With the arrival of summer, the use of sun cream It becomes essential, in fact it is essential to protect the skin from ultraviolet rays (UV), prevents burials, early aging and reduces the risk of skin cancer. Not all sunscreen, however, are the same. If on the one hand it is always better to use sun protection rather than exposing yourself to the sun without any defense, on the other many products contain problematic ingredients, or do not offer protection they promise, in poor words they are not truly effective and/or safe.
To say it is the new report of theEnvironmental Working Group (EWG) that launches an alarm: Almost 80% of sunscreen on the market in the United States do not respect the safety standardshealth and effectiveness. In the press release of the American organization we read:
Many solar creams are still lacking because they offer misleading statements on protection, use obsolete formulas and some even contain potentially harmful ingredients for health.
In the end, the EWG promotes only 498 products out of 2,204, as they satisfy all security and effectiveness criteria.
What the investigation discovered
The analysis examined over 2,000 products with SPF And one of the main concerns concerns the solar spraywhich represent about 26% of the market. Despite being comfortable to apply, they can involve health risks: accidental inhalation of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, two very common mineral filters, can damage the respiratory tract. The smaller particles, in fact, can penetrate the lungs and reach the blood flow.
The EWG also writes that:
To worsen the situation, studies have shown that, if applied in spray, in the presence of light wind, these products may not offer adequate protection. The Australian government has reached the point of recommending to completely avoid spray sunscreen due to their poor effectiveness.
The report then highlighted the presence in some sunscreen of the benzene, a known carcinogenalready the subject of calls on the market. Short -term exposure can also cause dizziness and sleepiness, while the prolonged one is connected to serious diseases such as leukemia.
Another critical point is the lack of transparency on the ingredients. About 36% of the products analyzed contain non -specified fragrances, which can include allergens, endocrine interfering and potentially carcinogenic substances. In practice, consumers often remain in the dark about the real composition of the product they apply on the skin.
Several people then choose products with very high SPF, convinced of obtaining superior protection. But that’s not always. Some manufacturers use substances such as Butilottil Salicilato (BOS) for “Swell” the SPF factor, without actually improving protection from UVA and UVB rays. The BOS is also connected to possible toxic effects on development and reproduction. The EWG then explains that:
Some boosters can deviate sunlight, making the sun protection look stronger and thus increasing the apparent SPF value. Others reduce visible inflammation, hiding scalds instead of preventing long -term skin damage. This can give a false sense of security, pushing people to stay in the sun longer without an adequate protection from grape rays.
The FDA has long supported that a SPF greater than 50 is “intrinsically misleading” and not surprisingly the SPF values are limited to 50+ in most countries.
An EWG study from 2021, among other things, highlighted that many sunscreen sold in the USA do not guarantee adequate protection from UVA rays, despite a high SPF value. Out of 51 tested products, only 18 compared the most severe European standards for UVA protection. On average, the real grape protection was about a quarter of the SPF value indicated, leaving users exposed to possible risks while believing that they are well protected.
But from the investigation it also emerges some positive note. The EWG indicates a significant drop in the use of two controversial ingredients: OsSibenzone, present in 70% of non -mineral solar creams in 2016, is now contained only in 9% of the products; The Palmito di Retinile (Vitamin A) also almost disappeared, passing from 41% to 2%. Both ingredients have been associated with health risks.
And in Italy?
In Italy, the situation appears a little more reassuring thanks to the rigorous European cosmetics legislation, which requires the most severe safety standards in the world. The EU regulation 1223/2009 prohibits the use of dangerous substances such as benzene and rigorously limits the concentration of chemical UV filters.
But this does not mean that in our country there are no critical issues. The spray products remain popular despite the risks related to inhalation, and some sunscreen continue to contain OSSibenzone and Octinoxate, chemical filters which, although allowed in limited concentrations, can cause allergies and are accused of being endocrine interfering.
It is generally recommended to prefer products with mineral filters (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide) for children and sensitive skin, but the awareness of Italian consumers on these aspects still remains limited.
As for specific products on products, also in Italy it was discussed the real effectiveness of solar creams and in 2022 Altroconsumo He discovered that some sunscreen do not guarantee the protection declared on the label. READ ALSO: Solar creams: these 2 products are to be avoided because they do not protect well, according to Altroconsumo
A French test also arrived at the same conclusion last year, on the creams also on the Italian market. Read also: face creams for the face: more than 1 out of 3 does not protect enough, Vichy and Biotherm among the worst of the test