What you need to know about choosing a sunscreen—updated July 2021

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last few decades (in which case you don’t need sunscreen!) you know that sunscreen should be a daily part of your skincare routine to avoid the damaging effects on your skin of the sun’s various rays. But choosing a sunscreen can be daunting – so our guide is here to help. We’ve updated it with information about the July 2021 recall by J&J of certain aerosol chemical sunscreens.

A quick primer about those rays

A little bit of physics here (but nothing too intense!) The sun sends out electromagnetic radiation of different ‘wavelengths’, which correspond to different parts of the light spectrum. The colors we see are called ‘visible light’ – the ROYGBIV of the rainbow. On each end of the visible light spectrum are shorter (UV) and longer (infra-red, IR) rays undetectable to the human eye but capable of causing damage to our skin. While 40% of the sun’s radiation is visible light, almost 50% is IR and around 10% is UV.

UVA

UVA (ultraviolet rays type A) are the most common type of UV rays from the sun. They are what make you tan, but they penetrate deep into the skin where they contribute to sun-induced damage (photo-aging). They can penetrate clouds and glass (including car windows), and have the same intensity throughout the day and the year.

UVB

UVB (ultraviolet rays type B) are more intense than UVA rays which explains why they cause sunburn. They are also the rays that help your skin create vitamin D. UVB rays do not penetrate the skin as deeply as UVA, and are blocked by clouds and most glass. They are most intense between 10 am and 2 pm, and are reduced during winter months and far from the equator.

UVC rays can be ignored, because they never reach the sun’s surface.

Infrared

Infrared (IR) rays produce heat and are often used to treat inflammation (e.g. in IR saunas), but there’s evidence that they can also cause skin damage. Evidence of IR skin damage include a dull complexion, skin irritation, dehydration, uneven skin tone, and pigmentation. Near-IR rays (IR-A) are known to induce the enzymes that break down collagen and elastin – and that is not a good thing!

Unfortunately, there are not many ways to filter out IR rays – though the use of antioxidants like vitamin C may reduce their effect in causing pigmentation.

Visible Light

Visible light (VL) rays also can increase pigmentation, especially in those with skin types III or higher. (Wait! What skin types? Read on to find out!). Furthermore, VL has other unwanted effects on the skin too: redness, damage to DNA, solar urticaria and photoallergic skin reaction. In addition, visible blue light (such as from our smart phones) is increasingly being linked to visual problems.

Interestingly, VL rays are NOT blocked by zinc oxide and titanium dioxide (sad face) – but they are blocked by iron oxide. (Whew!)

Enough of the physics! What can I do to protect myself?

Firstly, it’s a good idea to know your susceptibility to the effects of the sun. The Fitzpatrick scale classifies skin types according to how much melanin (pigment) is present in the skin. It’s calculated using things like eye & hair color, freckling, and how easily someone burns or tans. Calculate your skin type here. Basically, the lower the Fitzpatrick skin type, the more susceptible you are to sun damage, skin aging due to the sun, and melanoma and other skin cancers. But having a higher (IV-VI) skin type does NOT mean you can forgo the sunscreen!

The best way to protect yourself from various types of solar radiation is to use sunscreen! But not just any sunscreen!

Types of sunscreen

There are basically two main types of sunscreen:

Physical sunscreens

Physical sunscreens provide a barrier to the sun’s rays and bounce (or reflect) them off the surface of the skin. Common examples are minerals like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Iron oxide is a less common one.

While there are concerns that nanoparticle forms of these minerals can be absorbed through the skin and potentially cause harm, not all physical sunscreens use nanoparticle minerals. (Note: nanoparticles are just reeeallllyyy small; the same mineral can exist in a less teeny form without worries about it being absorbed.)

Physical sunscreen sprays should be used carefully, avoiding inhaling them, as titanium dioxide (even non-nanosized) is known to cause irritation to the lungs.

Chemical sunscreens

Chemical (sometimes called organic) sunscreens absorb into the skin and work by converting the sun’s rays to heat and releasing it from the body. However, UV light breaks down chemical sunscreens, making them ineffective and generating damaging free radicals (in fact, in one study, more free radicals than if no sunscreen was applied!). And the heat created may contribute to pigmentation (remember how IR – heat – rays can cause pigment???) Furthermore, certain chemical sunscreens are toxic to coral reefs and other marine creatures (looking at you, oxybenzone) and been banned in parts of the US! Plus, they can cause hormone disruption (decreased sperm count in men and endometriosis in women; may contribute to breast and prostate cancers). Not to mention, they can cause irritation and allergies.

