In May of 2019 the Journal of the American Medical Association found that four chemicals, Oxybenzone, Octocrylene, Ecamsule, and Avobenzone exceeded the FDA’s absorption rate threshold of 0.5 nanograms per milliliter. and that absorption rates exceed thresholds after as little as one day of exposure.
In response the FDA is calling for further research into the impacts of these chemicals once absorbed into the body.
Avobenzone was the key focus of the study due to the particularly high rate at which it is absorbed into the skin.
Here is what you should know about Avobenzone:
Avobenzone breaks down quickly in the sun. Avobenzone only offers about 30 minutes of UVA protection once exposed to the sun. Since this chemical starts to break down, many sunscreen companies add other chemicals (including Octocrylene, Homosalate, or Octisalate) to offer more than 30 minutes of protection.
Avobenzone’s stabilizers can be harmful to the body
Octocrylene is the most common avobenzone stabilizer. It is readily absorbed into the skin, penetrating the deepest layers and interacting with other chemicals causing changes, damages, and mutations in the deep layers of the skin.
Homosalate is toxic because it accumulates faster than our bodies can get rid of it. It is known to disrupt estrogen, androgen, and progesterone levels.
Avobenzone stabilizers are known to cause skin allergies
It is widely written and researched that Octocrylene is linked to skin irritation- causing rashes and acne.
Avobenzone and hormone disruption
If avobenzone starts degrading in the sun, it can break down chemically and release free radicals into the bodily system - which are known to accelerate the aging process and increase risk of illnesses such as cancer.
Avobenzone and Chlorine
Perhaps one of the scariest things about avobenzone is that when in contact with chlorine, it breaks down and can turn toxic, potentially resulting in kidney and liver dysfunction and nervous system disorders.
In a study published in Chemosphere, author Albert Lebedev, MD. states that “In spite of the fact that there are no precise toxicology profiles for the most established products, it’s known that acetyl benzenes and phenols, especially chlorinated ones, are quite toxic.”
The Good News? There’s Already A Safe Alternative
The alternative is Chemical-free, FDA approved, safe mineral sunscreens
There are two sunscreen ingredients that are known to be safe and effective by the FDA. They are the minerals Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide.
These minerals offer natural broad-spectrum protection from UVA and UVB rays and have no active chemical ingredients. They protect you from the harmful effects of UV rays such as premature aging and skin cancer, all with no risk of toxicity, extra stabilizers, changing chemical structures, hormone disruption, and skin allergies.
Need a safe, worry-free option? Try a mineral sunscreen like TropicSport #jointhemovement
Trusted by organizations such as the John Wayne Skin Cancer Foundation and the World Surf League, TropicSport is considered to be the most effective mineral sunscreen in the world.
Kim Cappuccitti
March 31, 2020
Whatever happened to these chemicals being tested and approved before reaching the consumer market. Being a person who has developed a condition called Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, it is impossible for me to even be close to anyone that is wearing these sunscreens. The level of chemicals in all our daily products especially fragranced products is destroying our ability to detox and live healthy productive lives!