For many years, chemical sunscreens have been favored by consumers around the world. However, more and more people are becoming concerned about the environmental damage and skin issues that they’re believed to cause. These are just a couple of the reasons why non toxic sunscreen (a.k.a. mineral sunscreen) is growing in popularity.
Typically containing active ingredients like zinc oxide and titanium oxide, they offer a gentler and altogether more eco-friendly option that doesn’t compromise your sun safety.
“Why Should I Choose Non Toxic Sunscreen?”
Chemical sunscreens use filters like octinoxate and oxybenzone that soak into the skin and convert UV rays into heat – thereby protecting your skin. However, they are known to irritate sensitive skin and cause untold damage to coral reefs around the world through a process known as ‘bleaching’. However, non toxic sunscreen is a much better choice on both counts.
Due to the fact that mineral sunscreen doesn’t have to absorb into the skin, it’s immediately going to be more gentle. Rather than having to enter the skin, non-toxic mineral sunscreens sit on top of the skin, reflecting UV light away before it can cause damage.
Also, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide occur naturally, meaning that when they enter the ocean, they disperse without disrupting natural ecosystems. As such, if you’re someone with sensitive skin issues or concerns over the loss of precious sea creatures, it’s a great option to consider.
Other Benefits of Mineral Sunscreen
The environmental and sensitivity advantages on offer with mineral sunscreen are compelling all on their own, however, they’re not the only benefits you get to enjoy. Others include:
- Broad-Spectrum Protection – A major advantage of using mineral sunscreen is that it offers broad-spectrum protection. What does that mean? Well, there are two main types of UV rays that the skin needs protection from – UVA and UVB rays.
UVA rays can cause premature aging while UVB rays are the ones that can leave you with sore, sunburned skin. ‘Broad spectrum’ on a product means that it protects you against both and believe it or not, some sunscreens don’t offer it.
- Immediate Protection – Have you ever been annoyed at having to wait 20 minutes for a chemical sunscreen to absorb? That’s not a problem you’ll have when using a mineral product, as they work from the moment they touch your skin.
Once you’ve applied it, you can go out into the sun straight away with complete confidence that any rays coming your way will be harmlessly reflected away.
- Non-comedogenic – Something else you have to think about when choosing your sunscreen is whether it’s going to cause you breakouts – especially if you’ve got an acne-prone complexion. Chemical products are far more likely to cause issues of this kind because of what they contain.
However, mineral products are typically non-comedogenic, which is a fancy way of saying that they’re designed not to clog pores. It’s just another way in which they’re gentle.
There Are Many Reasons to Switch to Non Toxic Sunscreen
So, as we can see, there are a number of reasons why you should give some serious consideration to the idea of switching from chemical to mineral sunscreen. Not only is it gentler and less likely to cause zits, but it also works from the second it’s applied to the skin. Pretty compelling, wouldn’t you say?
The next time you find yourself having to choose between the many options available, give some thought to what we’ve covered here. It will steer you in the right direction.