The Green Beauty Guide: Your Essential Resource to Organic and Natural Skin Care, Hair Care, Makeup, and Fragrances (36 page)

According to theWorld Health Organization (WHO), melanoma kills about forty-eight thousand people worldwide every year. Blistering and peeling sunburns, especially those having occurred in childhood, are one of the main risk factors for melanoma, along with family history. People with fair complexions, red or blond hair, and birthmarks and moles are especially at risk.

Ultraviolet radiation is one of the main risk factors for melanoma. Wet, there’s no need to go overboard and completely shun the sun, hiding inside and slathering cupfuls of sunscreen lotions every hour, as some ardent antisun experts recommend. Everything is good in moderation, and not a single sunscreen can completely shield you from skin aging or cancer.

The Dark Secret About Sunscreens

It’s a given fact that sunscreens prevent sunburn. However, there has never been epidemiological or laboratory evidence that most common sunscreens, including para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), invented in 1922, prevent either melanoma or basal cell carcinoma in humans. All we know so far is that the same mechanism that causes sunburn may also trigger the formation of skin cancer. Sunburn by itself doesn’t cause skin cancer, but it signals a harmful, excessive exposure to the sun.

Worldwide, the countries where chemical sunscreens have been recommended and adopted have experienced the greatest rise in skin cancers, with a simultaneous rise in death rates. In the United States, Canada, Australia, and the Scandinavian countries, melanoma rates have skyrocketed, with the greatest increase occurring after the introduction of sunscreens at the end of the 1970s. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, death rates in the United States from melanoma doubled in women and tripled in men between the 1950s and the 1990s; yet melanoma remains a relatively rare type of cancer, killing twenty times fewer people than lung cancer (Miniño et al. 2007).

Could it be that sunscreens promote skin cancers instead of preventing them? Absolutely not, but there is something about sunscreens that needs careful attention. One explanation could be the ineffectiveness of sunscreens made in the 1980s and 1990s. Older formulations did not provide protection from all spectrums of the sun’s radiation. Those sunscreens shielded more from burning UVB rays but did almost nothing about the more damaging UVA exposure. Both UVA and UVB types of sun radiation have been shown to mutate DNA and promote skin cancers in animals (Rass, Reichrath 2008). UVA also penetrates deeper and stimulates melanocytes at a much higher rate, yet for some reason UVA dangers were ignored. Slathered in sunscreen, people stayed in the sun longer without having proper protection, often over a period of ten or twenty years, before clinical symptoms of skin cancer appeared.

To understand why sun protective ingredients aren’t able to actually protect us from skin cancer, let’s first see if there’s any difference between sunscreens and sunblocks. Sunscreens are a group of chemicals that get under our skin to absorb sun rays. They first need to get absorbed by skin so they can then absorb photons of sun radiation. Sunscreens usually contain benzophenones, such as oxybenzone, which protect against UVA, and salicylate and octyl methoxycinnamate, which protect against UVB. A major drawback of these sunscreen ingredients is that they break down after several hours of exposure to sunlight, which means you need to reapply them often, exposing yourself to a host of preservatives, penetration enhancers, petrochemicals, and artificial fragrances. Even when broad-spectrum sunscreens (ones that provide protection from both UVA and UVB sun radiation) were introduced in the early 1990s, they failed to completely shield us from harmful doses of sun radiation. High SPF factor gives us a false sense of security. The logic is simply deceptive: if a lotion with SPF15 allows you to stay in the scorching sun fifteen times longer, then lotion with SPF50 would give a whopping fifty times more protection. Right? Wrong.

Sunblocks are physically blocking sun rays. Also called mineral sunscreens, sunblocks include zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. They are highly effective in protecting against both UVA and UVB rays. They do not require any complex chemical cocktails to make them safe and effective, so they can be used in completely green and natural sun protective creams and lotions that are more suitable for children than deeply penetrating sunscreens. The only drawback is that sunblocks often appear white on the skin, however, the newest micronized forms of zinc oxide blend well into skin and appear to be invisible.

