When it comes to skincare, the most important thing is sunscreen. It has its own complex category within the skincare umbrella. It is often referred to as an antidote that helps reduce the signs of ageing, control skin damage, and even skin cancer. But not all sunscreens are created equal. A new study has found that one standard ingredient in sunscreen can turn toxic within two hours of applying the product.
Is Your Sunscreen Safe To Use?
The study published in the journal Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences aimed at answering common questions like; What about the safety of any chemical products that result from reactions caused by exposure to sunlight? How stable, safe, and effective are sunscreen ingredients in combination rather than as individual compounds which is how they are considered for FDA approval and what about the safety of any chemical products that result from reactions caused by exposure to sunlight?
James Hutchinson and Aurora Ginzburg of the University of Oregon, as well as Richard Blackburn of the University of Leeds, created five combinations comprising UV filters the active chemicals in sunscreens from various products available in the United States and Europe. They also made more mixes with the same ingredients and a lower amount of zinc oxide than the commercially suggested level. The researchers next subjected the mixtures to ultraviolet radiation for two hours and utilised spectroscopy to determine their photostability, or what happened to the chemicals in the mixtures and their UV-protective qualities when exposed to sunlight.
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The researchers then examined to see if UV light made any of the mixes hazardous to zebrafish, a popular model organism that can progress from egg to swimming in five days. They discovered that the UV-exposed mixture without zinc oxide did not affect the fish.
Zinc Oxide In Your Sunscreen Can Turn Toxic
According to the study, after two hours of exposure to UV light, sunscreen containing zinc oxide, a popular ingredient, loses much of its effectiveness and becomes harmful, according to a partnership led by Oregon State University scientists. The toxicity study used zebrafish, which has a remarkable molecular, genetic, and cellular resemblance to humans, making many zebrafish research, directly applicable to people.
Tanguay, an OSU distinguished professor and an international expert in toxicology, said, "Our findings suggest that commercially available small-molecule-based formulas, which were the basis for the formulas we studied, can be combined in different ingredient ratios that minimise photodegradation. When zinc oxide particles, either nanoparticles or bigger microparticles, were introduced, however, scientists noticed significant changes in photostability and phototoxicity.
Santillan said, "With either size of the particle, zinc oxide degraded the organic mixture and caused a greater than 80 per cent loss in organic filter protection against ultraviolet-A rays, which make up 95 per cent of the UV radiation that reaches the Earth."
"Also, the zinc-oxide-induced photodegradation products caused significant increases in defects to the zebrafish we used to test toxicity. That suggests zinc oxide particles are leading to degradants whose introduction to aquatic ecosystems is environmentally hazardous." Tanguay was shocked that all five small-molecule combinations were photostable in general, but not unexpected that adding zinc oxide particles caused toxicity when exposed to UV light.
(with inputs from agencies)
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