Estrogenic Effects of Sunscreens – Should You Be Concerned?

*Keys Solar Rx – Chemical free sunscreen
You may not be aware, but many sunscreens formulated with chemical sun filtering agents contain estrogenic effects. And, some sunscreens claiming to be natural also contain chemical sun filters that may also mimic the hormone estrogen. If you’re a regular user of sunscreens, should you be concerned?

As a pharmacist who not only specializes in skin care, but also counsels women regarding the hormonal changes that occur through perimenopause, I’m aware about the role that estrogen plays in the physical and emotional wellbeing of both men and women. It is essential for strong and healthy bones, cardiovascular health, mental wellness and libido. On the flipside, studies have shown us that high levels of estrogen may increase the risk for breast cancer.

Not Only Sun Filters Contain Estrogenic Effects

Although the estrogenic effects presented by most sun filtering agents is weak at best, it is the total load that may be more important. In addition to sun filtering agents, other ingredients including preservatives (parabens for example) in your food and personal care products, hormone treated meat and some pesticides may also have estrogenic effects. Studies have shown that even some ‘natural’ plant ingredients can deliver estrogenic effects.

While the intent of this article isn’t to scare you off using sunscreen – we are all only too aware of the effects of long term unprotected UV exposure – it may give you reason to read labels when purchasing your personal care products.

Sun Filtering Agents to Watch Out For

The following sun filtering agents have been implicated with possessing estrogenic effects:

Benzophenone-1, 2, 3 and 4 (also known as Oxybenzone). Oxybenzone is of most concern as it is not only associated with hormone disruption but also with allergies and cell damage. In fact, a 2008 study by the Center for Disease Control revealed that 97% of Americans are contaminated with this chemical. It also links mothers with high levels to giving birth to low birth weight infants increasing their risk for coronary heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and other diseases in adulthood
Homosalate
Octyl methoxycinnamate (Octinoxate)
4-Methylbenzylidene camphor UV-B 4-MBC, Eusolex 6300

Avobenzone, another commonly used sun filtering agent and the natural, physical blocking agents zinc oxide and titanium dioxide have not been found to deliver any estrogenic side effects; at least not yet. And, Mexoryl SX, Mexoryl XL and Tinosorb appear to be safe.

Safe Sunscreens?

While you certainly still need to protect yourself against UVA and UVB rays, I hope that this post has helped to inform you about which sun filtering ingredients to avoid. In addition, you may already be steering away from parabens in your personal care products. What’s nice to see is that many manufacturers are also steering away from these preservatives as well.

Very few of the sunscreens carried at PhaMix.com contain any of the estrogenic sun filters listed above. Unfortunately some do contain parabens. Here is a list of products that you may want to consider if you want to avoid products containing parabens or estrogenic sun filtering agents: