Carcinogenic: how harmful is sunscreen really?

Created: 06/28/2022, 15:55

By: Claire Weiss

Sun creams not only protect against sunburn, but also against skin aging and skin cancer.

However, researchers found that old sunscreen can actually cause cancer. 

If you want to protect yourself from sunburn in summer, you should apply sunscreen consistently and several times a day.

But our skin has pores and partially absorbs the ingredients of the lotion.

However, conventional sunscreen often contains

that enter the bloodstream through our skin and have to be excreted through the liver, kidneys and intestines.

The ingredients there can cause damage. 

Also read

.

Organic and inorganic UV filters in sun creams

Substances that filter UV light provide the sun protection factor (SPF) in sun creams.

There are two groups of these:

filters, which are often also referred to as chemical filters, and inorganic ones.

The organic filters absorb the sun's UV rays and convert them into heat and harmless fluorescent light.

filters, also called mineral filters, contain small particles of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.

These scatter and reflect the UV light.

The disadvantage of mineral filters is that they usually leave a

.

Nanoparticles are therefore often used today.

These are particularly small and are easier to distribute on the skin.

So the "whitening effect" does not occur.

The label "nano" can be found on the packaging.

However, since no substance offers 100% protection from the sun's UV rays, many creams use a

.

Sunscreen protects against sunburn.

But is it also carcinogenic?

© Imago

Expired sunscreen is carcinogenic

French microbiologists from the Sorbonne and scientists from the national research agency CNRS published a study on sunscreens in March 2021.

They artificially aged new creams from well-known cosmetic brands and found that

.

The chemical filter octocrylene became benzophenone.

“If benzophenone gets on the skin, it can cause rashes, inflammation or hypersensitivity, but also liver cancer or lymphoma.

This was the case in animal experiments.

The molecule affects the thyroid and the reproductive organs, ”says Didier Stien, co-author of the study, according to

.

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Even if everything seems fine at first glance, the sunscreen hasn't separated and smells good, the octocrylene may have turned into the dangerous benzophenone.

Therefore, you should definitely pay attention to the

of the cream.

If you want to be on the safe side, you should completely avoid sunscreens with organic filters and use inorganic ones.

Certified natural cosmetics only use inorganic filters.

24vita.de* knows which cosmetics you should avoid during pregnancy.

By the way: Sunscreen can not only be harmful to the human body.

In addition, if creams with organic filters are released into the sea, they promote the

, as well as the so-called "coral bleaching".

*24vita.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA

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