Good weather has finally arrived, the sun is already quite strong, so it’s time to talk about sunscreen. Especially in spring our skin is not used anymore to sun exposure, so we need to be really careful not to get a sunburn.
At this time of the year, we tend to change the clothes in our wardrobes, pull out the summer dresses … and take out the sunscreen we used last year. Now, there are a few things to keep in mind when doing this.
Sunscreens are not ever-lasting
Did you know that sunscreen actually expires? It can change it’s texture, it can be contaminated with bacteria since you tend to use it with dirty hands and it can lose its effectiveness. Plus, with the time some of the ingredients often used in chemical sunscreen desintegrate and can become toxic.
So rather than using the same sunscreen you used last year (or even worse: 2 or 3 years ago), be safe and get a fresh one.
Check the ingredients
Have you ever checked your or your kid’s sunscreen’s ingredients? Trust me, you should. As already outlined in my post about sustainable cosmetics, many conventional cosmetics – and also sunscreens – contain only a small part of efficient natural ingredients but quite an amount of substances that are both harmful for us and for the environment.
Some of those ingredients are parabens, benzophenones, oxybenxone, microplastics or ococrylen. Have a look at your sunscreen and check it for some of these ingredients, or use an App like Codecheck, ToxFox or Yuka. Some of those ingredients are toxic, carcinogenic or hormonally active. When applying the sunscreen to our skin, those substances pass into our bloodstream. Some studies have even found those substances in breastmilk or associated some of them with pregnancy risks. This cannot be healthy, can it? Not for you, not for your kids and not for the environment. Also, most sunscreens are actually not as “waterproof” as they would have us believe. Have you ever seen those oily films on the water in the pool, the lake or the sea when you went for a swim? Imagine how this affects the whole ecosystem!
The different types of sunscreen
There are two different types of sunscreens.
- Chemical sunscreen that converts the radiation into heat.
- Sunscreens based on mineral filters reflect the sunscreen like small mirrors, blocking both UVA and UVB rays.
If you have sensitive skin, you are more prone to react to chemical sunscreen, since the rays are only filtered in the deeper skin layers and due to its mechanism to convert them into heat. Also, it might clog pores, does not filter all the UVA rays and you will need to apply it around 20 minutes before exposing yourself to the sun.
Mineral sunscreen on the other hand acts immediately, so there is no need to wait. Most harmful ingredients are found in sunscreens based on chemical filters, but there are also some ingredients in some of the sunscreens based on mineral filters you should be aware of, like nanoparticles. Also, mineral sunscreen tends to leave a whitish layer on the skin and not everybody likes this.
Always choose lotions over sprays as this reduces inhalation of the toxic substances.
How long can you stay in the sun? The SPF discussion.
Many people believe they need to have a Sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30 or 50 to be well-protected. Now, what does the SPF actually tell you? It tells you how long you can stay in the sun before getting red. This depends on two factors: the SPF of the sunscreen and the self-protection time of your skin. The latter depends on different variables like your skin type, whether you are already tanned, whether you are in the water or in the mountain…This self-protection time gets multiplied with the SPF, so if your self-protection time is 15 minutes and you use an SPF of 20, you will be able to stay 300 minutes in the sun, which is 5 hours. Quite a lot, right?
Obviously, you need to ensure to reapply the sunscreen from time to time, at least every 2 hours. Going for a swim, sweating, etc might reduce the optimum performance of your sunscreen. Keep in mind that reapplying does not increase the time you can spend in the sun, though. Also, it is recommended to drink lots of water and seek shade from time to time, to prevent dizziness, so wearing a sun hat and taking a parasol to the beach is a good option, especially but not only when you have kids.
My favorite suncreens
There are not too many options out there if you want to avoid toxic ingredients and don’t want to walk around white like yeti. For me, I have found the perfect combination:
RINGANA FRESH sunscreen
The waterproof and nanoparticle-free sunscreen with SPF 20 relies exclusively on natural, mineral filters. Thanks to the innovative formulation, the texture is easy to spread when applied. The result: an even tan and intensive all-round protection against sun-induced skin ageing. Ideal for all those who want to avoid synthetic UV filters as a matter of principle. Does not leave whitish layer on the skin.
Also available in pocket format.
RINGANA FRESH sunscreen face
Especially for the sensitive areas of the face, the new COSMOS-certified FRESH sunscreen face medium SPF 15 offers intensive protection and prevents sun-induced skin ageing. Thanks to the perfectly balanced formulation with sun protection factor 15, the sunscreen is quickly absorbed and leaves the skin feeling visually matt and pleasantly light.
Convenient pocket size.
I hope I was able to make you a little bit more aware about the substances you expose your body and the environment to. By the way, if you want to get to know some other of my favorite sustainable skin care products, take a look here.
Enjoy the sun and hope to see you back soon!
