As a pioneer in advocating for consumer safety, EWG has been at the forefront of evaluating sunscreen products for more than 17 years. EWG VERIFIED® sunscreens are free from chemicals of concern and made with the highest expectations of transparency.
The VERIFIED mark is the new gold standard for sunscreen safety, making it easy for you to find the safest, healthiest products to protect your skin from sun damage.
In 2007, the Food and Drug Administration failed to establish modern safety standards for sunscreens to ensure toxic chemicals aren’t being used in products. That’s when EWG took matters into our own hands.
There are so many sunscreens on the market, leading consumers to easily get overwhelmed looking for a product that’s both effective against the sun and healthy to use. EWG’s first Guide to Sunscreens set a new standard to help people make the best buying decisions for themselves and their families.
Fast forward to 2021, when EWG scientists found that most sunscreens sold in the U.S. offered inadequate protection from ultraviolet A radiation, despite what the listed SPF suggests, giving sunscreen users a false sense of safety.
VERIFIED sunscreens builds on the success of other EWG VERIFIED categories – including cosmetics, cleaning products and baby care – of products that are safe and healthy for you and your family.
EWG VERIFIED for sunscreens is a game-changer. Developed on EWG’s strong foundation in science and years of research, the mark empowers consumers to identify products that meet EWG’s rigorous standards for efficacy, ingredient safety and transparency.
By choosing Love Sun Body formulas with the EWG VERIFIED mark, consumers can be confident their sunscreen has been thoroughly evaluated by EWG and is backed by their decades of expertise in assessing consumer products for health and safety.
In addition to meeting stringent criteria for ingredient safety and transparency, EWG VERIFIED sunscreens address important gaps in how well recreational SPF products work.
The program focuses on protection from UVA radiation. EWG VERIFIED requires sunscreens to meet standards for UVA protection that go beyond those mandated in the U.S. and in Europe.
The European Commission recommends that the ratio of measured UVA protection to SPF should be at least one-third. EWG VERIFIED’s performance standards require all sunscreens to be tested and proven to have measured UVA protection that meets this recommendation, ensuring that consumers are protected from the sun’s most damaging rays.
Unlike other sunscreens on the market, EWG VERIFIED products must fully disclose all ingredients on their labels and avoid ingredients on our list of unacceptable substances – those with health, toxicity and contamination concerns. And these products cannot contain any ingredients on our list of restricted ingredients unless they meet the stringent restrictions set by authoritative bodies and industry institutions.
When consumers see Love Sun Body’s EWG VERIFIED mark, they can be certain our products provides the highest possible levels of UVA protection using the healthiest ingredients.
EWG VERIFIED takes into account additional factors. Sunscreens that carry the mark cannot:
In a market full of products that may not effectively protect consumers from harmful UVA rays, the EWG VERIFIED mark is a beacon of trust. With EWG VERIFIED mark, consumers can confidently choose Love Sun Body to protect themselves and their families from both chemicals of concern and the sun’s harmful rays.
]]>Hoping to avoid the white cast, heaviness and greasiness common in many sunscreen products available in U.S. drugstores, some Americans, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, have taken matters into their own hands, opting for sunscreens manufactured abroad.
While sunscreen is regulated as a cosmetic in major skin-care hubs such as South Korea, Japan and the European Union, in the United States it falls under the purview of the Food and Drug Administration. Any drug product marketed to American consumers must be approved by the FDA, and because sunscreen “makes a drug claim” — namely, that it can prevent sunburn, decrease the risk of skin cancer and mitigate early skin aging — the agency regulates it as an over-the-counter drug.
The last time the FDA approved new active ingredients for use in sunscreens was more than two decades ago, and at times it can feel as if the rest of the world has surpassed the United States in the development of new sunscreen formulations and protocols. Currently there are 14 sunscreen filters approved for use by the FDA. The European Union employs more than 30.
“I also think it’s very important that we maintain a level of rigor around safety,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “We want to make sure this is not about advocating for the deregulation of these filters.”
While Rep. Cortez’s intentions are noble to offer additional solutions to U.S. consumers, many people are allergic to the 12 chemical UV filters approved in the U.S. or the 30 plus chemical filters approved in Europe, where the chemical UV filters and their skin breaks out with a rash and/or hives. Chemical UV filters can be harmful to the skin because when they encounter sunlight, they degrade and produce reactive oxygen substances that generate oxidative stress in skin cells, damage to genetic material, premature aging, and predisposition to skin cancer.
It has also been shown that these chemical UV filters are systemically absorbed into the body after one use, according to the studies published by the FDA. The agency also found they could be detected on the skin and in the blood weeks after they had last been used.
Other studies have reported finding sunscreen ingredients in breast milk, urine and blood plasma samples. And it’s possible for sunscreen users to inhale ingredients in sunscreen sprays and ingest some of the ingredients they apply to their lips, so the ingredients must not be harmful to the lungs or internal organs.
Most consumers do not realize that inactive ingredients typically make up 50 to 80 percent of a sunscreen’s formula, including hazardous dimethicones and silicones that are petrochemical based ingredients. These ingredients can be found on the label of almost every single mainstream personal care product. Dimethicones and silicones trap debris in your pores. Like plastic wrap, silicones form a barrier on top of your skin. That barrier can lock in moisture, yes, but it can also trap dirt, sweat, bacteria, sebum, dead skin cells and other debris along with it. Apart from the fact that there are petrochemicals involved in manufacturing dimethicones, even if they are attached to plant oils, they are bioaccumulative and build-up in the environment.
Dr. Terry Zickerman, CEO and founder of Love Sun Body was visiting Point Pleasant Beach New Jersey with his family, and they had a conversation when shopping for sunscreens, similar to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s experience about mineral sunscreens and their ornery application.
Dr. Zickerman’s solution was to develop new mineral sunscreens with all natural ingredients that blend into the skin with no white cast and true efficacy.
Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are the only natural origin UV filters, and they offer the best broad-spectrum protection. The chemical filters each offer a small range of UV protection. Therefore, chemical sunscreens need to use several chemical UV filters.
The FDA has stated only two active ingredients zinc oxide and titanium dioxide can be marketed without approved new drug applications because they are recognized as safe and effective, do not penetrate and are not absorbed through the skin.”
When zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are manufactured as a UV filters, they are made as either small particles, named “nano” or larger particles, named “non-nano”. A nanoparticle is a particle smaller than 100 nanometers (nm), or 100 billionths of a meter. Many sunscreen manufactures use nano zinc oxide and/or nano titanium dioxide because they are clear, making it less whitening when the sunscreen is applied. The nano mineral filters are not as effective as the non-nano mineral filters because many of the UV rays pass through the smaller nano sized particles. There are studies showing that very small nanoparticles (smaller than 35nm) of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide can be harmful to the environment by being toxic to marine life.
Love Sun Body only uses non-nano zinc oxide and non-nano titanium dioxide. The range for "non-nano" is 100 nanometers (nm) or greater. The larger size non-nano zinc oxide and non-nano titanium dioxide are opaque and absorbs, scatters and reflects UV rays and converts the energy to infrared heat, which radiates safely away from the skin surface. Extensive research has concluded that non-nano zinc oxide and non-nano titanium dioxide are the safest ingredients for protecting your skin from UVA + UVB rays and blue light and the only truly reef safe sunscreen UV filters.
Love Sun Body has developed revolutionary mineral face, body and tinted face sunscreen formulas that rub into the skin with no white cast. Love Sun body formulas are the first and only sunscreens in the United States that have been certified by Ecocert Cosmos Natural that are certified 100% natural origin. 100% natural origin means that the complete range of formulas contain no hazardous ingredients found in almost all U.S. and non-U.S. sunscreens, including no chemical UV filters or petroleum-based ingredients.
Love Sun Body sunscreens meet and exceed the FDA OTC Monograph System, the European Commission’s recommendation on UVA protection and Health Canada Natural Health Products Regulations. All Love Sun Body formulas are biodegradable and our packaging is recyclable.
Love Sun Body face, body and tinted mineral sunscreens are made with 100% natural origin sustainable minerals and plant-based ingredients. Love Sun Body SPF 30 formulas contain over 20% non-nano zinc oxide and our SPF 50 formulas contain over 20% non-nano zinc oxide and over 7% non-nano titanium dioxide.
Love Sun Body sunscreen formulas are certified Cosmos Natural, PETA Cruelty Free and Vegan, gluten-free, hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, with no eye stinging ingredients.
]]>The statistic was released as a part of the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) 16th annual Guide to Sunscreens, which assessed the effectiveness of more than 1,850 products advertising sun protection such as recreational sunscreens, daily-use moisturizers with SPF and lip balms with SPF.
“The sunscreens guide was created so that consumers wouldn’t have to sift through misleading market claims and complex ingredient lists to find products that provide the best protection and are free of concerning ingredients. It is one of the best ways to identify safe and healthy products.” Emily Spilman, BSE, a science analyst with EWG’s Healthy Living Science team.
EWG has rated Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin Mineral Sunscreens the best scores. This reflects the degree of both UV protection from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation and the hazards of all the ingredients on the label.
EWG's Skin Deep® Love Sun Body
Love Sun Body’s is the perfect way to protect and moisturize your skin. Love Sun Body has created revolutionary 100% natural origin mineral face, body and tinted sunscreens.
Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin Sheer Power Daily Moisturizing Mineral Face Sunscreen and Sheer Perfection Mineral Body Sunscreens are made with the safest non-nano UV filters and plant-based moisturizers. Each plant and mineral ingredient that we source is certified Cosmos natural.
Our Glow Natural Daily Tinted Mineral Face Sunscreen & Moisturizer is available in four shades and can be used in place of a regular foundation to achieve a natural-looking glow without needing to apply heavy makeup. Love Sun Body formulas are the first & only sunscreens in the U.S. that are certified by Ecocert Cosmos Natural, made with non-nano zinc oxide and sustainable plant-based ingredients, with no chemical filters or petroleum-based ingredients to provide truly effective UVA & UVB protection.
Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin Mineral Sunscreens have been clinically tested hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, certified PETA Cruelty Free and Vegan, with no eye stinging ingredients. All formulas are reef safe and 80-minute water resistant. All our products are biodegradable, all of our packaging is recyclable, minimized and is environmentally friendly.
]]>Just over half (53 percent) of Americans wear sunscreen at least one day a week, and among those, more than nine in 10 (93 percent) apply it to their face.
Motivations for Sunscreen Use: Prevent Skin Cancer, Sunburn and the Look of Aging Skin
Among those who do use sunscreen, the main motivations are to prevent skin cancer (74 percent), prevent sunburn (48 percent) and prevent the appearance of aging skin (46 percent). Adults ages 35 and older are significantly more likely than adults under the age of 34 to say preventing skin cancer is a main motivation for wearing sunscreen (79 percent vs. 63 percent).
Women are significantly more likely than men to say preventing the look of aging skin is a main motivation (55 percent vs. 33 percent), and they are also more likely to be motivated by sunspot prevention (44 percent vs. 33 percent for men). More than half of men (52 percent) say preventing the look or feel of a sunburn is a main motivation, compared to only 45 percent of women.
