The weather has been warming up a little & Melanoma paranoia head has gone on….how much sun is ok….what sun cream lotion to apply! Several people have tried to attribute a link between the increase of Skin Cancer & the use of Suncreams.
I have to be honest and say this is all quite new to me……and yet it is a dilemma that plays on my mind. I shall explain……
No I do not think that the increase of Skin Cancer is solely linked to Sun Lotions….however…I think there has to be a link somewhere between the chemicals in our lives as a whole and the increases in Cancers in general.
I have mentioned the chemicals on foods before. It makes completely logical sense that the largest organ in our body – our skin – is prone to the same potential damage from chemicals as our internal organs are from the food we eat.
There are HUGE numbers of chemicals in every product we use – the ones of concern to me are the parabens. Parabens are a range of chemicals used to “stabalise” the product – give it shelf life….scarily when tumours taken from Breast Cancers have been tested they have found parabens in them – parabens from Anti perspirant deodorants. Breast Cancer is a huge issue & I know of many, many women that now only use paraben free deodorant in order to ensure they are not opening up their body to potential harm.
  To my knowledge nobody has tested Melanomas for parabens….we have no scientific evidence that the chemicals from the 100’s of products we apply to our bodies can be found in the tumours that grow on our skin. In fairness, so far Melanoma & Skin Cancer hasn’t been that common… but it is now. Unfortunately with such an enormous industry that contributes millions to various international economies do government bodies really want to open the can of worms that is a chemical overload from too many products…..?
Then there was that huge news item when a Which survey of the top brands showed that 3 of the top suppliers were making SPF claims they couldn’t sustain.
Brief technical explanation…The SPF factor protects from UVB rays which are the surface damaging rays that cause burning, wrinkles etc…So the higher the SPF the longer you can stay in the sun without burning …..UVA rays are the rays that are cumulative and cause more long term cellular damage….so your suncream should always have UVA protection.
Whilst my head was whizzing around thinking of what suncream I should & shouldn’t use a friend sent me a link to a DIY sunlotion….”chemical free”…now for my sake & that of the Little People I have not turned my house into a laboratory…I have resisted the urge to turn into a scientist…if only for the fact that I would hate the cleaning up & simply don’t have the time at the moment….although the lab coat nearly won me over!
Instead I contacted various SunCream companies to enquire about what chemicals were in their offerings…
Not surprisingly many of them wanted to talk…wanted to shout the benefits of their brands from the rooftops…and some were even so confident in what they offered they send me samples….lots of samples…So I sort of have turned scientist…no white lab coat as much as white skin….it’s a look I plan to rock!
Let me be totally clear – I am not testing these from a scientific point of view – I cannot vouch for their chemical claims or otherwise.
Also I do not see it as my place to tell you to use one brand over another….whether to go paraben free or not….but I have tried them all, on myself & on the family…and this is what we thought of them :
Sunsense : http://www.sunsense.co.uk/
Sunsense sent me 3 huge bottles to try out. They are Australias No1 sunscreen brand & are proud of the vast range they offer. A big leaflet of sun safety tips came with the samples.
These are chemical based products – so are not paraben free. However they worked – on the hottest day of the year so far – it’s a thickish white liquid so you can see where you are applying, but it absorbs easily. The smell was the only downside.
Broad spectrum UVA & UVB protection. Recommendation to reapply every 2-4 hours. There are roll-on’s within the range but no sprays.
Standard UK RRP £14.99 for 125ml of Sunsense Ultra – but you can get it online for less than £10
Carribean Blue :http://www.thenaturalskincarecompany.co.uk/I was sent samples of this range from The Natural Skincare Company who were very enthusiastic about the Carribean Blue Sport range.
It is Paraben free so ticks the reduced toxin box. In place of parabens they used Zinc Oxide which creates a thick white paste which doesn’t absorb well at all – although some people are not bothered by this & it is clearly popular with people avoiding products that are not 100% natural. I wasn’t keen however on the strong metallic smell.
Broad Spectrum UVA & UVB protection – although the Carribean Blue sport is only SPF25 it seemed to act much more like an SPF50.
Standard RRP for 120ml is about £15.00
Uvistat :http://www.uvistat.com/
Uvistat sent me several sample bottles of their SPF30 range – they do have an SPF50 but I didn’t get to test it.
The SPF30 does currently contain Parabens – but the SPF50 is paraben free. Both options have UVA protection. According to the company they are working on removing parabens from the range.
In terms of the samples I had – the product didn’t really have a detectable smell (fragrance free)…it absorbed easily & I felt comfortable in it – it wasn’t greasy and I liked it.
Standard RRP for 125ml of the SPF30 is about £13.99 but you can get it for about £11.00 online.
Avene :http://www.avene.co.uk/
The entire Avene suncare range is SPF50+ – they are water resistant & have high UVA & UVB protection.
They also sent a lovely brochure with lots of information about sun protection & skin care.
They are mineral based – Paraben free and are formulated for sensitive skin – like most of the Avene skincare range. Apparently they are fragrance free – which is surprising because I thought they smelt lovely!
The product absorbed very easily – perhaps too easily. I was sent sample bottles – 1 small sample bottle was enough to cover my arms & my face only – so to cover my legs as well I would have needed a lot more.
They do a spritz bottle within their range.
Standard UK RRP for 50ml is £16.00 – but you can get it for less online.
Techniblock :http://www.techniblock.co.uk/
I was sent bottles of the South African brand Techniblock’s SPF30 & SPF50 offerings.
They contain Broad spectrum UVA & UVB protection. They are not Paraben free but are formulated for sensitive skin and because they are in spray bottles they are easy to apply. The smell was very pleasant and even though the spray was clear it was easy to tell where you had applied until it was absorbed minutes later.
They aren’t sold in the UK as standard yet so can only be purchased online.
The best deals are on the brands own website with Multibuys.
Price for 340ml of SPF50 is about £22.00
P20 : http://www.p20.co.uk/
This product range was one I was already familiar with – but I was surprised to discover that it is actually Paraben free.
The range includes SPF15, SPF30 and SPF50 – and they are once a day products with a convenient spray application. They are Water resistant – although I would be tempted to reapply after a big swim.
I feel more comfortable with the SPF50 but that is just a preference when applying once in the morning and not needing to reapply for 10 hours.
Standard UK RRP for 200ml is £24.49 – but it lasts a long time.
Pevonia Botanica : http://www.pevonia.co.uk/
Like some of the other brands I also received a brochure with information about the full range – which contained excellent advice about suncare, skincare & chemicals used in products that I should avoid.
The range is premium – the bottles and boxes alone look appealing.
The products have Broad spectrum UVA & UVB Protection – they are paraben free. The smell of the products I was sent was lovely – by far the nicest of all of the products tested.
They are easily absorbed and not only did they not leave a greasy feel they also didn’t leave my skin feeling dry afterwards which a lot of suncreams often do.
The SPF30 is £31.00 for 150ml.
Whatever Suncream you decide to use my best advice would be to use a product that is both High in SPF & offers a broad spectrum UVA & UVB Protection……and maybe…consider a paraben free option.
More importantly adopt the Australian Mantra.
Slip on a shirt, Slop on the 30+ sunscreen, Slap on a hat, Seek shade or shelter, Slide on some sunnies. – “Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, Slide”