But let’s go back to sunscreens since they are much more popular than sunblocks. So, what do we get with a conventional sunscreen—freshly scented, easily absorbed, packed in a convenient bottle? We get a nice skin moisturizer and relatively effective protection from UV radiation. Instead of allowing our skin to accommodate the increased sun exposure by thickening the epidermis and increasing pigmentation, we switch off these biological mechanisms by slathering on even more sunscreen. At the same time, we turn off the skin’s ability to produce vitamin D that may offer additional protection from various types of cancer, including melanoma. “Sunscreen users may compensate for their sunscreen use by staying out much longer in the sun, or may use sunscreen lotions inconsistently,” noted Martin A. Weinstock, MD, PhD, director of the Photomedicine Unit of Brown Medical School Department of Dermatology, Rhode Island, noting that we may “require another decade or more of experience with sunscreen use” before we would know how sunscreen works against skin cancer.

Only a few epidemiological studies have examined the relationship of sunscreen use and skin cancer, yet two studies suggest that sunscreens may not be effective in preventing it. Researchers from the University of Southern California in San Diego found that the use of common sunscreen formulations that absorb UVB almost completely, but do not block UVA rays, may contribute to the risk of melanoma in people who live in southern regions (Gorham et al. 2007).

Another study focused on the use of sunscreens and the amount of skin hyperpigmentation in children. Dermatologists in Israel found that regular sunscreen use contributed to the risk of moles in children as young as seven years of age. Such moles can often evolve into melanoma, especially in people with fair skin and hair (Azizi et al. 2000). Scientists suggest that sometimes sunscreens can play a negative role in prevention of skin cancers because sunscreens suppress the natural warning signals of excessive sun exposure, while leaving the skin defenseless to the damaging UVA rays they do not block. Instead of cautious and sensible tanning, we heavily rely on SPF100 sunscreens and continue baking under the tropical sun for hours.

Another concern about sunscreens is their formulation. Most sunscreens appear to act as endocrine disruptors. During a 2001 study at the University of Zurich, some of the most popular sunscreens, including benzophenone, homosalate, methylbenzylidene camphor, methoxycin-namate, and octyl-dimethyl-para-aminobenzoic acid, showed estrogenic activity in animals (Schlumpf et al. 2001). Avid sunscreen proponents argue that animals in this study were fed sunscreens, and only a few received topical applications, so why should we worry? Humans don’t eat sunscreens. Actually, sunscreen ingredients are able to penetrate the skin and enter our bloodstream. An earlier Swiss study has shown that ben-zophenone and methoxycinnamate can be found in dermis six hours after application (Chatelain et al. 2003), and a 2001 Australian study concluded that sunscreen chemicals are the most common cause of photoallergic contact dermatitis (Cook, Freeman 2001).

Let’s not forget about our daily toxic burden due to an overabundance of carcinogenic chemicals in our food, cosmetics, and household products. Conventional sunscreen lotion is packed with petroleum-derived emollients, penetration enhancers, paraben and formaldehyde preservatives, and synthetic dyes and fragrances. Heat, rubbing, and perspiration drive these ingredients deeper into the skin. Generous use of toxic sunscreen and other skin care products could be another reason why the rates of cancers have skyrocketed in the past few years.

On the Sunny Side

A decently formulated sunscreen is a very important step in your beauty regimen. As you already know, ultraviolet light provides us with vitamin D, but too much sun exposure can cause skin damage and melanoma. Different wavelengths of ultraviolet light penetrate the skin at different depths, causing varying levels of damage. Therefore, a good sunscreen should protect us from all types of the sun’s rays, but should not be irritating or toxic, of course.

Spend a minute reading the ingredients label and avoid harsh chemical ingredients. These include para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), ben-zophenones (benzophenone-3 and oxybenzone), cinnamates (octyl methoxycinnamate and methoxycinnamate), and salicylates (such as octyl salicylate).

Finding truly natural sun care products must be high on the organic shopper’s priority list. This is easier said than done because many sunscreen products that are advertised as “natural” actually contain the same active chemical ingredients as mainstream brands. Chemical sunscreens, which absorb light, are popular because they are lightweight and penetrate quickly. However, their ability to trigger allergies and irritation is supercharged by sitting in the sun. Another downside of chemical ingredients is that they are not photostable and start breaking down when they have been exposed to the sun.

