You have to admire celebrities who do something for a good cause and Will Ferrell’s new sunscreen benefiting the charity Cancer for College, certainly benefits a good cause. The new line of amusing sunscreens features Will Ferrell’s name and photo on 3 different lotions: Sexy Hot Tan, Sunstroke and Forbidden Fruit. And it benefits cancer survivors to realize their dream of a college education.
What is wonderful about these sunscreens is that they offer SPF 30 broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection and are enriched with aloe and vitamin E. The line is PABA free, Alcohol Free, Mineral Free, Fragrance Free and is marketed as being non-greasy and designed for an active lifestyle.
What’s not so wonderful about the line are some of its active ingredients, which are listed as Homosalate, Oxybenzone, Octisalate, Avobenzone and Octocrylene. It’s good to see that avobenzone is appropriately stabilized with octocrylene. While a very blocker of UVA rays, avobenzone is also highly photounstable (meaning that it degrades upon exposure to light). In Will Ferrell’s sunscreen line, avobenzone is stabilized with octocrylene, meaning that it can hold up in light, delivering good UVA protection.
In a previous post, however, I discussed that some sun filters, including homosalate, oxybenzone and octisalate, included in this line, possess estrogenic side effects. Studies suggest that ingredients possessing estrogenic side effects may increase the risk for breast cancer. As well, oxybenzone has been linked to skin allergies and cell damage.
