the sun? Good question.
4) Avoid Homosalate
Homosalate enters the bloodstream and disrupts estrogen, androgen and progesterone. This is another chemical for breastfeeding moms to especially avoid because it can be found in mother’s milk.
Instead, look for Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide, which offer very limited to no skin penetration, and no evidence of hormone disruption.