What Are The Best Sunscreen Ingredients?

Sunscreen gave you a bad rash?

Still got a sunburn after a few hours in the sun?

So many sunscreens aren’t up to the job. Their UV filters are either irritating as hell or are so unreliable, they stop working within a couple of hours.

But how can you tell which ones you can trust? Don’t worry, I’ve done the work for you. Below, you can find the best (read, gentlest and most stable) sunscreen ingredients. Look out for them on the label:

Zinc Oxide

What it is: a white mineral. Friends call it ZnO.

What it does: it protects, on its own, from the entire UV range. It works by absorbing and transforming most UV rays into a less damaging form of energy (heat) and scattering away the rest.

Side effects: it’s thick and can leave a white cast behind.

Where to find it: EltaMD UV Pure Broad-Spectrum SPF47 and MDSolarSciences Mineral Creme Broad Spectrum SPF 50 UVA-UVB Sunscreen

Related: Why Zinc Oxide Is The Best Sunscreen Ingredient Ever

Mexoryl

What it is: a chemical sunscreen ingredient developed and patented by L’Oreal. It’s also called Ecamsule.

What it does: it protects from all UVA and some UVB rays  It’s very photostable, so it doesn’t degrade (and lose effectiveness) too quickly when exposed to sunlight.

Side effects: irritations are rare.

Where to find it: La Roche Posay Anthelios XL Ultra Light Fluid SPF 50+

Related: What Are The Best Sunscreens With Mexoryl?

Tinosorb S and Tinosorb M

What they are: two chemical sunscreens widely available in Europe and Asia, but not yet approved for use in the US. Tinosorb S is also called bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine and Tinosorb M hides under the name methylene bis-benzotriazolyl tetramethylbutylphenol.

What they do: they protect from all UVA and some UVB rays. Both are photostable and help prevent other UV filters, like Avobenzone, from degrading and losing their effectiveness too soon.

Side effects: irritations are rare.

Where to find it: Eucerin Sun Allergy Protection Sun Creme-Gel SPF 50

Titanium Dioxide

What it is: a white mineral.

What it does: it protects from all UVB and some UVA rays. Like zinc oxide, it absorbs and transforms most UV rays into a less damaging form of energy and scatters the rest away.

Side effects: it can leave a white cast behind.

Where to find it: EltaMD UV Pure Broad-Spectrum SPF47 and Replenix Sheer Physical Sunscreen Cream SPF 50

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The Bottom Line

Plenty of UV filters are unreliable. Stick to the ones above and you’ll be safe both from sun and irritations.

What active sunscreen ingredients do you prefer to use and why? Let me know your faves in the comments below.

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What Are The Best Sunscreen Ingredients? syndicated from Beautiful With Brains
July 14, 2019 at 04:50AM