Experts recommend using appropriate sun protection for our skin type throughout the year, but this is especially necessary in summer, and especially if we spend a lot of time outdoors. However, not all products are the same, and although those that are marketed must first pass a series of controls that evaluate their safety and efficacy, sometimes long-term problems arise with one.
This is what has happened now with various sunscreens that are sold in supermarkets in Spain and that, as the OCU (Organization of Consumers and Users) has alerted, contain substances that can be dangerous to health, specifically filters that can be considered Endocrine disruptors, which are chemicals, can mimic the function of our hormones and alter the endocrine system, harming health. They have been related to the development of diseases and congenital malformations, so it is advisable not to expose yourself to them, and even less in the case of children.
The OCU has carried out an analysis of 29 products to protect yourself from the sun –some in the form of lotion and others in spray– 14 of which had a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 and 15, with SPF50, and among which there were also some specifically intended for children. The main difference between SPF30 and SPF50 is that the protection provided by the latter lasts longer and therefore does not need to be applied as frequently, although it does need to be applied after bathing.
Protected skin, but potential health risks
All the products analyzed “comply with the announced sun protection factor”, they have pointed out from the OCU, so that “the skin will be safe”. However, they have found that “too many sun protection creams contain in their composition filters that can be considered endocrine disruptors.” And they point to two in particular: homosalate and octocrylene, which are used as chemical sunscreens and whose safety has been questioned.
“Sunscreens that include these dubious substances –homosalate and octocrylene– in their composition, even if they are within the law, cannot be considered of good quality”
The OCU has highlighted that, although “these filters are used less and less in the formulas”, they are still found in eight of the 29 products, so “sunscreens that include these dubious substances in their composition, even if they are within of legality, even if they do not exceed the maximum legally permitted limits, they cannot be considered of good quality”.
Endocrine disruptors in children’s sun protection products
One such endocrine disruptor, octocrylene, has been found in the composition of the following sun creams and sprays:
-
Babaria Sunscreen for children SPF50+.
-
One Hundred Children Solar Spray 50+ (Lidl).
-
Hundred Sun Cream Kids SPF 50+ (Lidl).
-
Ecran Denenes Protective milk for atopic sensitive skin 50+ Spray.
The OCU recommends avoiding sunscreens as much as possible “that include substances with questionable health effects” and using one of those that do not have them. “The four mentioned are not the only sunscreens with potential endocrine disruptors: there are other products for adults that also contain them and one of them, in addition to octocrylene, contains homosalate.”
.