2021 update!

In July 2021, J&J discovered that many of the chemical sunscreens they manufacture were contaminated with benzene, (a chemical associated with leukemia and other cancers) and issued a recall on five of their aerosol Neutrogena and Aveeno products. Two months earlier, Valisure (an online pharmcy that tests its products for contaminants) asked the FDA to look into this. (Side note: the FDA was alerted in May, but it was a further TWO MONTHS before J&J issued a recall—presumably while a lot of consumers purchased the products in question as the northern summer kicked in…)

Hopefully you will agree that physical sunscreens are the way to go! You don’t have to worry about the risks associated with chemical sunscreens—not to mention contaminants! But it’s also important to understand just how effective physical sunscreens are – and that’s where SPF and PA ratings come in.

What does SPF and PA mean? And broad-spectrum?

SPF

SPF (sun protection factor) measures how long a product provides protection from burning (UVB rays). SPF15 means you can stay in the sun 15 times longer than you could without any sun protection. If you are very fair and redden after 10 minutes, SPF15 products will delay reddening for 150 minutes and SPF30 for 300 minutes. However, while SPF30 implies double the reddening time, paradoxically, it’s not equivalent to double the ‘blockage’ of UVB rays: SPF15 products block around 93% of UVB rays, but SPF30 only blocks an additional 4% (i.e around 97% of UVB rays). SPF50+ gives only 1.6% more UVB protection.

PA rating

PA+ (protection grade for UVA) is a rating system to measure how much protection a product gives you against aging (UVA rays). It uses a + system, but is developed from the PPD (Persistent Pigment Darkening) test that originated in Japan. Like the SPF test, the PPD relates to how long a product protects, but instead of assessing burning, it assesses persistent darkening or tanning of the skin as a measure of skin damage caused by UVA rays . So a PPD of 10 means you can stay in the sun 10 times longer than without UVA protection before you demonstrate persistent darkening of the skin.

Here’s how PA is classified:
PA+ = Some UVA protection; PPD 2 – <4
PA++ = Moderate UVA protection; PPD 4 – <8
PA+++ = High UVA protection; PPD 8 – <16
PA++++ = Extremely high UVA protection; PPD 16 or greater

Some countries only grade PA up to +++, so (anything over 8) and even for those with a PA++++ measure, a product with a PPD of 20 will have the same PA++++ rating as one with PPD of 50.

And broad-spectrum?

Broad-spectrum sunscreens protect against both UVA and UVB rays. They should be able to give you both the SPF and PA rating.

So which sunscreen should I choose?

I think it’s best to use a broad-spectrum, non-nanoparticle physical sunscreen with an SPF15 or higher, and a PA+++ or higher. Most physical sunscreens contain zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, but I like products that contain iron oxide too, for the protection it gives against visible light. (Remember, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide do not protect against VL.)

Synergie’s ÜberZinc contains 21% zinc oxide, and has an SPF15 and PA+++. While it doesn’t contain iron oxide, it does provide broad-spectrum protection against UVA and UVB rays. Its sister product ÜberZinc Body is formulated especially for use on the body (surprise, surprise!).

An added bonus about zinc oxide: it’s anti-inflammatory and is suitable for use on sensitive skin!

If you’re looking for a product to protect against iron oxide, Synergie Minerals foundations are the answer! They include iron oxide as well as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide (with more iron and less titanium in the darker shades). Plus the provide beautiful , smooth coverage and added benefits to the skin.

Here’s a quick roundup of Synergie Minerals sunscreens

*Estimated; awaiting confirmation; TBA=to be advised

How about those IR rays?

Remember how we said that sunscreens don’t seem to have figured out a filter for IR rays yet? That’s generally the case – but happily, Synergie’s Enviroshield contains a specific extract to reduce the activity of the enzymes IR rays activate to destroy collagen and elastin. While it’s not in itself a sunscreen, Enviroshield is the perfect setting spray for the foundations – or just on top of ÜberZinc.

Is there anything else I can do to protect against sun damage?

In addition to the obvious (wearing clothing to cover up exposed skin; donning a floppy hat, protecting your eyes with sunglasses – and of course, using and re-applying sunscreen as necessary), help your body deal with the free radical production caused by the sun’s rays by eating a healthy diet rich in antioxidants and consider taking an astaxanthin supplement. Other antioxidant supplements like lycopene and resveratrol are also helpful.