Organic sunscreen: effective protection without risk?

Bio-Sonnencreme: Wirksamer Schutz ohne Risiko? (Foto: © Maridav - Fotolia.com)

Photo: © Maridav – Fotolia.com

The question of the right sun protection is unsettling every summer. Which sun protection factor do I need? Which sun creams are organic? What is it about these nanoparticles? Utopia shows which organic sunscreens you can trust.

Conventional sunscreens protect the skin with chemical filters. The substances penetrate the top layer of skin and convert the UV rays into thermal energy. What many don’t know: Chemical UV filters can endanger health.

Some of these chemical filters trigger allergies. Others act like hormones in the body, which can be particularly risky for pregnant women and nursing mothers. Researchers at the University of Zurich, for example, were able to find residues of UV filters in breast milk to prove.

Organic sunscreen works without harmful chemicals

Organic sunscreen, on the other hand, does not use any critical chemicals to protect it from the sun: Instead, mineral filters such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are used to absorb UV rays. Mineral sunscreen is called “mineral” because the substances that make up its UV filters occur naturally in the form of minerals.

In order for organic sunscreen to appear more transparent and to avoid the unpopular “snowman effect”, the mineral substances are often reduced in size. It is controversial how small the particles that are created may be.

Nanoparticles in organic sunscreen? Controversial

Particles that are smaller than 100 nanometers (i.e. one ten thousandth of a millimeter) are classified as EU Nanoparticles designated. They are found in conventional sunscreens with chemical filters as well as in some mineral organic sunscreens, there mainly as titanium dioxide in nanoform. So far it is not clear how nanoparticles work in the body.

It is certain that minerals change their chemical and physical properties through nanotechnology and can react with other molecules in the body. Whether they are harmful to health is as controversial as the question of whether nanoparticles contained in sunscreen can penetrate healthy skin at all.

You can find more information on nanoparticles in cosmetics at FEDERATION as well as in this article:

Fortunately, it is easy to see whether a sunscreen contains nanoparticles: Since July 2013, nanomaterials that have been made for cosmetics have had to contain the addition “(nano)” in the list of ingredients. You can also use the Codecheck app to scan the barcode of the cream for nanoparticles.

Because there is still insufficient research into how nanoparticles can affect health and the environment, we recommend Utopia until further notice only mineral organic sunscreens without nanoparticles. You can find the best organic sun protection in our best list here:

Leaderboard: Mineral organic sunscreen

1st placeEco Cosmetics organic sun protection

3.9

27th

DetailAvocadostore **
place 2Eubiona organic sunscreen

4.6

7

detailAmazon **
place 3i + m Sun Protect sun protection care

5.0

5

detailBioNaturel **
4th placeLavera organic sun protection

3.2

58

detailBioNaturel **
5th placeBiosolis organic sun protection

5.0

2nd

detailEcco Verde **
Rank 6Laboratoires de Biarritz organic sun protection Alga Maris

5.0

1

DetailAvocadostore **
7th placeWeleda organic sun protection Edelweiss

2.5

4th

detailBioNaturel **
8th placeAlteya organic sunscreen

0.0

0

detailRacoon**
9th placeBoep organic sunscreen

0.0

0

detailAmazon **
Place 10Speick Sun organic sun protection

0.0

0

detailBioNaturel **

Organic sunscreen with titanium dioxide? Also controversial

Mineral sunscreens usually contain titanium dioxide and / or zinc oxide, often in nanoform (see previous section).

Titanium dioxide is currently under criticism because it may cause cancer if inhaled. It could therefore be that titanium dioxide will be banned in food in the future, which has been the case in France since this year. Here you can find more background information on titanium dioxide:

According to current knowledge, titanium dioxide from sunscreen is not absorbed through the skin, like the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) in May 2020 in one opinion announced. Many questions are still unanswered, for example, titanium dioxide is prohibited in sun sprays according to the BfR so that it cannot be inhaled.

Zinc oxide, however, is considered harmless, so the BfR however already in 2010. Two years ago (2018) the European Chemicals Agency gave the order to re-evaluate zinc oxide, but the results are not yet available. We continue to pursue the debate on titanium dioxide and zinc oxide and will adapt this article as new knowledge emerges. If you want to tell us something about the topic, write to [email protected]

However, there is currently no evidence that the use of titanium and zinc oxide in skin care products is a danger to humans. So we can still recommend mineral sunscreens (but no sprays), if they don’t contain nanoparticles. You can find the best of these creams in our leaderboard.

Conventional sunscreen as an alternative

A persistent problem: Despite major improvements in recent years, many mineral sunscreens cannot yet be applied as well as conventional ones and form a white film on the skin.

If that prevents you from using organic sunscreen, there is only the least evil to choose from among conventional products. Öko-Test and Stiftung Warentest have repeatedly rated sunscreens with chemical UV filters as “good” or even “very good” in recent years – we took a closer look at the best products.

You can find the results in our sunscreen test:

How high should the sun protection factor be?

In the meantime, mineral organic sunscreens also achieve high sun protection factors of 30 or 50. But be careful: high sun protection factors are not only easy to sell, but also tempt you to take care of the sun’s rays without worry. Such high sun protection factors do not have to be.

Dr. med. Gerrit Schlippe explains in the Utopia interview on sunburnthat sun protection with SPF 20 to 25 is completely sufficient if you behave reasonably.

Rules of conduct for sensible enjoyment of the sun

Sunbathing is a wonderful thing – it gets even better if you follow the tips below.

Apply correctly: Approximately 25 milliliters of sunscreen should be applied per full body application. That roughly corresponds to a shot glass. Don’t forget your nose, ears, back of your feet and shoulders. Repeat the lotion after bathing, drying or wearing clothes. Note, however, that renewed creaming has no influence on the SPF and does not prolong sunbathing.
Wear clothing: Textiles are the best protection against the sun. Don’t forget the headgear either.
Out of the sun: Avoid the midday sun and look for a cool, shady spot from around 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Spend most of the time in the shade on particularly hot days and avoid long periods in the blazing sun.

Read also: Why the best Sunscreen for children Another mineral organic sunscreen is:

Note: In an earlier version of this article, it was wrongly said that titanium and zinc oxide primarily reflected sunlight instead of absorbing it. This unsubstantiated claim is unfortunately also found in many other media and with some manufacturers. We corrected the mistake.

Read more on Techzle.com: