Oxybenzone

Even though I live in Calgary, where one might not think about the use of sunscreen (snow can last up to 6 months or so). I try to use sunscreen every day. Some people might think that that sunscreen is not needed because the sunlight is not as warm as in the summer. However, people should still apply sunscreen on their sun-exposed skin because snow nearly doubles the exposure of the UV radiation.⁸

Not sure which sunscreen to chose? There are two kinds of sunscreen: physical and chemical.⁷ There is a big difference between the two. Physical sunscreen serves as a “shield” that protects the skin by moving UV radiation away from its surface.⁷ This type of sunscreen usually has a mineral ingredient.⁷ Chemical sunscreen transforms UV rays into heat.⁷ This type of sunscreen usually contains a chemical such as oxybenzone.⁷

Oxybenzone is a chemical that is also used in other products other than sunscreen. For example, it can be used in nail polish, hair spray, and even hair dye.⁴ The abundance of this chemical in other products is due to the fact that oxybenzone can stabilize other chemicals in the product.⁵

Some people believe that this chemical should not be used because it can negatively impact nature and a person who is constantly using it. Even though multiple studies investigated the impacts of this compound, effects on a human are still questionable. There were multiple experiments involving animals and multiple negative effects (example increased liver) were observed.¹ Some argue that it negatively affects hormonal levels.³ Others believe that it is the cause of the coral bleaching and people should choose physical sunscreens instead.² Food and drug administration allowed the use of oxybenzone in cosmetic products to be between 2-6%.⁶

So, is oxybenzone toxic? The answer is maybe. More studies need to be done to completely understand the compound. If you are concerned about this chemical, then try a physical sunscreen instead. Who knows, it might be less harmful to a living organism and environment.

References:

HSDB: 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzonephenone. In U.S. National Library of Medicine [Online]; Toxicology data network (TOXNET)(n.d.) https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search2/r?dbs+hsdb:@term+@rn+@rel+131-57-7 (accessed Nov 22, 2018).

Is Your Sunscreen Killing the Coral Reef? (2018, May 23). https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2018/05/24/sunscreen-killing-coral-reef/ (accessed Nov 30, 2018)

Oxybenzone. In National Center for Biotechnology Information [Online]. PubChem Compound Database; CID=4632. (n. d.). https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/4632 (accessed Nov 22, 2018).

Oxybenzone. (n.d.). https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/704372/OXYBENZONE/ (accessed Nov 30, 2018)