Top Motivations for Wearing Sunscreen |
Total % |
Women % |
Men % |
To help prevent skin cancer |
74% |
72% |
77% |
Prevent the look or feel of sunburn |
48% |
45% |
52% |
To help prevent the appearance of aging skin |
46% |
55% |
33% |
To help prevent sunspots on skin |
39% |
44% |
33% |
Other |
1% |
1% |
1% |
Source: RealSelf.com, 2019 RealSelf Sun Safety Report |
Why You Should Always Wear Sunscreen, Even on Cloudy Days Up to 80 percent of the sun’s rays can pass through clouds, so if you assume it’s OK to forgo protection on an overcast day, think again. Sunscreen is an important preventative health care habit that should be maintained all year, including the winter months. Snow can reflect up to 80 percent of ultraviolet (UV) rays, increasing your risk of exposure to sun damage. Also, the higher the altitude, the greater the UV exposure, so sunscreen is crucial for family ski vacations, too. Always wear sunscreen!
Here are the top five reasons why applying sunscreen should be a daily habit year round:
Worldwide coral reefs are suffering from the impacts of climate change. When the ocean is too warm for microscopic algae to live in coral tissue leave and the corals bleach.
Algae provides corals food. Without it, they bleach and become very unhealthy. Most corals die.
You have probably seen images of huge swaths of the Great Barrier Reef that have bleached. It is a tragedy affecting all the animals and people that are dependent on healthy reefs. “Coral reefs provide food and income through tourism, fisheries, and shoreline protection—valued at tens of billions to trillions of dollars each year globally.” The world needs to drastically cut our C02 emissions to slow climate change. Unfortunately, the ocean is already underway and will continue for a long time. This is why we need to both reduce CO2 emissions and help restore coral reefs NOW.
Restoration by growing, gardening and outplanting
Around the world researchers are pioneering ways to protect and restore coral reefs that have already bleached. Interventions can take many forms including taking fragments of coral, growing, gardening and outplanting them; to harvesting millions of naturally-produced eggs and sperm that create millions of new individual coral larvae. Along with the specific techniques for creating more corals for reefs, scientists are monitoring growth and ecosystem health, and characterizing the genetics of outplanted coral to make sure there is diversity and therefore, resilience.
Scientists are trying to restore and rebuild bleached coral reefs by transplanting healthy corals onto ailing or dead corals. The general method is to find or break off a fragment of coral to grow in an underwater nursery or in a lab. Once the coral fragments have grown large enough—after six to tenth months—scientists outplant them onto the reefs. The corals are attached to the skeletal structures of dead or dying corals, using cement, zip ties and nails.
Looking at the big picture, scientists see reef restoration as a strategy to save the diverse ecosystem services that coral reefs provide. Researchers share data about growth rates and reproduction, something that doesn’t always happen in science. They’re trying to help each other increase the efficiency and scale of growing and restoring corals.
One of the pioneers of this method, Dr. David Vaughan at Mote Marine Lab in Florida, found that corals grown in lab nurseries grow 25-50 times the rate they grow in nature. Researchers from around the world have gone to Mote to learn the techniques.
Restoration by spawn and raising corals from larvae
Some researchers working on the Great Barrier Reef are growing corals starting with collecting eggs and sperm, called spawn. When corals spawn, their eggs and sperm form slicks in the ocean. This involves collecting the slick “floating enclosures and towing them short distances to adjacent, high-priority areas for release. The aim is to increase the number of corals from the spawning slick that are ultimately recruited into reef populations.”
Another approach to growing new corals is to raise corals from larvae to adult in a lab, return them to an ocean nursery environment to grow more, and then return them to the wild. When corals in established underwater nurseries spawn, researchers collect the eggs and sperm and take them to a lab on land where they’re mixed together to assist in fertilization. When the young corals reach a size to attach to a growing structure, they are moved to the nursery and then eventually outplanted.
The new corals, like those described above, are created sexually, as opposed to those created asexually by microfragmentation. The advantage of these two methods is guaranteeing genetic diversity through sexual reproduction. It gives the hope of restoring the genetic diversity and resilience of corals reefs.
Researchers are studying corals that are more heat tolerant to tease out the what’s behind that tolerance. With this knowledge, scientists can grow species that might survive bleaching events and outplant them into healthy habitats.
For all of the interventions, it’s essential to monitor success, and set global standards. Success may have several aspects including: scale, good growth rate in nurseries, success in outplanting, reproductive success and diversity, and overall ecosystem health.
Through a symbiotic collaboration between five tourism companies and marine scientists at the University of Technology Sydney, “coral gardening” in underwater nurseries is trying to help preserve the country’s famed Great Barrier Reef.
Divers for the companies — all intimately acquainted with the reef and, like so many businesses, dependent on its vitality — scour the seafloor. There they collect broken pieces of coral and attach them to submerged frames on which the fragments can recover and grow. Ecologically minded tourists pay to see the unusual attraction.
It’s a strategy that master reef guide Russell Hosp says is aimed at giving “Mother Nature a little bit of a boost.” Some 30 gardens are currently being cultivated, and the healthy coral segments that thrive on their artificial underwater structures are then transplanted to damaged areas of the reef.
The Coral Nurture Program is just one of numerous projects along the Queensland coastline, including one, run by the Reef Restoration Foundation, that just saw its planted coral spawn for the first time. Together, these efforts aim to transform the reef by making it more resilient.
This month’s U.N. Climate Change Conference in Egypt, known as COP27, discussed adaptation solutions for coral nations. Peter Thomson, the U.N. secretary general’s special envoy for oceans, told a panel that he was a convert on the effectiveness of programs such as coral nurseries after seeing the results in his native Fiji.
“Don’t accept the idea that coral reefs are going to be extinct,” he said. “We’re going to refuse that future.”
None of the progress can overcome unchecked global warming, however. “A 1.5-degree world is really a death knell for reefs,” warned Carol Phua, who leads the World Wildlife Federation’s Global Coral Reef Initiative.
The loss would be tragic. Corals are arguably the strangest of the many bewildering life-forms that can be found in the world’s oceans, simultaneously animal, vegetable and mineral.
The animal is the polyp, a transparent, tentacled creature related to anemone and jellyfish. Coral polyps have squishy bodies but have evolved the miraculous ability to secrete calcium carbonate — the same material as limestone rock — as protection. These calcium carbonate barricades make up the visible architecture of a reef.
Inside the polyp’s tissue are a living algae called zooxanthellae. It’s these single-celled organisms that lend reefs their famous rainbows of color. And, more importantly for the polyp, the algae provide food for their hosts, turning sunlight into proteins, fats and carbohydrates through photosynthesis.
Coral polyps have squishy bodies but have evolved the miraculous ability to secrete calcium carbonate, which makes up the visible architecture of a reef. (Video: Michael Robinson Chavez)
There are billions of coral polyps, containing tens of billions of zooxanthellae, hiding within the hard structure of the Great Barrier Reef. Every newborn polyp absorbs algae and secretes rock, adding infinitesimally to an ecosystem that has been growing for 20,000 years.
The problem, said Emma Camp, the Coral Nurture Program’s co-founder and a university marine biologist, is that “corals have a narrow environmental niche, or range, that they typically like to survive.”
Russell Hosp, a master reef guide, notes his observations along the Great Barrier Reef on Hastings Reef. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)
Coral algae can only survive in warmer waters. But when the temperature gets too warm, the algae begins emitting a toxic substance instead of food, which the polyp instinctively and protectively ejects into the ocean. The result is coral bleaching, and the stark images of reefs after an event show what corals look like without algae inside. Unless the water temperature drops and the algae can safely return, the polyp starves, and the reef remains colorless.
The Great Barrier Reef has experienced four bleaching events in various sections since 2016. Even when a coral colony survives, the stress takes a toll. The coral needs time to recover, and multiple bleachings in a short period are more likely to be fatal. Some species cope with heat better than others, but when the most vulnerable species die, the reef’s diversity suffers.
Coral Nurture participants have planted nearly 77,000 corals in the program’s four years. Camp acknowledged that in comparison to the reef’s vastness — the equivalent length of Florida to Maine — the number is small. “Where we’re at with most current restoration efforts is that they’re local,” she said.
That focus is something Alan Wallish appreciates. He’s a tour operator in Cairns who has spent several decades on the reef, and his business, Passions of Paradise, is among the five guiding companies partnering with the university scientists. The idea, he said, is “about looking after your own little patch.”
The other initiatives underway to nurture the reef run the gamut. Eye on the Reef, headed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, enlists the masses of divers who sightsee underwater to collect data while they’re there. A “Coral IVF” project, led by Southern Cross University, gathers coral sperm and eggs and fertilizes them in an ocean pool, depositing the larvae in degraded regions.
Indigenous rangers of the Mandubarra people are also involved, working with the recreational fishers group OzFish and researchers from James Cook University to plant sea grass meadows. At a lab near Townsville, specialists at the Australian Institute of Marine Science experiment with a biodegradable, molecule-thick film that may block heat from entering the ocean.
Climate change remains the big caveat for all these initiatives. Human intervention projects “are going to be essential” in coming decades, said Scott Heron, an environmental physicist with the ARC Centre for Excellence for Coral Reef Studies. But they will be most effective only if they advance in tandem with a rapid decrease in greenhouse gas emissions.
“We need to be addressing climate change, and the causes of climate change, in a policy-coherent way so that we’re not putting a blowtorch as well as a hose onto the fire,” Heron said.
Despite the odds, Hosp is actually pretty optimistic as he guides visitors on the Great Barrier Reef. “The work we’re doing on the reef is in conjunction with work being done in the Antarctic, and in Africa, all over the world,” he said. “There’s this concerted effort to try and fix the problem in as many ways as we can.”
]]>It will be illegal to use, sell or distribute any sunscreen that isn’t mineral-based unless you have a prescription from a licensed health care provider. Only mineral sunscreens made with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide will be allowed, which are the only two ingredients that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the agency that regulates sunscreens, recently proposed to be considered “safe and effective.”
When people swim in the ocean – and even shower at beach parks – chemicals from sunscreens can wash into the ocean. Lab research has found that, in high enough amounts, some of those chemicals hurt marine life like algae and coral.
“This ordinance is one important step to protect our coral reefs, which provide the first defense against erosion from sea-level rise and are critically important for biodiversity, recreation, food sources and our tourism industry,” Maui County Council member Kelly King said in a statement.
King, the South Maui representative who spearheaded the legislation, said Maui’s policy is the first county law of its kind. Hawaii County, which followed Maui’s lead, is enacting a similar one Dec. 1. The counties’ laws are more sweeping than the current state law that prohibits two types of chemicals: oxybenzone and octinoxate.
Fines collected from the new sunscreen law will be used to fund environmental protection.
Maui County says its new law is a step toward protecting Hawaii’s coral reefs, which are home to marine life found nowhere else on Earth. Reefs are a critical part of delicate marine ecosystems that have in recent years faced mounting threats from climate change and runoff. Maui’s reefs also protect coastal homes by buffering against waves and flooding, preventing damage to beaches and other stretches of coastline, according to the county.
