LOS ANGELES, June 17 — Long criticised for containing components that present risks for both human health and the environment, sunscreens have undergone something of a reinvention in recent years to meet the concerns of a public looking for more natural, planet-friendly products. As individuals start spending more time outside — and therefore exposed to the sun — at picnics, barbecues, beaches and more, we look at some clean and innovative formulas that will protect you from UV rays all summer long.

With more than 80 per cent of skin cancers believed to be linked to excessive exposure to the sun, according to Worldwide Cancer Research, the choice of sun block as summer vacations approach is particularly important. It is necessary to choose a form of sunscreen with a suitable protection level (generally expressed as SPF), as well as a sunscreen product that corresponds to each type of skin and particular requirements. People are now looking for creams, oils and lotions that protect the skin from the sun’s harmful effects without harming their health or the environment, and as a result are gradually turning to more natural formulas.

No more harmful ingredients

To meet everyone’s expectations, many brands have developed new formulas free from controversial ingredients and sunscreens, some of them completely, while others to the utmost extent. As a result most of these brands have turned to mineral filters — such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide in powder form — considered less harmful for the skin. That’s for instance the choice of French natural sun protection brand SeventyOne Percent, whose flagship product, whether for adults or children Eco Sun Spray Invisible, is composed of 100 per cent mineral filters to ward off UVA and UVB rays, enriched with jojoba, sunflower and organic buriti oils, to provide other benefits for the skin. A vegan alternative to other brands, as a bonus, the made-in-France product is also designed to protect the oceans.

While just a few years ago they were relatively rare, mineral sunscreens have almost become the norm today, or at least are an integral part of many brands’ product lines. And when that’s not the case, today’s sunscreen formulations are essentially guaranteed to be free of organic UV filter octocrylene, a compound suspected by researchers of being carcinogenic and an endocrine disruptor. Bioregena, Korres, La Biosthétique and Praïa are among the brands that now offer formulas composed of a limited list of ingredients that are as natural and healthy as possible.

(Partially) biodegradable formulas

The chemical compounds present in some sunscreens are also harmful to coral reefs, and therefore to biodiversity. This observation has led authorities of some governments to ban sunscreens deemed toxic for the reefs — Hawaii and the Palau archipelago, for example. And so brands have reinvented their product formulations so that they have less impact on the planet; an example is Biarritz Laboratories, whose organic range Alga Maris is non-toxic for marine ecosystems, while many other brands — including those mentioned above — are already working towards more natural formulas.

Meanwhile other brands are betting on formulas that are largely biodegradable, to at least 90 per cent of the formula, such as Biotherm with its Waterlover range as well as Garnier Ambre Solaire and its eco-designed lotions, or Biosolis and its numerous organic and natural sun care products. Let’s face it, no sunscreen today can guarantee to be beneficial for coral reefs, but opting for natural and/or biodegradable formulas will at least minimise your impact on the planet. — ETX Studio