Thank you and I’m so glad you wrote this. I’m starting to thinking there’s need to be a new site that just lists and refutes the weird, inaccurate and crazy stuff we all see on the web every day.
Some key facts about sunscreens:
High SPF (over 30-40) is not needed …or even advisable:
Why? Because the SPF ONLY refers to UVB, and does not include UVA. And because an SPF 30-40, properly applied, gets you about a 92-95% block of UVB. The SPF 50, 60, 70 etc. just buys you a lot more chemical exposure for very little extra UVB protection. It’s a marketing trick.
The only sunscreen ingredient that blocks UVA well is zinc oxide.
We all need zinc, ideally 8-20% in our sunscreens. Zinc blocks by far the most UVA. The next best thing, at present, is titanium and it’s not very close. Also, I can’t help but wonder, where does nanoparticle titanium go? Zinc is a natural mineral we can use in our bodies. Stick to lower titanium and higher zinc sunscreens.
Is that web info you are reading correct?
It’s so tough now, with all sorts of people claiming whatever! But I’d say ignore the noise as much as possible and go to reputable sources like your dermatologist, Web MD or here :). Oddly, a number of the “web dermatologists” aren’t actually board-certified dermatologists. It’s a crazy world!
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