How to choose a sunscreen without problematic chemicals this summer

When you are enjoying the sun and applying sunscreen this summer, don’t forget that your skin is in close contact with the ingredients in the bottle. It is therefore worth considering which substances your sunscreen contains. Are they for example suspected hormone disrupting chemicals?



The Danish Consumer Council THINK Chemicals, an EDC-Free campaign partner, has put over 65 sunscreens to the test. 25 out of 66 sunscreens on the Danish market, many of which are international brands, receive the best assessment for being without content of problematic chemicals.

It is not only from sunscreen that you can be exposed to problematic substances. Other personal care products can also contain unwanted chemicals and you can be exposed to the chemicals from for example dust or vapours in your home. That is what scientists call the cocktail effect, where the combined exposure from many sources of chemicals can be problematic regarding for example hormone disrupting effects.

Eco-labels are the easy choice
In sunscreens consumers can keep an eye out for ingredients such as ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate and benzophenone-3, methyl- and ethylparaben, which are suspected to be endocrine disrupting. However, these names are close to impossible to remember for consumer. Therefore it is easier to look for products with eco-labels. Many consumers also use apps to show whether a product contains unwanted chemicals. A popular app by the Danish Consumer Council ‘Kemiluppen’ contains 368 sun products in its database including for sunscreens, sun sprays and after sun.

Click here to read the full article.

Other resources:

• The Danish Consumer Council THINK Chemicals is a campaign partner of EDC-Free Europe, a coalition of more than 65 organisations across Europe who share a concern about hormone disrupting chemicals and their impact on our health. HEAL acts as the campaign secretariat for EDC-Free Europe

• More tests available from the Danish Consumer Council THINK Chemicals.

Originally posted on 27 July 2016