What to Look for in a Sunscreen

To begin with, a good sunscreen should contain active ingredients that protect us from all types of sun radiation. Until now, most sunscreen products sold in the United States focused on blocking UVB rays. Newer substances, such as Mexoryl (also called ecamsule; chemical name terephthalylidene dicamphor sulfonic acid), provide efficient UVA protection, and they are more stable under the sun’s rays. Sunscreens containing Mexoryl are widely used in Europe and Canada. In 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved it for use in U.S. cosmetic products. Unfortunately, Mexoryl is exclusive to L’Oreal, and we have yet to see a truly green beauty product coming from under the French beauty giant’s wing. Mexoryl is usually paired with potentially carcinogenic triethanolamine to keep the pH of the product in balance. To keep the formulation stable, large concentrations of paraben preservatives are also used.

Green beauty embraces mineral, physical sunblocks. Wearing a mineral sunscreen is like wearing thousands of tiny mirrors on the skin that reflect the sun’s rays. They sit on top of the skin and are less irritating than sunscreens. Mineral sunscreens include zinc oxide and titanium oxide. Both minerals have a wider spectral range of activity than any synthetic sunscreen ingredients. While the entire range of UVA and UVB radiation is 280 to 400 nm, titanium dioxide’s range of protection is 270 to 700 nm, and zinc dioxide shields from rays ranging from 290 to 700 nm.

Cosmetic chemists often combine mineral UV filters with DNA-repairing agents, offering better protection from photoaging. Throughout history, people have used avocado, olive, nut, and seed oils for skin protection. Natural oils contain essential fatty acids that can restore the pliability and elasticity to coarse, sun-drenched skin and thus partially offset harmful effects of excessive sun exposure, but they cannot reverse photoaging and protect you from skin cancer.

To avoid layering two products every morning, opt for a tinted moisturizer with built-in sunscreen. “SPF-containing tinted moisturizers have multiple benefits in one,” says Karen Behnke, the founder of Juice Beauty. “They offer SPF15 or even SPF30 coverage, they are the ultimate moisturizers rich in antioxidants such as pomegranate juice, and they are mineral tinted for light coverage.” Karen uses only organic juices in her formulations because organic juices are richer in antioxidants, and nutritional science supports her beliefs. In a 2004 study of organic and conventionally grown tomatoes, Alyson Mitchell, a food chemist at University of California at Davis, found that organic tomatoes had higher levels of vitamin C, while significantly higher levels of the cancer-protective flavonoids were found in organic broccoli.

Sunblocks should become part of multilayered sun protection that includes lightweight, tightly woven clothes made of cotton or linen, wide-brimmed hats, and an antioxidant-rich diet. Cover up more diligently if you have fair skin, red or blond hair, or lots of freckles.

What About Tanning Oils?

Tanning oils or creams are slowly but steadily going out of fashion. In terms of sun protection, tanning oils are a joke. Favored by sun worshippers who prefer to coat their skin in some exotic oil instead of sunscreen because they like the softness and possible (more often, imaginary) anti-aging benefits, tanning oils rarely deliver on their promises. I believe that avid tanners like oils for their alluring glow on skin. “A tan protects me from the sun,” my perennially tanned mom used to say, until last year, when she sheepishly asked me to choose a few strong sunscreens because she “developed a sun allergy.”Most likely, her skin, exhausted by decades of relentless baking, just couldn’t take any more. Now my mom gets her moles checked yearly and slathers on sunscreen diligently, rain or shine.

Often tanning oils contain beta-carotene, a naturally occurring form of vitaminA that offers antiaging benefits and in high doses adds a yellowish tint to the skin (and stains clothes and towels like crazy). Another popular additive to tanning oil is tyrosine, an amino acid found in large quantities in milk protein. Tyrosine is the precursor to the pigment melanin, and many makers of tanning oils, tanning accelerators, and tanning pills believe that tyrosine can stimulate melanocytes to produce more pigment. At this moment, there are no studies that can support this notion, and I believe that scientists can find much better ways to spend their grants than finding out whether or not tyrosine tanning oil helps some reckless tanners achieve their chocolate goals sooner.