Although the focus has been sharpest in Hawaii, the safety of sunscreen for both humans and the environment has been a hot topic across the U.S. in recent years. Even though sunscreens have been used for decades, the FDA doesn’t recognize many chemicals commonly used in them as “safe and effective” because there hasn’t been enough safety data to show one way or another.
Why switch to mineral sunscreens?
Sunscreens that use mineral filters as the primary active are called physical or mineral sunscreens. The active ingredients in mineral sunscreens are zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide. Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide – the ingredients allowed under the Maui County policy – are the only exceptions that the FDA has so far proposed as “safe and effective” for humans to use. Mineral sunscreens can also offer greater protection than chemical sunscreens because they act as physical blockers on the skin, reflecting UV light, according to the MD Anderson Cancer Center, one of the leading treatment centers in the U.S.
The county is working on education and outreach that can educate visitors who come from places that still allow the sale of chemical-based sunscreens banned in Hawaii.
What was clear is that sunscreens marketed as “reef-safe” don’t guarantee that a sunscreen is, in fact, safe for marine life, said Dr. Kevin Cassel of the Hawaii Skin Cancer Coalition, who was a member of the committee that wrote the recent report. He cautioned consumers against relying on the label because the mix of ingredients in them isn’t regulated or standardized.
“We want to fight to actually be able to classify truly reef safe sunscreens that are effective and can prevent overexposure to ultraviolet radiation,” Cassel said. “We want the best of both, and it will take some work to do it, but I think we can get there.”
The report released in August came as the FDA is working on updating its list of safe sunscreen ingredients and has requested more data on chemical-based sunscreens. Maui County’s new sunscreen law recognizes that the FDA is in the middle of that process. When the federal government finalizes its findings, the county could also look to update its list of allowed sunscreens.
Although many Maui residents are aware of potential harms of chemical sunscreens and have long opted for mineral-based ones, visitors who don’t know about the county or state law can still bring in banned sunscreens by plane. Based on what researchers find next year, Beeson said they’ll be able to gauge whether they need to ramp up outreach to educate both residents and visitors.
What defines natural?
The labeling of something as either “natural” or “all-natural” is supposed to mean that the product does not contain added color, artificial scents or petroleum-based substances, but in reality, it’s very easy to find these words on cosmetics and sunscreens that are loaded with artificial ingredients such as preservatives, genetically modified ingredients (GMO), ingredients synthesized from petroleum, and any other number of chemically derived additives.
Thus, when the label states natural and/or organic, that does not mean the finished product is 100% natural origin.
The only way a consumer can decipher if a product is 100% natural origin is if the company verifies this with certification. This can be achieved by purchasing raw ingredients that are tested and certified 100% natural origin and cleansing ingredients used to manufacture the product are certified 100% natural origin.
Love Sun Body – safe for your body & the planet
The only UV filters that are safe and effective for humans, safe for our eco-system and marine life, including coral reefs are non-nano zinc-oxide and non-nano titanium dioxide.
Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin Mineral Sunscreens are made with the safest UVA and UVB filters - our SPF 30 sunscreens are formulated with over 20% non-nano zinc oxide and our SPF 50 sunscreens are formulated with over 20% non-nano zinc oxide and over 7% non-nano titanium dioxide, meeting the FDA OTC Monograph System, the European Commission’s recommendation on UVA protection and Health Canada Natural Health Products Regulations.
Love Sun Body sunscreens are the first and only sunscreens in the U.S. certified by Ecocert Cosmos Natural. All ingredients are 100% natural origin, with no chemical filters or petroleum-based ingredients. All Love Sun Body Formulas are reef safe, 80-minute water resistant, hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, cruelty-free & vegan, gluten-free, with no eye-stinging ingredients.
]]>Petroleum’s emollient and occlusive properties soothe, smooth, and create a waterproof barrier that seals the moisture into the skin, which means it occludes the skin and locks impurities into your skin. This usually leads to skin breakouts including pimples, whiteheads, or blackheads.
PAH
An incomplete refining process could contaminate the petrolatum with Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH). There is no way to confirm proper refinement unless a complete refining history is provided. According to safecosmetics.org, “The National Toxicology Program (NTP) considers PAHs as a class to contain reasonably anticipated carcinogens; the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) lists 14 PAHs as probable or possible carcinogens and one PAH as a known carcinogen. A study on Long Island, NY, found that those women with high levels of PAH-DNA adducts had a 50 percent greater risk of breast cancer. The formation of PAH-DNA adducts, an indicator of PAH exposure, is linked to cancer development.”
1,4-dioxane
Petroleum products can generate 1,4-dioxane. The compound 1,4-dioxane is a trace contaminant in some cosmetic products. It is not used as an ingredient in cosmetics but may be present in small amounts in some cosmetics. 1,4-dioxane forms as a byproduct during the manufacturing process of certain cosmetic ingredients. These ingredients include certain detergents, foaming agents, emulsifiers and solvents identifiable by the prefix, word, or syllables "PEG," "Polyethylene," "Polyethylene glycol," "Polyoxyethylene," "-eth-," or "-oxynol-."
The concentration and frequency of use can create long-term damage to your health.
Using heavily transformed or petroleum-based products disrupts your body and endocrine system.
1,4-Dioxane in Cosmetics: A Manufacturing Byproduct
Benzene
In 2021 and 2022, benzene, a known carcinogen and cancer-causing chemical was found in widely available sunscreen and after-sun products. Benzene amounts can add up to a significant chronic exposure over a lifetime.
Another Sunscreen Recall Due to Benzene — Here's What You Need to Know
How can I recognize petroleum and petroleum by-products?
The international labelling conventions require ingredients to be mentioned with their Latin forms on labels. This makes it very hard to understand what really is in the product and to research on it. Nowadays, consumers want to know what is in the products they consume and/or ingest.
To identify ingredients derived from petroleum, look for:
Many companies have created alternative beauty and personal care products without petroleum based ingredients.
Love Sun Body sunscreens are 100% natural origin, safe for marine life without chemical filters or petroleum-based ingredients
Love Sun Body’s mission is to create the highest-quality natural sunscreens, proven safe for your body & the planet and to ensure our customers know that our formulas are truly effective and 100% natural origin, and free of any banned or harmful chemicals. The COSMOS-standard signature is a consumer guarantee for organic and natural cosmetics that you can trust. Being certified Cosmos Natural means Love Sun Body formulas contain only 100% natural origin ingredients with no chemical filters or petroleum-based ingredients.
Love Sun Body face, body and tinted SPF 30 and SPF 50 sunscreens meet the FDA standards for broad spectrum protection, and the much tougher EU standards that require at least 1/3 protection for UVA rays. Rated best for safety and efficacy from EWG (Environmental Working Group) in their Skin Deep guide.
]]>The study conducted on sunscreen chemicals destroying coral reefs was published in The Journal Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. The Study found that the chemical oxybenzone has toxic effects on young coral that causes endocrine disruption, DNA damage and death of coral, among other problems.
Scientists have also discovered that some of the chemicals found in sunscreen and other personal health products threaten the health of coral reefs. How these, and other compounds, affect reef ecosystems remains an active area of research. Researchers are reviewing the environmental impacts of sunscreen ingredients as part of a National Academy of Sciences study expected to be completed in 2022. NOAA will review this study when it is available and update the information presented in this article as warranted.
Infographic Transcript: Sunscreen Chemicals and Marine Life
How sunscreen chemicals enter our environment: The sunscreen you apply may not stay on your skin. When we swim or shower, sunscreen may wash off and enter our waterways.
How sunscreen chemicals affect marine life:
Green Algae: Can impair growth and photosynthesis.
Coral: Accumulates in tissues. Can induce bleaching, damage DNA, deform young, and even kill.
Mussels: Can induce defects in young.
Sea Urchins: Can damage immune and reproductive systems and deform young.
Fish: Can decrease fertility and reproduction and cause female characteristics in male fish.
Dolphins: Can accumulate in tissue and be transferred to young.
Chemicals in sunscreens that harm marine life include: Oxybenzone, Benzophenone-1, Benzophenone-8, OD-PABA, 4-Methylbenzylidene camphor, 3-Benzylidene camphor, Octinoxate, Octocrylene.
Hawaii signed the first bill in the U.S. to ban the sale of sunscreen chemicals that are toxic to coral reefs and marine life. In addition to Hawaii, Thailand, Palau, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Mexico, Bonaire, Aruba & Key West, Florida have all banned some or all of these ingredients!
Nano-Titanium dioxide and nano-Zinc oxide are also harmful to marine life.
Coral can consume any particles smaller than 100 nanometers, so it's essential for mineral sunscreens to be formulated with only non-nano zinc oxide and non-nano titanium dioxide. If a sunscreen has tiny mineral nano particles, it will clog the corals' pores, leading to coral bleaching. Nanoparticle mineral sunscreens are just as harmful as chemical ones.
Even though the active ingredients are the primary focus, the inactive ingredients should not be disregarded.
Don't be fooled by the label "reef-safe"!! Sunscreens with the "reef-safe" label may still contain harmful chemicals.
Love Sun Body sunscreens are 100% natural origin, safe for marine life without synthetic chemical filters, pesticides or petroleum-based ingredients
Love Sun Body’s mission is to create the highest-quality natural sunscreens, proven safe for your body & the planet. Our formulas are truly effective and 100% natural origin, and free of any banned or harmful chemicals. The COSMOS-standard signature is a consumer guarantee for organic and natural cosmetics that you can trust. Being certified Cosmos Natural means Love Sun Body formulas contain only 100% natural origin ingredients with no synthetic chemical filters, pesticides or petroleum-based ingredients.
Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin Mineral Sunscreens are the first and only sunscreens in the U.S. certified by Ecocert Cosmos Natural and have been clinically tested hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic and are reef safe. Our formulas are made with the safest UVA and UVB filters - non-nano zinc oxide and non-nano titanium dioxide.
Love Sun Body face, body and tinted SPF 30 and SPF 50 sunscreens meet the FDA standards for broad spectrum protection and the more stringent EU standards which require that at least one third of the SPF number to be UVA protection.
Love Sun Body sunscreens are rated the best for safety and efficacy from EWG (Environmental Working Group) in their Skin Deep guide.
All formulas are biodegradable, packaging is recyclable, minimized and is environmentally friendly.
]]>https://www.valisure.com/valisure-newsroom/valisure-detects-benzene-in-sunscreen
Benzene is a highly flammable, widely used chemical that can cause cancer with repeated exposure at high enough levels. It also can damage the immune system and prevent cells from functioning properly, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The chemical's effects vary by whether a person accidentally inhales or ingests it or gets it on skin and clothing. Symptoms range from dizziness and irregular heartbeat to convulsions and, at very high levels, death.
https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/benzene/basics/facts.asp
Benzene is extracted from two primary sources: pyrolysis gasoline (pygas), which is a co-product of ethylene manufacture; or reformate, a refinery stream resulting from the catalytic reforming process used in gasoline production. Benzene can also be derived from toluene. Benzene is widely used across many industrial sectors, where it is combined and processed with other basic chemicals (such as ethylene or propylene) to produce countless consumer goods: clothing, packaging, paints, adhesives, plywood, computer casings, compact discs, dyes, agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and many more. The largest derivative outlet for benzene is ethylbenzene, an intermediate used in the production of styrene, which is further converted into materials such as polystyrene. Benzene is also widely used to produce cumene, which in turn leads to phenol, a component in phenolic resins and adhesives; cyclohexane, a precursor of caprolactam and adipic acid, both used in nylon; and aniline, a material needed to produce methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) which is used in urethanes and other specialty applications.
