31 | Hormone Disruptors in Your Makeup, Toxic Sunscreen, and why you should care

We’ve talked a lot about stress on this podcast and how stress can be not only a physically inflammatory process on the body, how it can make you sick or impede your healing, prevent you from losing weight, actually cause you to gain weight, have hormonal and adrenal issues, etc. we’ve talked a lot about the different causes of stress… besides being stuck in traffic, hating your job, being stuck in a bad relationship, maybe you’re not sleeping enough or not eating well. We’ve also talked about how overexercising, under-eating, the constant stress of hating your body, wanting to lose weight, talking negatively to yourself, etc. can also greatly impact the level of stress you have going on in your life.

But one thing we haven’t talked much about yet are environmental factors – like the things you are exposed to every day through personal care products, cosmetics, sunscreens, and the like. Even if you’re doing everything right, daily exposure to these could be preventing you from getting rid of (or at least managing) all possible stress.

We all know the food we put in our bodies is so incredibly important for long term optimal health, what about the stuff you’re putting on your body every single day? Like lotion, shampoo, conditioner, soap, makeup, and especially for the summer – what about sunscreen? Let’s think about it. Your skin is your body’s largest organ. It also absorbs everything you put on it. So if you actually care about the quality of the foods and ingredients that are being digested in your body, what about the ones that are being absorbed by your skin?

In this episode, we talk about:

• my personal lightbulb moment about WHY I needed to switch to safer skincare (and less chemical sh*tstorms in the products I’m using)
• the dangers of conventional makeup, personal care products, and toxic sunscreen
• chemicals, hormone disruptors, and carcinogenic compounds in conventional products and how to avoid them
• why SPF over 50 means nothing
• two extremely common ingredients in sunscreens that cause much more harm than good: oxybenzone and retinyl palmitate
• how to choose the safest kind of sunscreen and personal care products

SO WHAT SUNSCREEN OPTIONS DO I HAVE?

There are two types of natural sunscreen: mineral and non-mineral. Mineral sunscreens are ones like zinc oxide, which are literally a sunBLOCK. Think beach lifeguards with that white stuff on their nose that doesn’t rub in, no matter how hard you try.

When buying a new sunscreen (or checking out the ones in your cabinet), it’s best to check the EWG’s Sunscreen Guide, the EWG Healthy Living App or the Think Dirty App. If you’re lazy, that’s fine – I’ve already gone through for you and picked out some of the best, that you can either order online or get some place like Whole Foods! Thrive Market is a great place to find safer sunscreens because they only allow a very high ingredient standard of products on their website.

Beautycounter Countersun Mineral Sunscreen Mist (a safe spray!)

Beautycounter Countersun Mineral Sunscreen Lotion

ThinkSport SPF 50+

RAW Elements Eco Form Sunscreen

Coola Mineral Face Tinted Moisturizer

Alba Botanica Natural Hawaiian Aloe Vera Sunscreen

Kiss My Face Sunscreen

The Honest Company

Badger

Block Island Organics

Bare Republic Mineral Sunscreen

Sunscreen at Thrive Market

**the one I mentioned that I did NOT like in this picture is the Goddess Garden (blue) tube – it didn’t rub in at all!

COMMON SUNSCREEN INGREDIENTS, LIKE RETINYL PALMITATE AND OXYBENZONE, CAN CAUSE SKIN TUMORS, HORMONE DISRUPTION, AND ALLERGIC REACTIONS.

KEY TAKEAWAYS – INGREDIENTS TO AVOID in sunscreens

• Avoid sprays, which can be inhaled. In 2011, the FDA said it would ban sprays unless companies could provide data to show that spray sunscreens DO protect skin, and pose no safety hazards to consumers…they’re still waiting on the data.
• OXYBENZONE is a common UV filter used in sunscreen, and is a known hormone disruptor and allergen. It penetrates the skin, enters the bloodstream, and acts like an estrogen in the body; can also trigger allergic reactions for the skin.
• RETINYL PALMITATE is a common sunscreen additive, and a form of vitamin A, that can harm skin when exposed to extended sunlight. “Government test data shows more skin tumors and lesions on animals treated with this ingredient and exposed to sunlight. (Source)
• Para amino benzoic acid
• Octyl salicyclate
• Cinoxate
• Dioxybenzone
• Phenylbenzimidazole
• Homosalate
• Menthyl anthranilate
• Octocrylene
• Methoxycinnamate
• Parabens

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