Sun FAQ

Sun Protection – Just The FAQs

Why is sun protection so important?

Some sun exposure is necessary for good health. But too much sun exposure can burn skin, make it wrinkle sooner and look leathery and aged, and cause deeper damage that can lead to skin cancers.

Since you’re reading this, chances are you know about the risks of sun overexposure – and you’re looking for a more natural alternative to petrochemical-laden sun protection.

What are UV rays?

Rays of light from the sun are different lengths. Some of those lengths result in the different colors you see, for example.

UV rays are shorter than the shortest rays in the visible-light spectrum – which are the ones that your eyes perceive as the color violet. (UV stands for “ultraviolet.”)

There are 3 types of UV rays.

UVC rays are the shortest. They’re so short that they usually don’t make it through the Earth’s ozone layer to reach your skin, so UVC rays are not a concern with sun protection.
UVB rays are a little longer, and they reach your skin, but not too deeply – so UVB rays will tan your skin, and will leave surface burns. UVB rays can make your skin look leathery and wrinkle faster.
UVA rays are the longest UV rays. They not only reach your skin, they can penetrate it – and they can do a lot of damage at the cellular level, causing cellular changes that can lead to skin cancers.

What is SPF?

SPF (Sun Protection Factor) is a rating system for sun protection. The SPF of a product can be low or high – anywhere from SPF 2 to SPF 60. The number is a measure of how much longer you can stay in the sun without burning, as compared to how long you can stay in the sun without burning while wearing no protection.

Start with the amount of time in the sun that it takes to cause a burn. Say that your skin normally begins to turn red after 10 minutes of unprotected sun exposure. If you use a product rated SPF 2, your skin would not begin to turn red for twice that time: 20 minutes. If you use a sun product rated SPF 25, you could stay in the sun for 250 minutes, a little over 4 hours (25 x 10 minutes) before your skin would start to turn red.

Remember, though, that those aren’t absolute numbers. It all depends on how fast or how slowly YOU start to burn. If your unprotected skin burns in 5 minutes, an SPF 25 product might let you stay in the sun a little over 2 hours without burning (25 x 5 minutes = 125 minutes). The more melanin your skin has, the better your natural protection from burning – but even very dark-skinned people can sustain sun damage and end up with wrinkly, leathery skin and even skin cancers.

How does sun protection work?

Sun protection products can work in two basic ways:

They can physically block and reflect the sun’s rays off your skin. Ingredients like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide do this. These minerals are bright white in color and, in a sunscreen, sit on your skin’s surface and prevent UV rays from penetrating.
They can chemically absorb UV rays before those rays have a chance to penetrate and damage skin.

How do Aubrey Organics’ sun protection products work?

The active ingredients in our sunscreens are titanium dioxide plus padimate-O – two of the 17 ingredients approved as sun-protection ingredients by the FDA. Titanium dioxide reflects and scatters UV rays, while padimate-O absorbs UV rays before they can damage your skin.

Micronized ingredients are made into particles so small that they are usually measured in either microns or nanometers. The larger the particles of titanium dioxide, the more of a whitish film they leave on the skin. We use micronized titanium dioxide with an average particle size of 202 nanometers (nm), and we are very confident in the many studies and the track record of safety and effectiveness of this ingredient. (For more detail, see the “What about nanoparticles?” section below.)

There are differing opinions about the safety and efficacy of FDA-approved sunscreen ingredients. Yet everyone agrees that too much sun exposure is dangerous. So finding a sunscreen you’re comfortable with involves doing some homework and making some choices.

We chose titanium dioxide as our physical sunblock ingredient. It’s very effective and is also water-resistant – important if you’re swimming or perspiring. Yet if we used only titanium dioxide, our products would leave your skin covered in a chalky white film – and you’d be less likely to use them regularly. So we added padimate-O. After long and careful consideration, we believe padimate-O to be the most natural and safest of the limited FDA-approved sun protection ingredients that absorb UV rays.

What about nanoparticles?

You may have read about nanoparticles used in some cosmetics and sunscreens. A nanoparticle is a very tiny piece of a solid substance. “Nano” means “billion,” and a nanoparticle is defined as a particle smaller than 100 nm, or 100 billionths of a meter.

Micronized zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are often used in sun protection. (See this letter for more information on micronized zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.) As mentioned above, the smaller the particle size, the less visible the ingredient is. A sunscreen with smaller particles of these ingredients will leave less of a whitish film on your skin.

The safety issue of these ingredients has been studied extensively over the past 5 years or so. The overwhelming number of studies indicates that nanoparticulate titanium dioxide does not get past the epidermis. We recommend this article from the Environmental Working Group for deeper background and study results on this issue.

What else should I keep in mind when using sun protection?

Sun protection is especially important when the sun’s rays are more direct – during peak UV hours, or when you are closer to the equator. In addition, you can avoid sun exposure when the rays are strongest (generally between 10AM – 3PM), and wear hats and clothing to filter out UV rays. It’s also important to remember to apply sun protection products 15 to 30 minutes BEFORE sun exposure – and to reapply them frequently, especially after swimming or perspiring, or toweling off. Usually one ounce of sunscreen, enough to fill a shot glass, is enough to cover most exposed skin.

Sun protection isn’t just for days at the beach, though. Your face and hands especially are exposed to UV rays when you’re outside, even on cloudy days. The window glass of your car blocks UVB rays, the rays that burn your skin – but glass doesn’t block UVA rays, the ones that do the deepest tissue damage. So wearing a little sun protection when you’re driving is a good idea.

What’s the best choice for me?

It all depends on your priorities. You can choose to avoid sun exposure almost entirely with clothing and by avoiding those times when the sun’s rays are most direct. This isn’t practical for a lot of people – but it may be practical for you.

Most people are willing to accept some risk rather than avoid the sun altogether. The risks of sun damage are very real and potentially quite serious, but they can be lessened by the use of protective clothing, by watching when you’re in the sun, and by using sun protection products you feel safe with. There’s no perfect answer for everyone. We hope you’ll continue reading about sun protection and making your decisions based on the best information available. Here are links to sources and studies that may help you make the best choice for you and your family.

References and further reading:

1. Environmental Working Group - Special Report on Skin Safety. Accessed December 9, 2008.
2. US Food and Drug Admin. (FDA) – Sunscreen Drug Products - 21CFR352. Accessed December 9, 2008.
3. Titanium Dioxide Safety Information. Accessed December 9, 2008.
4. Sunscreens and Sunblocks Guide. Accessed December 9, 2008.