In May 2022, several popular sunscreen brands sold in Australia and the U.S. were recalled due to the detection of a cancer causing chemical. Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) on issued an urgent recall notice for nine batches of sunscreen across four brands following the detection of the chemical compound benzene.
Benzene is a chemical that can cause cancer in humans, depending on the level and length of exposure. Benzene is not an ingredient in sunscreens but can be a contaminant in raw materials used in the manufacturing process. It has been detected in one batch of a raw material used in the manufacture of a number of products and the TGA is working with affected companies to confirm if benzene is present in their medicines and if it is, how much is there.
https://www.tga.gov.au/alert/multiple-sunscreens-recall-low-levels-benzene-detected
Another large U.S. manufacturer issued a nationwide recall of its hair & scalp sunscreen spray last week.
Consistent exposure to high levels of benzene can increase a person's risk of developing leukemia, along with cancer of the blood-forming organs.
Why Is Benzene Showing Up in Some Sunscreens and Not Others?
This risk of a cross-contamination becomes much higher for any company using chemical compounds and petroleum-based ingredients in their sunscreen because of all the processing and manufacturing of those ingredients. Benzene is a natural part of crude oil, so crude based ingredients like silicone, dimethicone and other petroleum based ingredients may also be the source of contamination. Whether its processing, cleaning, manufacturing of raw ingredients or formulas.
How Love Sun Body Creates a Safer Sunscreen from Raw Ingredients to Formula Production
Love Sun Body is a 100% natural origin mineral sunscreen – we do not use any petroleum-based ingredients or chemical compounds in our formulas. Our products have been developed to a very rigorous global standard called Cosmos Natural certification and they are verified and validated by a governing body called ECOCERT.
Our NEW Sheer Power SPF 30 Daily Moisturizing Mineral Face Sunscreen, Sheer Perfection SPF 30 & SPF 50 Mineral Body Sunscreens and Glow Natural Daily Tinted Mineral Face Sunscreen & Moisturizer:
Love Sun Body’s mission is to create the highest-quality natural sunscreens, proven safe for your body & the planet and to ensure our customers know that our formulas are truly effective and 100% natural origin, and free of any banned or harmful chemicals. The COSMOS-standard signature is a consumer guarantee for organic and natural cosmetics that you can trust. Being certified Cosmos Natural means Love Sun Body formulas contain only 100% natural origin ingredients with no chemical filters or petroleum-based ingredients.
We formulate our face, body and tinted SPF 30 and SPF 50 sunscreens, that not only meet the FDA standards for broad spectrum protection, but the much tougher EU standards as well – they require that at least 1/3 of the SPF protection targets UVA rays. We have received a number one rating for safety and efficacy from EWG (Environmental Working Group) in their Skin Deep guide.
Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin Mineral Sunscreens are the first and only sunscreens in the U.S. certified by Ecocert Cosmos Natural and have been clinically tested hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic and are reef safe. Our formulas are made with the safest UVA and UVB filters - non-nano zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.
All formulas are biodegradable, our packaging is recyclable, minimized and is environmentally friendly.
]]>Two types of UV light are proven to contribute to the risk for skin cancer:
While UVA and UVB rays differ in how they affect the skin, they both do harm. Unprotected exposure to UVA and UVB damages the DNA in skin cells, producing genetic defects, or mutations, that can lead to skin cancer and premature aging. UV rays can also cause eye damage, including cataracts and eyelid cancers.
UV rays can cause skin cells to age and can cause some indirect damage to cell’s DNA. UVA rays are mainly linked to long-term skin damage such as wrinkles, but they are also thought to play a role in some skin cancers. UVA rays are responsible for the changes we see with skin ageing, including pigmentation, wrinkles and fine lines. While photoaging is an inevitable process, people who spend a lot of time outdoors, and/or those who do not use sunscreen tend to develop these symptoms earlier and with more intensity.
Photoaging is premature aging of the skin caused by repeated exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, primarily from the sun but also from artificial UV sources. Photoaging is mostly caused by UV-A radiation and unbalanced levels of elastin. The skin responds by sending metalloproteinases to repair the skin, but the result is an uneven finish, with depleted levels of collagen, which gives skin its elasticity. Melanin, not just the pigment that gives you a tan, but the skin's defense against sunburn can also build up in specific places, causing what are known as age or liver spots.
While the skin is at its most vulnerable when on periods of long sun exposure such as vacation in the sun or working outdoors, the risk of skin damage is a year-round concern. It is really important to use a sunscreen every day, even in winter months, because ultraviolet, which is an invisible radiation is present all year round, even in the winter months.
Because we know ultraviolet can cause problems with skin cancer and skin ageing, it is really important to incorporate sunscreen use into your daily regime so it becomes routine. Regular sunscreen brings cosmetic benefits and also decreases the risk of skin cancer.
Love Sun Body's sunscreen range has formulated for a variety of ages and skin types. Specifically formulated for sensitive skin and protects against both UVA and UVB rays, which is why it has the broad spectrum on the label. Many sunscreens do not. Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin mineral face, body and tinted sunscreens are the first & only sunscreens in the U.S. that have been certified by Ecocert Cosmos Natural. The COSMOS-standard signature is a consumer guarantee for organic and natural cosmetics.
Cosmos Natural certification means Love Sun Body formulas contain only 100% natural origin ingredients with no chemical filters or petroleum-based ingredients. Love Sun Body mineral sunscreens are formulated with non-nano zinc oxide & non-nano titanium dioxide to provide truly effective UVA & UVB protection that meet the requirements of the FDA, the EU recommendation for UVA protection & Canada’s NHP Regulations. Our new rapid rub-in formulas apply with no white cast, are quick drying, fast-absorbing and are clinically tested 80 minutes water resistant. Love Sun Body sunscreens have been awarded the highest rating from the EWG (Environmental Working Group) and are tested to ensure they are safe for sensitive skin, are hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, certified cruelty-free & vegan by PETA, gluten-free and do not contain any eye-singing ingredients. Our formulas are biodegradable, and our new flexible packaging includes over 50% post-consumer resin (PCR) that is recyclable.
]]>Dermal exposure is the most relevant entry route of chemicals related to sunscreen use, however considering a common human behavior related to sunscreen application, e.g. eating and drinking with sunscreen applied on hands and lips, gastrointestinal or pulmonary exposure should also be considered data. Environmental exposure should be also considered. The last is particularly true for organic filters, which, due to their high lipophilicity could bioaccumulate in aquatic organism and reach humans through the food chain. Thus, they also are emergent as an environmental pollutant. Chemical UV filters are easily absorbed by the skin and reach the systemic circulation, and accumulate in various tissues, as adipose tissue, liver and the brain.
The endocrine disruptive and developmental toxicity of many chemical UV filters in experimental models is well established, these filters seem to be associated with altered estrogen, androgen and progesterone activity, reproductive and developmental toxicity and impaired functioning of the thyroid, liver or kidneys.
Physical filters, specifically larger particle non-nano zinc oxide (ZnO) and non-nano titanium dioxide (TiO2), which scatter and reflect UV rays penetrate the human skin in a minimal degree.
Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin mineral face, body and tinted sunscreens are the first & only sunscreens in the U.S. that have been certified by Ecocert Cosmos Natural. The COSMOS-standard signature is a consumer guarantee for organic and natural cosmetics that you can trust. Cosmos Natural certification means Love Sun Body formulas contain only 100% natural origin ingredients with no chemical filters or petroleum-based ingredients. Love Sun Body mineral sunscreens are formulated with non-nano zinc oxide & non-nano titanium dioxide to provide truly effective UVA & UVB protection that meet the requirements of the FDA, the EU recommendation for UVA protection & Canada’s NHP Regulations.
Our NEW rapid rub-in formulas apply with no white cast, are quick drying, fast-absorbing and are clinically proven effective up to 80 minutes in the water. Love Sun Body sunscreens have been awarded the highest rating from the EWG (Environmental Working Group) and are tested to ensure they are safe for sensitive skin, are hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic. Certified cruelty-free & vegan by PETA and gluten-free. Love Sun Body sunscreens are safe for your body & the planet. All formulas are biodegradable and our new flexible packaging includes over 50% post-consumer resin (PCR) that is recyclable.
Effect of Sunscreen Application Under Maximal Use Conditions on Plasma Concentration of Sunscreen Active Ingredients, JAMA, May 6, 2019
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2733085
Shedding More Light on Sunscreen Absorption, US Food and Drug Administration, January, 21, 2020
https://www.fda.gov/news-events/fda-voices/shedding-more-light-sunscreen-absorption
Science Direct, Neurotoxic effect of active ingredients in sunscreen products, a contemporary review, Toxicology Reports, Volume 4, 2017, Pages 245-259
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214750017300288 ]]>Even though PHMB has antibacterial properties, it has also been shown to be harmful. There's evidence based on results of studies on humans and animals that is carcinogenic (causing cancer), mutagenic (causing gene mutation), and toxic. It's suspected primarily of affecting the reproductive system.
Based on the data available, the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) has also concluded that PHMB is not safe when used as a preservative in a concentration higher than 0.3-percent in cosmetic products. And in the EU, PHMB was banned in personal-care products after being labeled a Category 2 Carcinogenic Agent in 2015.
SCCS Opinion on Polyaminopropyl Biguanide (PHMB)
The safe use could be based on a lower use concentration and/or restrictions with regard to cosmetic products' categories.
Where is PHMB banned?
PHMB can still be found in products, even from major brands, and in many sunscreens and cosmetics in the United States.
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) classifies Polyaminopropyl Biguanide as “fatal if inhaled, causes damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure, is very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects, is harmful if swallowed, causes serious eye damage, is suspected of causing cancer and may cause an allergic skin reaction.”
]]>According to the FDA if active ingredients are found in the blood at a level of 0.5 nanograms per milliliter or higher, they should be analyzed to determine whether they increase the risk of cancer, birth defects or other adverse effects.
In its most recent study, the maximum concentration of the six chemicals examined most recently by the FDA ranged from 3.3 nanograms per milliliter to 258.1, depending on the chemical and whether it was applied to the skin in the form of a lotion or spray.
In an earlier study, the FDA found sunscreen chemicals could enter the body after just one day’s use and were at much higher levels than recommended. The agency analyzed four off-the-shelf sunscreen products and found that they “resulted in plasma concentrations that exceeded the threshold established by the FDA for potentially waiving some nonclinical toxicology studies for sunscreens.”
Previous studies have indicated a possible association between some of the chemicals and health risks such as endocrine disruption and reproductive harm, but no comprehensive safety data are available.
The FDA study which was published in January 2020 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, examined avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene, homosalate, octisalate and octinoxate—six of the most commonly used chemical UV filters in sunscreen.
A proposed FDA rule which was expected to be finalized in 2019, would have required the industry to complete additional testing of up to a dozen chemicals to make sure sunscreens using them are safe, to fill in the current data gaps for these ingredients.
