Beauty
Skin care experts break down some of the head-scratching terminology.
Shopping for a new sunscreen seems like an easy enough task until it isnt.
Do the words clean and natural mean its a better formula?
Start with the basics: See that SPF rating displayed on the front label?
It might involve a bit of trial and error, but frankly, your skin depends on it.
Read on for your unofficial sunscreen glossary.
It indicates that the sunscreen provides protection against both UVAandUVB rays, she tells Bustle.
(Both contribute to skin cancer.)
Essentially, the terminology of clean versus not clean has created a lot of misconceptions, she says.
Jessica Wu, a board-certified dermatologist andOFF!partner.
A lot of times, you have to think about where the information is coming from.
Is someone describing a clean sunscreen and also trying to sell you that same clean sunscreen?
Its important to look at non-biased sources for science-based facts, likeMayo ClinicandAAD, she says.
A lot of them are really wonderful and more appropriate for those of us with more richly melanated skin.
[Some] sunscreen companies employ this tactic, and its a deceptive practice.
But according to cosmetic chemist and founder ofKKT ConsultantsKrupa Koestline, the term is outdated.
Reef-Safe:
A reef-safe sunscreen means that its devoid of ingredients that can harm coral reefs.
But that isnt completely accurate, she says.
Also, remember that SPF is a measurement of UVB radiationonly, says Boakye.
Water-Resistant:
This means that a sunscreen remains effective while swimming or sweating.
Studies referenced:
C Cole, T Shyr, H Ou-Yang.
Metal oxide sunscreens protect skin by absorption, not by reflection or scattering.
32(1):5-10.
Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26431814/
R, Pati et al.
10(6):1195-208.
Nanomedicine.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24607937/
B, Gulson et al.
Small amounts of zinc from zinc oxide particles in sunscreens applied outdoors are absorbed through human skin.
118(1):140-9.
Toxicol Sci.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20705894/
S, Wong et al.
Sunscreens containing zinc oxide nanoparticles can trigger oxidative stress and toxicity to the marine copepod Tigriopus japonicus.
Mar Pollut Bull.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32319911/
G, Puccetti, H, Fares.
36(3):284-90.