Nanoparticles in Sunscreen…are we safe?
With the introduction of nanoparticle technology into sunscreen formulations, there are many green consumers who are hesitating on buying nano sunscreen due to suggested possible safety issues.
The cosmetic safety data base until recently held a grim view of nanotechnology, however even they have done a turn around now with nanotechnology.
Nanotechnology is used in sunscreen to minimise the whitening effect that can be seen when you apply normal zinc and titanium dioxide. The beaches in the seventies were reminiscent of zinc with the typical Australian having a coloured zinc applied across their cheeks for protection.
So why the desire for nanotechnology?
It allows the sunscreen to penetrate into the skin for effectively, and allows the correct amount of sunscreen to be applied without leaving the skin white.
Nanoparticles do penetrate the skin. According to Professor Tilman Butz who led the “Nanoderm Project” at the University of Leipzig, the problem is that Titanium dioxide and Zinc Oxide are poorly soluble, so once they penetrate into vital tissue and reach the blood vessels they can be transported to other organs. Once they reach vital organs they can accumulate there.
There is enough information on inflammation being induced by nanoparticles accumulating in the lungs, so it could happen in the liver and other organs.
The Nanoderm Project looked at the penetration of Titanium Dioxide. The findings where that in healthy human skin there is not penetration into vital tissue. There is deep penetration into hair follicles but not into vital tissue. So in this respect it is completely safe.
Professor Butz gave a word of warning though. If you apply sunscreen on the skin it is not homogenously spread. There are areas which are not covered. You prevent the sunburn which is good but should not be fooled into thinking there is no damage. So the message should remain to avoid excessive sun exposure.
Green Tea and other Herbals which protect from the sun.
With the movement in natural cosmetics I believe we will find more natural ingredients coming to the spotlight to help prevent the increasing number of skin cancers and melanomas that are occurring on a world wide phenomena.
So are there any natural treasures that have benefit in protecting us from the sun?
Well the good news is yes there is.
Green Tea has been shown to have photoprotective properties. Topical application of green tea has been shown to protect agains UV damage without any side effects. Recent research in Switzerland looked at applying low doses of Green Tea over a sustained period of time and the results were promising.
The study which was led by Dr Christian D. Mnich from the University Hospital of Zurich found that Green Tea extract at 0.4% over a 5 week period showed signigicant photochemoprotective properties.
There was no significant difference between the green tea samples and the placebo sample with regard to the burning of the skin. However there was a significant difference in the amount of gene p53 being induced in the skin.
Gene p53 is a tumour suppressor protein that is induced in skin cells (keratinocytes) when the are exposed to UV radiation. Scientists are finding that it is more of determinant in the formation of skin cancer, and testing for sunscreen may soon include gene p53 analysis as well.
Green Tea reduced the amount of p53 expresssion in the skin by 31.9%. This means that there is 31.9% less damage occurring on a cellular level. The Green Tea however did not affect the formation of thymidine dimers. Thymidine Dimers are DNA lesions that are usually caused by sun exposure. When these lesions go unrepaired they can lead to skin cancer formation. Gene p53 is the protein which is responsible for their repair.
The findings concluded that green tea does not act as a sunscreen but has anti-inflammatory properties and as a result it reduces the oxidative damage to the cells.
Caffeine and the humble coffee bean
You may have another reason to like coffee, besides your kick start in the morning to get you going. Research in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2009) has found that the caffeine in coffee also protects against the sun.
There have been numerous studies that have hinted at a link between drinking coffee and reduced skin cancer risk, however now there is research to prove that topical caffeine has another use besides cellultite and puffy eyes.
Skin cells that had topical caffeine applied had a two to three fold higher rate of cellular death (apoptosis) than the untreated skin. Apoptosis is one of the ways by which the body can rid itself of damaged and faulty cells, which could possibly turn it into skin cancer. So a 3 fold higher rate indicates that the caffeine is getting rid of the damaged skin cells, therefore minimising the risk of skin cancer.
Milkweed Oil
The oil of milkweed may also help protects the skin agains UV rays according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Milkweed oil has been shown to cover up to 370 nanometres. Which is nearly the entire UV spectrum. advantage is the oil is biodegradable, so when it gets washed off it will be broken down.
The spectrum of Ultra Violet Light
Maca Extract
The humble maca plant from Peru is one of the newest discoveries in the race to combat skin cancer. Recent research at the University of Peru found that Maca extract actually outperformed the commercial SPF 30 sunscreen as far as protection. Although the exact mechanism of protection is not known it is hypothesised that the plant’s polyphenols and glucosinolates may play a part in the protection from UV radiation.
SPF and Sunscreens…are you really protected?