But the rule reportedly got sidetracked when the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic struck. Oddly, the CARES Act, which dealt primarily with an economic response to the pandemic, made changes to how over-the-counter products like sunscreen are regulated. For now, at least, the status quo prevails. The Cares Act overhauled how over-the-counter drugs, including sunscreens, are regulated, and it retained the 1999 sunscreen rule, which says the active ingredients currently on the market are safe and effective.
The FDA says it is not recommending that consumers spending time in the sun avoid using sunscreen. Its now-abandoned sunscreen rule recognized the minerals zinc oxide and titanium oxide as safe and effective.
]]>But that also means that bleached coral reefs lacking algae may be more vulnerable to death. Heat-stressed corals and anemones can eject helpful algae that provide oxygen and remove waste products, which turns reefs white. Such bleaching is becoming more common as a result of climate change (Science News 4/7/20).
When you swim with sunscreen on, chemicals like oxybenzone can seep into the water, where they’re absorbed by corals.
Currently, somewhere between 4,000 and 6,000 tons of sunscreen enters coral reef areas around the world each year, according to the U.S. National Park Service. That's a lot of sunscreen considering how little it takes to cause toxic effects.
According to previous research, toxicity occurs at a concentration of 62 parts per trillion. That's the equivalent of a drop of water in an Olympic swimming pool, according to Omri Bronstein, a researcher at Tel Aviv University.
The findings hint that sunscreen pollution and climate change combined could be a greater threat to coral reefs and other marine habitats than either would be separately, says Craig Downs. He is a forensic ecotoxicologist with the nonprofit Haereticus Environmental Laboratory in Amherst, Va., and was not involved with the study.
Previous work suggested that oxybenzone can kill young corals or prevent adult corals from recovering after tissue damage. As a result, some places, including Hawaii and Thailand, have banned oxybenzone-containing sunscreens. These substances contain nanoparticles that can disrupt coral’s reproduction and growth cycles, ultimately leading to bleaching.
In the new study, environmental chemist Djordje Vuckovic of Stanford University and colleagues found that glass anemones (Exaiptasia pallida) exposed to oxybenzone and UV light add sugars to the chemical. While such sugary add-ons would typically help organisms detoxify chemicals and clear them from the body, the oxybenzone-sugar compound instead becomes a toxin that’s activated by light.
Anemones exposed to either simulated sunlight or oxybenzone alone survived the length of the experiment, or 21 days, the team showed. But all anemones exposed to fake sunlight while submersed in water containing the chemical died within 17 days.
The anemones’ algal friends absorbed much of the oxybenzone and the toxin that the animals were exposed to in the lab. Anemones lacking algae died days sooner than anemones with algae.
In similar experiments, algae living inside mushroom coral (Discosoma sp.) also soaked up the toxin, a sign that algal relationships are a safeguard against its harmful effects. The coral’s algae seem to be particularly protective: Over eight days, no mushroom corals died after being exposed to oxybenzone and simulated sunlight.
Non-nano zinc oxide and non-nano titanium dioxide are the only coral-safe sunscreen filters and they are safe and effective in blocking UV rays. Sunscreens formulated with non-nano particles will clearly state "non-nano zinc oxide and/or non-nano titanium dioxide on the products active ingredient list".
https://earth.stanford.edu/news/understanding-how-sunscreens-damage-coral#gs.zv7l4l
Love Sun Body’s mission is to create the highest-quality natural sunscreens, proven safe for your body & the planet and to ensure our customers know that our formulas are truly effective and 100% natural origin, and free of any banned or harmful chemicals. The COSMOS-standard signature is a consumer guarantee for organic and natural cosmetics that you can trust. Being certified Cosmos Natural means Love Sun Body formulas contain only 100% natural origin ingredients with no chemical filters or petroleum-based ingredients.
We formulate our face, body and tinted SPF 30 and SPF 50 sunscreens, that not only meet the FDA standards for broad spectrum protection, but the much tougher EU standards as well – they require that at least 1/3 of the SPF protection targets UVA rays. We have received a number one rating for safety and efficacy from EWG (Environmental Working Group) in their Skin Deep guide.
Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin Mineral Sunscreens are the first and only sunscreens in the U.S. certified by Ecocert Cosmos Natural and have been clinically tested hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic and are reef safe. Our formulas are made with the safest UVA and UVB filters - non-nano zinc oxide and non-nano titanium dioxide.
All formulas are biodegradable, packaging is recyclable, minimized and is environmentally friendly.
]]>What Is Benzene? Why Do You Need to Be Concerned About Benzene in Sunscreen?
Benzene is a highly flammable, widely used chemical that is present throughout the environment. It can cause cancer with repeated exposure at high enough levels. It also can damage the immune system and prevent cells from functioning properly, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The chemical's effects vary by whether a person accidentally inhales or ingests it or gets it on skin and clothing. Symptoms range from dizziness and irregular heartbeat to convulsions and, at very high levels, death.
Now, several popular sunscreen brands sold in Australia and the U.S. have been recalled due to the detection of a cancer causing chemical. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) on Friday issued an urgent recall notice for nine batches of sunscreen across four brands following the detection of the chemical compound benzene.
https://www.tga.gov.au/alert/multiple-sunscreens-recall-low-levels-benzene-detected
Benzene is a chemical that can cause cancer in humans, depending on the level and length of exposure. Benzene is not an ingredient in sunscreens but can be a contaminant in raw materials used in the manufacturing process. It has been detected in one batch of a raw material used in the manufacture of a number of products and the TGA is working with affected companies to confirm if benzene is present in their medicines and if it is, how much is there.
Benzene levels in sunscreens sold in Australia must be below 2 parts per million (ppm). Although exposure at the levels detected would not be expected to cause serious adverse health effects, and risks to users are considered low, the sunscreens are being recalled to ensure consumer safety.
Consistent exposure to high levels of benzene can increase a person's risk of developing leukemia, along with cancer of the blood-forming organs.
The TGA urges customers with any of the affected batch numbers to return it to the place of purchase or contact the sponsor for a refund.
Why Is Benzene Showing Up in Some Sunscreens and Not Others?
This risk of a cross-contamination becomes much higher for any company using chemical filters, chemical compounds or petroleum-based ingredients in their sunscreen because of all the processing and manufacturing of those ingredients. Benzene is a natural part of crude oil, so crude based ingredients like silicone, dimethicone and other petroleum based ingredients may also be the source of contamination. Whether its processing, cleaning, manufacturing of raw ingredients or formulas -- there’s basically room for error here.
How Love Sun Body Creates a Safer Sunscreen from Raw Ingredients to Formula Production
Love Sun Body is a 100% natural origin mineral sunscreen – we do not use any chemical filters or chemical compounds in our formulas. Our products have been developed to a very rigorous global standard called Cosmos Natural certification and they are verified and validated by a governing body called ECOCERT.
We started working on revising our sunscreen formulas in 2020 and we are just launched our NEW Sheer Power SPF 30 Moisturizing Mineral Face Sunscreen and NEW Sheer Perfection SPF 30 & SPF 50 Mineral Body Sunscreens:
Love Sun Body’s mission is to create the highest-quality natural sunscreens, proven safe for your body & the planet and to ensure our customers know that our formulas are truly effective and 100% natural origin, and free of any banned or harmful chemicals. The COSMOS-standard signature is a consumer guarantee for organic and natural cosmetics that you can trust. Being certified Cosmos Natural means Love Sun Body formulas contain only 100% natural origin ingredients with no chemical filters or petroleum-based ingredients.
We formulate SPF 30 and SPF 50 sunscreens, that not only meet the FDA standards for broad spectrum protection, but the much tougher EU standards as well – they require that at least 1/3 of the SPF protection targets UVA rays. We have received a number one rating for safety and efficacy from EWG (Environmental Working Group) in their Skin Deep guide.
Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin Mineral Sunscreens are the first and only sunscreens in the U.S. certified by Ecocert Cosmos Natural and have been clinically tested hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic and are reef safe. Our formulas are made with the safest UVA and UVB filters - non-nano zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.
All our formulas are biodegradable, our packaging is recyclable, minimized and is environmentally friendly.
]]>According to estimates made from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program, 99,780 Americans will be diagnosed with melanoma and nearly 7,650 people are expected to die of the disease in 2022.
In addition to the skin, melanoma may also occur in mucous membranes – thin, moist layers of tissue that cover surfaces such as the lips – or in the eye, which is called ocular or uveal melanoma.
With over 5 million cases diagnosed in the United States each year, skin cancer is America’s most common cancer. Fortunately, skin cancer is also one of the most preventable cancers. By sharing facts about the dangers of unprotected sun exposure and encouraging people to check their skin for warning signs, we can and will save lives.
Skin Cancer Awareness Month is a time for us to speak up about the dangers of skin cancer, share the facts and help save lives. There are so many ways to get involved, including the new #SkinCheckChallenge!
May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month
You Can Help #SharetheFacts on Social Media
YOU are the most important part of Skin Cancer Awareness Month! Download and share graphics from the Skin Cancer Awareness Month Toolkit. You can also share skin cancer facts, prevention guidelines and early detection content. Thank you for spreading the word! Get the toolkit.
Tell Your #ThisIsSkinCancer Story
Have you been affected by skin cancer? We’d like to hear your story. Share it on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and tag us! Use the hashtag #ThisIsSkinCancer. Or, you can submit your story here. Let’s create a powerful community of skin cancer warriors.
Create a Fundraiser or Donate
Share your passion for the fight against skin cancer by creating a crowdfunding page or make a donation in support of this lifesaving work. Skin cancer is a relentless disease that strikes one in five people by age 70. Your gift funds free skin cancer screenings, vital education programs focusing on early detection and prevention, and research grants that help save lives.
Love Sun Body is a sponsor and supports the following melanoma organization’s:
Melanoma Action Coalition |
|
Peggy Spiegler Melanoma Research Foundation |
|
Skin of Steel |
|
A Cure in Sight |
|
Jack's Fund |
|
Kelly's Dream |
|
Miggy's Gift |
|
Jason Farley All In For A Cure Foundation Inc. |
|
The White Aisle Foundation |
Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin mineral face, body and tinted sunscreens are the first & only sunscreens in the U.S. that have been certified by Ecocert Cosmos Natural.
The COSMOS-standard signature is a consumer guarantee for organic and natural cosmetics that you can trust. Being certified Cosmos Natural means Love Sun Body formulas contain only 100% natural origin ingredients with no chemical filters or petroleum-based ingredients.
Love Sun Body mineral sunscreens are formulated with non-nano zinc oxide & non-nano titanium dioxide to provide truly effective UVA & UVB protection that meet the requirements of the FDA, the EU recommendation for UVA protection & Canada’s NHP Regulations.
Our NEW rapid rub-in formulas apply with no white cast, are quick drying, fast-absorbing and are clinically proven effective up to 80 minutes in the water. Love Sun Body sunscreens have been awarded the highest rating from the EWG (Environmental Working Group) and are tested to ensure they are safe for sensitive skin, are hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic.
