Sunscreen sprays are ineffective, pollute the environment, may be inhaled by oneself and others, are advised not to be used on children, are a potential fire hazard and should not be sprayed on your face.
Exactly how much sunscreen being applied to your skin varies by the distance that the bottle is held away from your skin and if there is a breeze disrupting the application.
If you apply a spray sunscreen for 2-3 seconds, you only apply about 0.5 milligrams per centimeter of skin. That means you get about one-quarter the protection you need to obtain the level of protection indicated by the SPF rating on the bottle.
You are at risk of inhaling any of the chemical sunscreen ingredients including:
- oxybenzone
- octinoxate
- avobenzone
- octisalate
- octocrylene
- homosalate
Consumer Reports has advised against spraying sunscreen on your kids. The FDA has already determined that sprays can be a fire hazard and potentially cause severe burns if they do catch fire. That’s why they recommend against spraying or being near an open flame.
We wear sunscreen because we want to be protected from the sun’s UV rays. With this uncertainty from sprays, along with the warnings should give valid reason to stop consuming sunscreen sprays.