I frequently get asked why we do not contain sunscreen in any of our products. My reason is because I have never been a fan of sunscreen. Sunscreen I believe gives you a false sense of security. Burning is our body’s defence mechanism for telling us to get out of the sun, and by applying sunscreen you are inhibiting this natural response from occurring. If you went on holidays and did not use sunscreen and got burnt you would not go out for a second and third dose of getting burnt would you? Instead we slather ourselves in sunscreen and continue to get repeated high doses of not 0nly UVA but also UVB. It is because of the UVA exposure that I am not a fan of sunscreen use.
I have found that sunscreen use often results in an acne breakout for those of us with an oilier skin and finding one that does cause acne is in itself a miracle. Any sunscreen that contains Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide needs an emulsifier to blend the powders into a uniform and even texture. These emulsifiers are the contributors to acne formation. Natural companies use such ingredients as almond oil and coconut oil to help emulsify the Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide. These oils are not a good choice for acne sufferers.
Sunscreens give us a false sense of security and could be making you more prone to skin cancer, if you are not aware of exactly how they work. The majority of sunscreens do not apply uniformly and evenly on the skin, subsequently you will have patches of skin that have no sunprotection at all.
The majority of people are confused on how sunscreens work and how much you need to apply to get the stated SPF that is listed on the sunscreen bottle.
When SPF testing is being performed on a sunscreen it is based on a certain amount of sunscreen being used. It is only if the correct quantity of sunscreen is applied that you will get the SPF stated on the packaging. You need to put 35mls on your entire body to get the SPF that is listed on the bottle. The body is approximately divided into 12 areas, and the face and neck are one of these areas. You need to apply 2.7mls of sunscreen to your face and neck to get the SPF that is listed on your moisturiser. If you were using the correct quantity of moisturiser with SPF in it then you would go finish a 50ml bottle of moisturiser in approximately 20 days, and that assumes you only use the cream once a day. The majority of consumers however use nowhere near this amount. Most consumers will find that their average moisturiser lasts them 3-4 months. This means that they are only putting on 1/4 of the required amount of sunscreen that needs to be applied to get the SPF coverage that is listed.
So does that mean that is you have SPF 30 and you apply 1/4 the amount you need you get an SPF of 7?
The answer to this questions is No, because the way sunscreens are rated it is not that simple. A sunscreen with a SPF 15 blocks out 94% of UVB, where as a sunscreen with a SPF 30 only blocks out 97% of UVB. That is only 3% more! So don’t get fooled by sunscreens now trying to sell you more safety with SPF ratings of 50 and as high as 100. In Australia the limit for advertised SPF’s has been limited to an SPF of 30, even though many sunscreen contain a higher rating when tested.
The other thing to be aware of is that chemical sunscreens such as octyl methoxycinnamate and oxybenzone need to be absorbed into the layers of the skin to work. They do not work for 15 minutes after you apply them. So if you go into the sun prior to applying you have already started your burning process for the day, and putting on sunscreen later will not stop you from burning.
So if it takes you 10 minutes to burn and you apply the correct amount of a SPF 30 sunscreen then you will have 300 minutes of protection, or 5 hours. This assumes you applied the sunscreen 15 minutes prior to any sun exposure (which means before you take on step outside of your house), and that you also reapplied the sunscreen every 2 hours to makeup for sweating or water exposure. Once you have had your 300 minutes you can reapply sunscreen as much as you want and it will make absolutely no difference…..YOU WILL BURN. You have now reached your threshold for the day. Regardless of whether you put sunscreen on or not you will now burn because your skin has been exposed to its maximum amount of sun exposure that it can tolerate.
Europe has a UVA and UVB rating system. Unfortunately in Australia we can not determine how much UVA protection we are getting. In Australia all sunscreens must be broad spectrum.
So what does this mean?
It means that they must block out 90% of UVA. In Europe there is a rating system for UVA and UVB. This allows consumers to have educated purchasing power. The system used in Europe is called the PPD system. This rates the UVA coverage which the sunscreen will provide.
So if in Australia 90% of UVA is blocked out, then that means that 10% UVA is getting to your skin. Based on the PPD system this equates to only 80 minutes of UVA protection. So after 80 minutes of sun exposure you are in fact promoting melanoma, skin cancer and wrinkles. How many of you are aware of this?
At Eclogite our philosophy is that we use ingredients in our products that help minimise UV damage. Green Tea has photoprotective properties and has been shown to reduce burning from the sun. The Vitamin C (Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate) that we use also minimises damage from sun exposure. We advocate using Mineral makeup which when applied will give you a good SPF of 20. Our other philosophy is that you should just stay out of the sun and wear a hat.
If you are prone to skin cancer and need to use sunscreen then you need to apply the correct quantity