Certified cruelty-free & vegan by PETA, gluten-free and manufactured without the use of any chemical filters or petroleum-based ingredients. Love Sun Body sunscreens are safe for your body & the planet. All formulas are biodegradable and our NEW flexible packaging includes over 50% post-consumer resin (PCR) that is recyclable.
Connect With Us
Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and join the skin cancer conversation. When you follow us, you can be sure that you’re getting accurate information from leading medical experts.
Sign Up for Our Monthly Newsletter
Our monthly newsletters provides news and information you can use right away about preventing and detecting the world’s most common cancer and why to use mineral sunscreen on a daily basis. Sign up to stay informed.
]]>It is important for sunscreens to contain adequate concentration of the active ingredients non-nano zinc oxide and non-nano titanium dioxide. An issue that was illuminated as the EWG researched its 2017 guide, is growing SPF values with mineral sunscreens and very low concentrations of active ingredients in many of them. The majority of mineral sunscreens do not provide effective UVA and UVB protection due to low concentrations of active ingredients.
Recommendations for high concentrations of zinc oxide in a product are growing, ranging from over 15 percent to 20 percent.
Less Than 15% Zinc Oxide |
15-20% Zinc Oxide |
More Than 20% Zinc Oxide |
SPF 24 or less |
SPF 24 to 32 |
At least SPF 32 |
It is best to avoid any sunscreens that are less than 20 percent zinc oxide. At low concentrations, the UVA protection is insufficient. A 15 percent zinc oxide formula is only about SPF 24, ideally, we want a minimum of SPF 30. For every one percent of zinc oxide, you get 1.6 SPF units. Every one percent of titanium dioxide gives you 2.6 SPF units. You want a zinc-dominant sunscreen to protect from UVA.
In the nations regulated by the European Commission, manufacturers voluntarily comply with a recommendation that broad spectrum protection by the ratio of UVA to UVB protection, requiring one third of the SPF number to be UVA protection. This provides a significantly greater amount of UVA protection than many American sunscreens, ensuring adequate UVA protection.
Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin Mineral Sunscreens are made with the safest UVA and UVB filters - our SPF 30 sunscreens are formulated with over 20% non-nano zinc oxide and our SPF 50 sunscreens are formulated with over 20% non-nano zinc oxide and 7% non-nano titanium dioxide, meetings and exceeding the FDA OTC Monograph System, the European Commission’s recommendation on UVA protection and Health Canada Natural Health Products Regulations.
Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin Mineral Sunscreens are the first and only sunscreens in the U.S. certified by Ecocert Cosmos Natural and have been clinically tested hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic with no eye stinging ingredients.
Love Sun Body was also recently given the best score for safety and efficacy by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Love Sun Body sunscreen formulas are certified PETA cruelty free, vegan and reef safe.
]]>What Is Benzene? Why Do You Need to Be Concerned About Benzene in Sunscreen?
Benzene is a highly flammable, widely used chemical that is present throughout the environment. It can cause cancer with repeated exposure at high enough levels. It also can damage the immune system and prevent cells from functioning properly, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The chemical's effects vary by whether a person accidentally inhales or ingests it or gets it on skin and clothing. Symptoms range from dizziness and irregular heartbeat to convulsions and, at very high levels, death.
Why Is Benzene Showing Up in Some Sunscreens and Not Others?
This risk of a cross-contamination becomes much higher for any company using synthetic ingredients, chemical compounds and petroleum-based ingredients in their sunscreen because of all the processing and manufacturing of those ingredients. Benzene is a natural part of crude oil, so crude based ingredients like silicone, dimethicone and other petroleum based ingredients may also be the source of contamination. Whether its processing, cleaning, manufacturing of raw ingredients or formulas -- there’s basically room for error here.
How Love Sun Body Creates a Safer Sunscreen from Raw Ingredients to Formula Production
Love Sun Body is a 100% natural origin mineral sunscreen – we do not use any synthetic chemical ingredients or chemical compounds in our formulas. Our products have been developed to a very rigorous global standard called Cosmos Natural certification and they are verified and validated by a governing body called ECOCERT.
Love Sun Body’s mission is to create the highest-quality natural sunscreens, proven safe for your body & the planet and to ensure our customers know that our formulas are truly effective and 100% natural origin, and free of any banned or harmful chemicals. The COSMOS-standard signature is a consumer guarantee for organic and natural cosmetics that you can trust. Being certified Cosmos Natural means Love Sun Body formulas contain only 100% natural origin ingredients with no chemical filters or synthetic ingredients.
We formulate SPF 30 and SPF 50 sunscreens, that not only meet the FDA standards for broad spectrum protection, but the much tougher EU standards as well – they require that at least 1/3 of the SPF protection targets UVA rays. We have received a number one rating for safety and efficacy from EWG (Environmental Working Group) in their Skin Deep guide.
Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin Mineral Sunscreens are the first and only sunscreens in the U.S. certified by Ecocert Cosmos Natural and have been clinically tested hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic and are reef safe. Our formulas are made with the safest UVA and UVB filters - non-nano zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.
All our formulas are biodegradable, our packaging is recyclable, minimized and is environmentally friendly.
]]>“100% Mineral” may sound safe. It is a marketing term placed on sunscreens to inform the consumer that the sunscreen contains only mineral filters, zinc oxide, titanium dioxide or both, without chemical UV filters.
But sunscreen contains two types of ingredients. Active ingredients, as listed above may be chemical or mineral. The UV filter or filters may be mineral, but this does not imply:
Low Concentrations of Mineral Ingredients do not Provide Effective UVA and UVB Protection
It is important for sunscreens to contain adequate concentrations of the active ingredients zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide. An issue that was illuminated as the EWG researched its 2017 guide, is growing SPF values with mineral sunscreens and very low concentrations of active ingredients in many of them.
Most mineral sunscreens do not provide effective UVA and UVB protection due to low concentrations of active ingredients.
Recommendations for high concentrations of zinc oxide in a product are growing, ranging from over 15 percent to 20 percent.
Less Than 15% Zinc Oxide |
15-20% Zinc Oxide |
More Than 20% Zinc Oxide |
SPF 24 or less |
SPF 24 to 32 |
At least SPF 32 |
It is best to avoid any mineral sunscreens that are less than 20 percent zinc oxide. At low concentrations, the UVA protection is insufficient. A 15 percent zinc oxide formula is only about SPF 24, ideally, we want a minimum of SPF 30. For every one percent of zinc oxide, you get 1.6 SPF units. Every one percent of titanium dioxide gives you 2.6 SPF units. You want a zinc-dominant sunscreen to protect from UVA.
In the nations regulated by the European Commission, manufacturers voluntarily comply with a recommendation that broad spectrum protection by the ratio of UVA to UVB protection, requiring one third of the SPF number to be UVA protection. This provides a significantly greater amount of UVA protection than many American sunscreens, ensuring adequate UVA protection.
Not Reef Safe
Two chemical UV filters in sunscreen, oxybenzone and octinoxate are destroying the oceans around the world, according to scientists whose research has shown that the chemicals break down coral by leaching it of nutrients and disrupt the development of fish and marine life, like sea urchins and algae. Coral reject symbiotic organisms and lose their color. Currently, somewhere between 4,000 and 6,000 tons of sunscreen enters coral reef areas around the world each year, according to the U.S. National Park Service. That is a lot of sunscreen considering how little it takes to cause toxic effects.
But given the evidence, there has been a push in recent years for “reef-friendly” alternatives. While these options, typically in the form of mineral sunscreens, have been considered safer, more environmentally friendly in the media, some new research has suggested that is not the case.
Since 2009, according to marine ecology researcher Cinzia Corinaldesi who has studied the impact of sunscreens on coral reefs since 2003, has been putting these “reef-friendly” ingredients to the test. She has proved, along with other researchers, that some mineral sunscreens and those marketed as “eco-friendly” are no safer for coral reefs than chemical ones.
Confirming previous research, Corinaldesi and her team found in a newly published study, Impact of inorganic UV filters contained in sunscreen products on tropical stony corals which demonstrates that zinc oxide causes severe coral bleaching, damaging hard corals and their symbiotic algae. “Our studies indicate that zinc oxide nanoparticles are very harmful for marine organisms, whereas titanium dioxide with surface coatings and metal doping, have a much lower impact,” she says. “Unfortunately, despite several cosmetic products and sunscreens available in the market are defined ‘reef-safe’ or ‘eco-friendly’ or ‘biodegradable,’ they are not so, and indeed lack specific tests on marine organisms.”
What is Reef Safe?
Non-nano zinc oxide and non-nano titanium dioxide are the only coral-safe sunscreen filters and they are safe and effective in blocking UV rays. Sunscreens formulated with non-nano particles will clearly state "non-nano zinc oxide and/or non-nano titanium dioxide on the products active ingredient list".
Skin Specialists Suggest that patients who suffer from certain skin conditions, prone to acne or oily skin and pregnant women avoid using products containing silicone and dimethicone.
Also known as polymethylsiloxane, dimethicone is a silicone-based polymer that is being largely used in the manufacturing of cosmetic products of all types for about 60 years now. Dimethicone belongs to a group of polymeric organosilicon compounds that are usually addressed to as silicones. According to a white paper released by Dow Corning, about half of personal care products released in 2015 contained at least one silicone derivative.
Allergenic Ingredients
Cosmetic products, such as soaps, lotions, face and eye makeup, fragrances, etc. and sunscreens can provoke allergic reactions in some people. Many people suffer from allergies and anyone at any age can develop allergies. Allergic reactions are the immune system’s overreaction to substances that may otherwise be harmless. An allergen can trigger the immune system to release chemical substances such as antibodies that result in allergy symptoms. Many people are familiar with seasonal allergies brought on by pollen from blooming plants, or with food allergies. Allergic reactions most often appear as itchy, red rashes on the skin – or contact dermatitis.
Common Allergens Found in Cosmetic and Sunscreen Products
The FDA has compiled the list below of common allergens found in some cosmetic products. These are allergens that cause most allergic reactions from the use of cosmetic products.
Common allergens fall into the five classes: natural rubber, fragrances, preservatives, dyes, and metals.
Certified 100% Natural Origin
At Love Sun Body, we are united by our sustainability strategy that is built around pillars that put health and a green initiative at the heart of our work, "Safe for your body & the planet".
Each plant and mineral ingredient that we source is certified Cosmos natural. COSMOS was created in 2010 by the five leading organizations, BDIH, Cosmebio, Ecocert Greenlife, ICEA and Soil Association (both associations and certifiers) to protect and promote organic and natural cosmetics, and to launch a global harmonized standard for the benefit of both manufacturers and consumers.
The Cosmos standard is the global certification for natural and organic cosmetics. The standard divides the type of ingredients used in cosmetic products into five categories and specifies the requirements for each. We source ingredients from manufacturers that start with natural raw ingredients sourced from sustainable practices and use methods that are environmentally sound and good for communities.
All our products are biodegradable, all our packaging is recyclable, minimized and is environmentally friendly. Our manufacturing incorporates natural cleaning ingredients.
Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin Mineral Sunscreens are the first and only sunscreens in the U.S. certified by Ecocert Cosmos Natural and have been clinically tested hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic and are reef safe.
Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin Mineral Sunscreens meet the regulatory requirements of the FDA OTC Monograph System and the European Commission’s recommendation on UVA protection. Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin Mineral Sunscreens are made with the safest UVA and UVB filters - SPF 30 formulas non-nano zinc oxide and SPF 50 formulas non-nano zinc oxide and non-nano titanium dioxide and plant-based moisturizers.
]]>Link to FDA announcement: https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/should-you-put-sunscreen-infants-not-usually
The AAP recommended keeping newborns and babies younger than 6 months out of direct sunlight and in the shade. Clothing that covers and protects sensitive skin and a hat that provides shade to the face, neck, and ears are good choices as well, according to the federal alert.
“You really want to be protective of the sun for your kids in those ages, because often they aren’t able to tell you when they are getting too much sun,” said Dr. Susan Massick, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. "It’s very easy for children to get sunburn just in the matter of a half-hour to fifteen minutes out in the sun.”
Dr. Massick says to also be aware that some sunscreens can often cause rashes and sensitivities. If you choose to use sunscreen, there are some ingredients that offer the best protection.
“There are mineral sunscreens that are much safer, like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are the go-to standards when it comes to sunscreens," she said. "They are very safe, they don’t cause rashes and you can use them at virtually any age.”
Love Sun Body sunscreens are certified by Ecocert 100% Natural Origin
Love Sun body sunscreens are the first and only sunscreens in the United States that are certified by Ecocert Cosmos Natural, the international standard for organic and natural cosmetics and skincare products. The certification includes verifying all our raw ingredients are certified no chemical filters, no petroleum-based ingredients, no parabens, phthalates, no GMO's and no animal-based ingredients. All our formulas are carefully reviewed to meet the Cosmos Standard and are certified 100% natural origin.
Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin Mineral Sunscreens are recommended for adults, children, and babies 6 months or older, anyone with sensitive skin and for consumers that want safe and effective natural products. All our mineral sunscreen formulas are broad spectrum, hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic with 80 minutes water resistance.
Love Sun Body formulas offer truly effective sunscreens, meeting and exceeding the European Commission for UVA protection and the American FDA OTC regulatory requirements. All Love Sun Body have given the best score of 1 out of 10 for safety and efficacy by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Love Sun Body sunscreen formulas are certified PETA Cruelty Free, Vegan and are reef safe with no eye stinging ingredients.
]]>At a plenary (all members of all parties are to attend) meeting on June 24-25, 2021, the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety published a new report on the endocrine disrupting properties of homosalate. On the basis of safety assessment of homosalate, and considering the concerns related to potential endocrine disrupting properties, the SCCS has concluded that homosalate is not safe when used as a UV-filter in cosmetic products at concentrations of up to 10%.
Alternatively, what is according to the SCCS, the maximum concentration considered safe for use of homosalate as a UV-filter in cosmetic products? In the SCCS’s opinion, the use of homosalate as a UV filter in cosmetic products is safe for the consumer up to a maximum concentration of 0.5% homosalate in the final product.
The use of Homosalate at the lower concentrations may have a bearing on efficacy as UV filter, however this is outside the SCCS remit to assess the efficacy of cosmetic ingredients.
In the U.S., the FDA has issued a proposed rule, which asks manufacturers to provide more data about the safety of several sunscreen ingredients. These sunscreen ingredients have been used in the United States for years.
The FDA is proposing that two ingredients are “generally recognized as safe and effective” (GRASE). These ingredients are:
The FDA proposes that two other ingredients are not GRASE - you won’t find either of these ingredients in sunscreen legally sold in the United States:
The FDA is calling for more safety data on the following 12 ingredients before determining whether these ingredients can be classified as GRASE:
A long list of harmful ingredients banned in the EU are legally allowed in the U.S. due to historically relaxed regulations. Many Americans are unaware that they are absorbing untested and unsafe chemicals in their products. The disparity in standards between the EU and US has grown to the extent it touches almost every element of most Americans’ lives. In cosmetics alone, the EU has banned or restricted more than 1,300 chemicals while the US has outlawed or curbed just 11.
]]>The Therapeutic Goods Administration is investigating if brands sold across Australia could contain the carcinogens benzene and benzophenone. The regulator said it was testing samples containing benzene or octocrylene 'for the presence of benzophenone and compliance with existing standards'.
The alarm was raised in June when US company Valisure tested generic medicines for purity and found nearly 80 sunscreens contained the carcinogen benzene.
Another American laboratory found most sunscreens that contained the approved chemical octocrylene had another carcinogenic substance – benzophenone.
The TGA said it conducted routine laboratory testing and reviewed the safety of Australian sunscreen products but did not regularly check for carcinogens.
Haereticus Environmental Laboratory, an American testing laboratory, wrote to the US Food and Drugs Administration requesting it pull all sunscreens containing octocrylene from shelves.
American researchers also found octocrylene degraded into benzophenone which 'may act as a reproductive toxicant' by interfering with hormones.
Food or food packaging containing benzophenone are banned in the US.
However, in the US octocrylene is approved for use in sunscreens, lip balms, moisturizers, and anti-ageing products. Popular brands found to contain the carcinogenic substances.
Aware of the findings in the US, the TGA noted some sunscreen products sold in Australia contain the active ingredient octocrylene but only at a maximum concentration of 10 per cent.
Based on available data the TGA said it does not consider octocrylene, at the permitted concentration, to present an 'unacceptable safety risk'.
The medical regulator has also noted trace amounts of the cancer-causing chemical benzophenone in products which contain in octocrylene.
The TGA is actively monitoring the available data about the carcinogenic potential of benzophenone,' it said.
There is currently insufficient information to conclude that sunscreens that are compliant with existing requirements for product stability and impurities, such as benzophenone, are unsafe.
According to Australia’s Department of Health and Ageing, Australia and New Zealand have the highest skin cancer incidence and mortality rates in the world!
About Love Sun Body – safe for your body & the planet
Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin Mineral Sunscreens are made with the safest UVA and UVB filters - our SPF 30 sunscreens are formulated with over 20% non-nano zinc oxide and our SPF 50 sunscreens are formulated with over 20% non-nano zinc oxide and over 7% non-nano titanium dioxide, meeting the FDA OTC Monograph System, the European Commission’s recommendation on UVA protection and Health Canada Natural Health Products Regulations.
Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin Mineral Sunscreens are the first and only sunscreens in the U.S. certified by Ecocert Cosmos Natural and have been clinically tested hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic with no eye stinging ingredients.
All Love Sun Body sunscreens have been given the best score for safety and efficacy by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and are certified PETA cruelty free, vegan, reef safe and biodegradable.
]]>“Initially, there is very little benzophenone in the products. But gradually as the product ages, there is more and more benzophenone,” told Prof. Philippe Lebaron, co-author of the study, to AFP. Indeed, after subjecting the products to the accelerated stability method, the concentration in benzophenone strongly increased in the products. "This is the first time the degradation of octocrylene into benzophenone has been demonstrated," added Pr. Lebaron.
Working with researchers at the Paris-based Sorbonne University, Downs and Joe DiNardo, a toxicologist who formerly worked in the cosmetics industry, tested 16 octocrylene-based sunscreens purchased in France and the U.S. All of them tested positive for benzophenone.
Downs and DiNardo’s findings were published in the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology in March. Later, Belgian researchers published similar results after testing products containing octocrylene.
Based on animal studies, the World Health Organization’s cancer research arm classifies benzophenone as a possible carcinogen. Research shows that benzophenone in sunscreens can interfere with estrogen, according to the WHO. The hormone plays a key role in the health of women and disrupting it can lead to early puberty and altered functioning of reproductive organs.
Downs’ study suggests that benzophenone was formed by degradation of octocrylene. Only sunscreens containing the UV blocker tested positive for the contaminant, and the levels increased over time. Downs has been studying the health and environmental impact of sunscreens for years. His research led Hawaii and other beach tourist destinations such as the U.S. Virgin Islands to ban the sale of sunscreens containing oxybenzone, which is chemically related to benzophenone and octocrylene, because of research suggesting damage to coral reefs.
Benzophenone is associated with a wide range of toxicities, including genotoxicity, carcinogenicity, and endocrine disruption. The substance is classified as "possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B)" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the WHO.
Researchers have now asked U.S. regulators to pull some sunscreens from the market, saying they’ve found evidence of this potential carcinogen.
Scientists petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to remove from sale all sunscreens containing the active ingredient octocrylene. Products made with the chemical may contain benzophenone, a suspected carcinogen that also can interfere with key hormones and reproductive organs, according to a group led by Craig Downs, executive director of the nonprofit Haereticus Environmental Laboratory that studies risks to health and the environment.
Concerns about sunscreens began heating up in 2019 when the FDA asked manufacturers for safety data on chemical ingredients, including octocrylene. In May, an independent testing lab found levels of another probable carcinogen, benzene, in several products, leading to some recalls.
FDA research shows that the body absorbs enough of sunscreens’ chemical ingredients to warrant further testing. Yet there’s no indication companies have provided the safety data the FDA requested two years ago, said David Andrews, a senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy organization.
The FDA “takes seriously any safety concerns raised about products we regulate, including sunscreen,” said Courtney Rhodes, a spokeswoman. The agency “will continue to monitor the sunscreen marketplace to help ensure the availability of safe sunscreens for U.S. consumers,” while it evaluates the contamination concerns, she said.
The Maui City Council’s environment committee is considering even tougher laws for sunscreens. Sales and use of sun products should be restricted to those made with the minerals zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, both deemed safe by the FDA, Peter Landon, a natural reserve system specialist at the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources told the committee Wednesday. Narrowing the field to those two mineral sunscreens would prevent the industry from making small changes to the banned chemicals to get around the legislation, Landon said.
Widely used sunscreens were targeted in May by a separate FDA petition after an analysis by Valisure, an independent laboratory that monitors product safety, found benzene in a range of products. J&J recalled all lots of five brands of Neutrogena and Aveeno aerosol sunscreens after the findings were released.
It’s not clear how benzene entered the products. Some part of the manufacturing process may have led to the contaminant’s appearance in sunscreens, Valisure said at the time.
Pressure on the industry may continue into next year, when the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which assembles experts to study key, contentious issues, is expected to deliver a report on sunscreens. On Thursday, a National Academies panel heard a presentation on research linking benzophenones in sunscreens to endometriosis, a painful condition in which tissue that normally grows inside a woman’s uterus forms outside the organ.
About Love Sun Body – safe for your body & the planet
Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin Mineral Sunscreens are made with the safest UVA and UVB filters - our SPF 30 sunscreens are formulated with over 20% non-nano zinc oxide and our SPF 50 sunscreens are formulated with over 20% non-nano zinc oxide and over 7% non-nano titanium dioxide, meeting and exceeding the FDA OTC Monograph System, the European Commission’s recommendation on UVA protection and Health Canada Natural Health Products Regulations.
Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin Mineral Sunscreens are the first and only sunscreens in the U.S. certified by Ecocert Cosmos Natural and have been clinically tested hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic with no eye stinging ingredients. All Love Sun Body sunscreens have been given the best score for safety and efficacy by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and are certified PETA cruelty free, vegan, reef safe and biodegradable.
