Turning Point USA

The sunny seasons are approaching, and that means millions of Americans are about to slather themselves and their children with the classic sunscreens we’ve known and loved for decades.

I’m here to tell you one reason why you should end your current sunscreen routine immediately: Oxybenzone.

When I first became aware of this issue, I found a great article by Tyler Wildeck for TheDyrt.com, an awesome outdoors website.

Here‘s what Wildeck has to say about oxybenzone:

“Oxybenzone is an extremely effective ingredient in sunscreen because it reduces UV (ultra-violet) exposure… However, along with being a UV absorber (we’ll talk about the perils of absorption later), oxybenzone is also a designated endocrine disruptor.”

So what does that mean? Wildeck continues:

“Along with decreased energy, oxybenzone has been linked to a variety of hormonal issues in both children and adults, including low sperm count in men, an excess of estrogen, and, in rare cases, infertility… It also allows the chemical to circulate freely throughout your body, possibly linking it to a number of other health issues. As the Center for Disease Control reported in 2008, over 97% of Americans at the time were contaminated with oxybenzone, meaning the chemical could be active throughout the bloodstream.”

Family Nurse Practitioner, Lauren (a.k.a. @naturalnursemomma) on Instagram, went into further detail about the dangers presented by Oxybenzone. In a recent post, Lauren explained:

“Most sunscreens sold in stores contain testosterone blockers. In males, oxybenzone exposure is linked to lower testosterone. In females, it is linked to endometriosis. In pregnant women, it is linked to low birth weight and has been found at detectable levels in breast milk…”

To make matters worse, Lauren explains oxybenzone isn’t the only dangerous ingredient found in your average sunscreen. We should also be keeping an eye out on oxtinoxate, homosalate, octisalate, avobenzone, octocrylene, and titanium dioxide.

The most important thing to remember is that YES, sunburn is still linked to getting skin cancer. Spending time out in the sun is not what’s dangerous. Spending too much time unprotected out in the sun and having it lead to sunburn is what’s dangerous.

Here’s your solution: to protect against sunburn when we are out in the sun for extended periods of time, we should be using non-nano mineral sunscreen.

Mineral sunscreens will use zinc and/or titanium dioxide as the only active ingredients… not oxybenzone or other dangerous chemicals!

Some tips: the labeling can throw you off! If a sunscreen bottle only says “mineral-based,” it means the zinc and/or titanium dioxide was mixed with the chemicals we are supposed to be avoiding.