What is benzene in sunscreen?

Benzene in sunscreen: What you need to know

It is a highly flammable chemical that is a natural part of crude oil, gasoline, and cigarette smoke and is used to make plastics, nylon, and synthetic products. It is also used to make some types of lubricants, rubbers, dyes, detergents, drugs, and pesticides.

Why is benzene in sunscreen bad?

Experts' primary issue is that benzene has long been recognized as a known carcinogen (a Class 1 carcinogen as classified by a subset of the World Health Organization), and benzene-contaminated sunscreens pose a risk for unintentional absorption over time, even if the exact risk threshold for skin isn't clear currently ...

Do all sunscreens contain benzene?

Benzene "is not an ingredient in sunscreens and never has been," he explains. In other words: Benzene is not supposed to be anywhere near the sunscreen manufacturing process.

Which sunscreen does not have benzene?

What are the 78 sunscreens with benzene?

CARCINOGENIC BENZENE in SUNSCREEN

Is oxybenzone the same as benzene?

No benzene is not the same thing as oxybenzone. In fact, Oxybenzone is a completely separate, incredibly common active ingredient found in chemical sunscreens, which are different, from zinc or titanium-based mineral sunscreens. Oxybenzone is currently under evaluation by the FDA for its safety.

What is the healthiest sunscreen?

Is benzene cancerous?

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has determined that benzene causes cancer in humans. Long-term exposure to high levels of benzene in the air can cause leukemia, cancer of the blood-forming organs.

What beauty products contain benzene?

Scientists at the indepenent analytical lab Valisure have found benzene in numerous consumer health and beauty product samples. Hand sanitizers. Spray sunblock and sun aftercare lotions. Athlete's foot and jock itch sprays.

What ingredients to avoid in sunscreens?

What are the worst sunscreens?

How much benzene is in sunscreen?

Valisure's Findings

Fourteen lots of sunscreen and after-sun care products from four different brands contained between 2.78 – 6.26 ppm of benzene; 26 lots from eight brands contained detectable benzene between 0.11 – 1.99 ppm; and 38 lots from 17 brands contained detectable benzene at < 0.1 ppm.

Why Neutrogena sunscreen is bad?

Harmful chemicals and preservatives

EWG states 80 per cent of Neutrogena sunscreens contain oxybenzone, “a hormone-disrupting sunscreen filter” and 33 per cent contain retinyl palmitate, “a form of vitamin A linked to skin damage”.

Does Hawaiian Tropic have benzene?

But Valisure also released a list of safe sunscreens and after-sun care products that didn't contain benzene. It includes name brands like Neutrogena, Equate, La Roche-Posay, Up & Up, Revlon, Banana Boat, CVS Health, Hawaiian Tropic, Coppertone, Sun Bum, and Australian Gold.

Why is benzene a carcinogen?

Benzene has been shown to cause chromosome changes in bone marrow cells in the lab. (The bone marrow is where new blood cells are made.) Such changes are commonly found in human leukemia cells.

How do you test sunscreen for benzene?

For benzene detection in sun care products, we use headspace coupled with gas chromatography (GC/FID) techniques following the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) <467>. Please contact our experts to further discuss your specific requirements. Resources: https://dermatology.ca/sunscreens-benzene-exposure-risk/

Does Aveeno baby sunscreen have benzene?

Here is the complete list of benzene sunscreen products you should avoid, as only 2 have been recalled so far: Aveeno Baby Continuous Protection Sensitive Skin Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50.

Is benzene in mineral sunscreens?

Benzene is not an ingredient in sunscreens. The fact that the Valisure tests found trace amounts of benzene present in certain batches of sunscreen is because it is likely a contaminant.

What does benzene do to your skin?

Exposure to benzene liquid or vapor can irritate the skin, eyes, and throat. Skin exposure to benzene can result in redness and blisters.

What does benzene do to the body?

Benzene poisoning can be lethal because it causes the cells in the body to work incorrectly. Benzene exposure can cause bone marrow cells to not produce red blood cells or it can can cause the white blood cells of your immune system to fail.

Why is benzene being found in products?

Why it's being found in these consumer products remains a mystery. The highest detections of benzene have been in aerosol spray products. FDA scientists hypothesize that contamination may come from inactive petroleum-derived ingredients, such as carbomers, a thickening agent, or isobutane, a spray propellant.

What is the safest sunscreen without carcinogens?

What sunscreen does not have carcinogens?

Is zinc oxide the safest sunscreen?

We've determined that zinc oxide is the safest, most effective active sunscreen ingredient available. It also stands alone in that it is a truly effective, single-ingredient, broad spectrum blocker, meaning that it protects from UVA, UVB, and even UVC rays.