]]>The kingdom's tropical beaches have long been popular destinations for millions of tourists, but concerns are growing that the lotions they use as protection from the tropical sun are harming delicate, slow-growing corals.
An order came into force banning lotions containing hazardous chemicals like Oxybenzone, Benzophenone-1, Benzophenone-8, OD-PABA, 4-Methyl benzylidene camphor, 3-Benzylidene camphor, nano-titanium dioxide, nano-zinc oxide, Octinoxate, Octocrylene, that negatively affect marine life.
Most mineral sunscreens contain nano-zinc oxide and/or nano-titanium dioxide, which are micronized particles of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Companies formulate with these ingredients because it’s a faster route to formulate a mineral sunscreen with these nano particle size ingredients. Using micronized particles allows for less whitening on the skin using smaller size mineral particles. As well, these nano (micronized particles) do not perform as well as non-nano particles. The non-nano ingredients are more opaque and therefore absorb and reflect more UV light, making them more effective than nano particles. It takes more time for a company to formulate a mineral sunscreen to have the same esthetics without micronized particles. In reality, the companies using nano-material are harming the environment with these ingredients. These micronized mineral ingredients are also hazardous to coral reefs. The only UV filters that are safe and effective for humans, safe for our eco-system and marine life, including coral reefs are non-nano zinc-oxide and non-nano titanium dioxide.
The announcement said the science showed the chemicals "deteriorate coral reefs, destroy coral larvae, obstruct their reproductive system and cause coral reef bleaching".
Serious impacts like stagnant growth, tissue accumulation, DNA damage are noticed in the reefs due to sunscreen. It also causes deformities and growth anomalies and disrupts a coral’s hormonal processes for growth and reproduction.
Thailand follows the Pacific Island of Palau and the US state of Hawaii which have already imposed similar bans. Violators face a fine of up to 100,000 Thai baht ($3,000).
Love Sun Body – safe for your body & the planet
Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin Mineral Sunscreens are made with the safest UVA and UVB filters - our SPF 30 sunscreens are formulated with over 20% non-nano zinc oxide and our SPF 50 sunscreens are formulated with over 20% non-nano zinc oxide and over 7% non-nano titanium dioxide, meeting the FDA OTC Monograph System, the European Commission’s recommendation on UVA protection and Health Canada Natural Health Products Regulations.
Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin Mineral Sunscreens are the first and only sunscreens in the U.S. certified by Ecocert Cosmos Natural and have been clinically tested hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic with no eye stinging ingredients.
All Love Sun Body sunscreens have been given the best score for safety and efficacy by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and are certified PETA cruelty free, vegan, reef safe and biodegradable.
]]>A study from The University of Liverpool revealed the application of SPF moisturizers is inferior to sunscreens in coverage of facial and eyelid regions. The University of Liverpool research published April 3, 2019 shows moisturizers with sun protection factor (SPF) provide less sun protection than the equivalent strength sunscreen in real-world scenarios. Most should not be considered the equal of sunscreen because they contain a minimal amount of UV protection, and people are more likely to miss areas of their face when using them. As well, many of tinted sunscreens on the market contain hazardous chemical filters and petroleum-based ingredients.
Many tinted moisturizers are also formulated with hazardous inactive ingredients that may be absorbed into the plasma and may contain allergens and cause acne.
While many of these lotions are marketed as double duty, quite often they do not perform well to protect our skin from UV light, and many lack true hydration along with ineffective coverage.
Love Sun Body Glow Natural 100% Natural Origin Tinted Mineral Sunscreen & Moisturizer is the easiest way to moisturize, protect & enhance your complexion every day in ONE single step. It’s a tinted mineral sunscreen & moisturizer with SPF 30 broad spectrum protection CERTIFIED 100% natural origin.
What does Glow Natural do?
What you will love about Glow Natural
At Love Sun Body, we have a tag line that is “safe for your body & the planet” – because you know you can trust our products because they are certified 100% natural origin and are formulated with the highest quality natural ingredients in this tinted mineral sunscreen & moisturizer.
Love Sun Body Glow Natural 100% Natural Origin Tinted Mineral Sunscreen and Moisturizers are made with the safest UVA and UVB filters - our SPF 30 sunscreens are formulated with over 20% non-nano zinc oxide and the highest quality plant-based ingredients, meeting and exceeding the FDA OTC Monograph System, the European Commission’s recommendation on UVA protection and Health Canada Natural Health Products Regulations.
Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin Mineral Sunscreens are the first and only sunscreens in the U.S. certified by Ecocert Cosmos Natural and have been clinically tested hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic with no eye stinging ingredients.
Love Sun Body Glow Natural 100% Natural Origin Tinted Mineral Sunscreen and Moisturizers were also recently given the best score for safety and efficacy by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Love Sun Body sunscreen formulas are certified PETA cruelty free, vegan, gluten free and reef safe. All of our formulas are in eco-friendly recyclable packaging.
]]>Connecticut-based Valisure is an independent testing lab company that bills itself as going above and beyond in certifying the safety of the drugs it tests. Out of nearly 300 brands sold by 69 companies, the lab found benzene in 78 products, sometimes in much higher concentrations than conditionally allowed by the FDA.
According to the U. S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and various other regulatory agencies, benzene is known to cause cancer in humans. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) also defines benzene as a carcinogen and exposure can include “inhalation, skin absorption, ingestion, and skin and/or eye contact.”
Click the following link to read the Valisure letter to the FDA with the list of 78 lots of sunscreens that it has requested the FDA recall:
Valisure Citizen Petition on Benzene in Sunscreen and After-sun Care Products
“The presence of this known human carcinogen in sunscreen products widely recommended for the prevention of skin cancer and regularly used by adults and children in large volumes makes this finding especially troubling,” the company wrote in its citizen petition to the FDA, dated May 24 (the petition also contains the list of potentially contaminated products).
Currently, though, the FDA doesn’t recognize sunscreens as a potential source of benzene. Even if it did, Valisure claims to have detected benzene in some batches at levels higher than 2 ppm. And since most of the sunscreens the company tested didn’t contain benzene, the company argues that no amount of benzene should be tolerated by the health agency.
Leukemia (cancer of blood-forming organs), anemia (a decrease in red blood cells), excessive bleeding and decreased ovary size have all been linked to long-term benzene exposure, according to information from the CDC and Department of Health and Human Services.
Valisure's findings are concerning because there is no safe amount of benzene in any product, according to the FDA, which refers to it as a Class 1 Solvent. Benzene is a known contaminant in the petroleum industry, and there are a lot of petroleum products that make their way into cosmetics, lotions and creams.
“There is not a safe level of benzene that can exist in sunscreen products,” said Christopher Bunick, an associate professor of dermatology at Yale University, in a statement released by Valisure. “Even benzene at 0.1 ppm in a sunscreen could expose people to excessively high nanogram amounts of benzene.”
The discovery is all the more concerning due to recent evidence collected by the FDA itself that sunscreen chemicals can be readily absorbed through the skin, possibly in levels higher than expected. So far, scientists haven’t determined whether this could be putting anyone at risk, but it’s yet another reason why the FDA should take immediate action, according to the company. In its petition, Valisure calls for the FDA to recall the products it detected benzene in, and to conduct their own investigation. The lab also asks the FDA to reevaluate how it regulates these products, a timely priority since the agency is now hammering out the latest version of their guidelines for sunscreen regulation.
Love Sun Body sunscreens are a safe and effective alternative to chemical sunscreens, with no petroleum based ingredients. All Love Sun Body sunscreens are Certified by Ecocert Cosmos Natural.
Love Sun Body 100% Natural Origin Mineral Sunscreens are the first and only sunscreens in the U.S. certified by Ecocert Cosmos Natural and have been clinically tested hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic with no eye stinging ingredients.
Love Sun Body was also recently given the best score for safety and efficacy by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Love Sun Body sunscreen formulas are certified PETA cruelty free, vegan and reef safe.
]]>What exactly does PCR (post-consumer recycled) mean?
Among all the potential packaging options out there, PET plastic is by far the most popular for a variety of reasons. It leads the pack with overwhelming durability and affordability, but the environmental impacts of plastic disposal are a major drawback for the industry and concern among the growing Millennial consumer base.
That is where post-consumer resin (PCR) comes in. Improvements in the recycling/reprocessing of material result in higher quality post-consumer material which allows higher levels of PCR, up to 100%, to be used effectively.
Post-consumer resin, or PCR, is the technical term for recycled plastic. PCR presents a new opportunity for companies looking for a more sustainable packaging option to offer our their environmentally-customers.
Essentially, spent plastic waste collected at local recycling centers is sorted, sterilized and repurposed into new packaging.
To further divert waste, we also use pre-consumer recycled materials, which are materials that are recycled or utilized after the manufacturing process, but never make it to consumers. For instance, paper scraps or plastic shavings collected during the manufacturing process.
Sustainable practices and recycling can help reduce Love Sun Body’s carbon footprint. The carbon footprint of manufacturing PET plastic is lower than virgin PET, including all the energy to collect, recycle, and remanufacture the plastic.
]]>When skin cancer develops in people of color, it’s often in a late stage when diagnosed. This can be deadly when the person has melanoma, a type of skin cancer that can spread quickly. Treatment for any type of skin cancer can be difficult in the late stages.
Simply put, if you have skin, you can get skin cancers, including basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and melanoma. Furthermore, ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun can cause dangerous, lasting damage to your skin.
The most important thing to do is get to know your skin type, protect your skin from the sun, check yourself monthly and see a dermatologist once a year for a full body exam. No matter what, if you notice anything NEW, CHANGING or UNUSUAL on your skin, contact a dermatologist right away.
Skin of Color Stats
The good news is you can find skin cancer early. Found early, most skin cancers, including melanoma, can be cured.
There’s also a lot you can do to reduce your risk of getting skin cancer.
How people of color can reduce their skin cancer risk
Dermatologists in the United States tell their patients with skin of color to reduce their risk of getting skin cancer by doing the following:
References
Oxybenzone is an easily absorbed chemical that is also a suspected endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC), substances that interfere with hormonally regulated processes the body uses for a wide range of functions, including mammary gland development.
Nearly all mice developed two kinds of aggressive breast cancer tumors. The first, known as epithelial tumors, retain many of the properties of normal mammary gland cells. The second, known as spindle cell tumors, lose most of the properties of normal cells and develop into a deadly, often triple negative form of breast cancer known as claudin-low breast cancer.
A recent report in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that after just one heavy application of sunscreen, blood levels of BP-3 exceeded the Federal Drug Administration’s guidance for chemicals at a threshold of toxicological concern, and the Centers for Disease Control found Oxybenzone in 98% of adult urine samples.
Using a mouse model where the mammary glands lacked a gene often mutated in human breast cancer as a proxy for women growing from puberty into adulthood, the researchers put the mice under three distinct dietary regimes: a lifelong low-fat diet, a high-fat diet during puberty switching to a low-fat diet during reproductive years, and vice versa.
The experiment split mice on these three diets into two groups. One of these groups was fed BP-3 daily at a dose equivalent to a heavy application of sunscreen on a beach day.
Over the course of a year and a half of treatment, the researchers collected tumors from the mice and found robust evidence for the adverse effects of diet and Oxybenzone on breast cancer development.
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