Zinc is a safe and reliable sunscreen that, when applied, sits on top of the skin and protects by blocking and reflecting the sun’s powerful UVA and UVB rays. As we just released more shades in our popular Stem Cellular spf 30 CC Cream collection, it’s a great time to discuss mineral vs conventional chemical sunscreens.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN UVA & UVB RAYS?
UVA rays penetrate deeper than UVB rays, damaging the inner cells in the top layer of the skin, including the dermis. They account for 95% of the sun’s UV rays, and can penetrate windows and clouds. Overexposure to UVB rays can cause premature aging, wrinkles and some skin cancers.1
UVB rays penetrate cells in the top layer of the skin. They account for approximately 5% of the sun’s UV rays, but do not penetrate windows and are filtered by the clouds. Overexposure to UVB rays cause sunburns, many types of skin cancers, and can also contribute to premature aging.2
For maximum sun protection, it’s important to apply & re-apply regularly, a sunscreen that protects from both UVA and UVB rays.
MINERAL ZINC IS REEF SAFE
Have you heard the news that many conventional chemical sunscreen ingredients are bad for marine life? Ingredients like Oxybenzone and Octinoxate are a few of these chemicals that can be harmful to coral, algae, fish, dolphins and more!
Thus, what SPF you wear when you take a dip in the ocean is very important!
INFOGRAPHIC SOURCE: Sunscreen Chemicals and Marine Life, National Ocean Service, oceanservice.noaa.gov
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Luckily, Zinc is a natural mineral sunscreen ingredient that is safe for humans and the planet. A variety of sunscreens now include “nano zinc” in an attempt to eliminate the “white appearance” of zinc when first applied to the skin; you might see this marketed as “clear zinc”. Unfortunately, coral can ingest these small nanoparticles, which can induce coral bleaching, or even kill coral. Juice Beauty is careful to use the correct particle size with all of our zinc products.
So what kind of sunscreen should you apply if you want to protect marine life while swimming? Reef Safe sunscreens! “Reef Safe” means the sunscreen won’t harm marine life. You may have seen the news that the first state, Hawaii, signed a bill banning the sale and distribution of sunscreens containing two chemicals of over-the-counter sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate (two of the most commonly used chemical sunscreens) in order to protect their precious reefs. Hawaii’s governor listened to the science and environmentalists and acted on it.
PROTECT YOUR HEALTH WITH MINERAL ZINC SUNSCREENS
Zinc is safe to use as it generally sits on top of the skin. In comparison, recent studies have shown that ingredients found in conventional chemical sunscreens, such as avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene, and ecamsule, are being absorbed at alarmingly toxic rates, and octocrylene has been found in human breast milk and amniotic fluid.
On May 6th 2019 the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) released an important study that found that it took just one day of sunscreen use for one common chemical spf ingredient to enter the bloodstream and less than 7 days for all the chemical sunscreens to enter the body at a much higher level than allowed by current U.S. health regulation guidelines. The ingredients of concern include ones found in commonly used sunscreens: avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene, and ecamsule.
This news is alarming because the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines state that sunscreen active ingredients with systemic absorption greater than 0.5 ng/mL or with safety concerns should undergo a toxicology assessment, including systemic carcinogenicity and reproductive studies and this study showed higher levels of absorption than this maximum guideline.
JUICE BEAUTY SPFs ARE SAFE FOR YOU AND MARINE LIFE
So the good news is that there are products on the market that are good for you, the planet and marine life! All Juice Beauty Sunscreen products use ingredients that are Reef Safe plus certified organic ingredients plus mineral Zinc, instead of potentially harmful skincare ingredients.
We offer a variety of SPFs for every occasion - STEM CELLULAR CC Creams SPF 30, our Oil Free SPF 30 Moisturizer and SPF 30 Sport (80 min water resistant) are among our most popular and, great for those looking to gain the perfect natural complexion look!
With our STEM CELLULAR CC Creams, we are so proud of our chemists that they were able to achieve such a wide shade range combining the mineral zinc with plant pigments and organic ingredients—now in 7 shades from light to dark! We are here to help protect your skin and achieve the perfect complexion look and protect your health and the environment.
Learn more about our Sunscreens
1,2 World Health Organization (WHO), Ultraviolet radiation and the INTERSUN Programme, https://www.who.int/uv/uv_and_health/en/