I’m interested to know if you sell natural sunscreen products. If you do, what is the SPF range? Is it water repellent for sports? What is the cost?
Thank you,
Claude
Here’s the deal: while there are some great sunscreen products on the market, I know my readers well. They prefer something where they fully understand the ingredients going into the product, and they’d like to know that they could make it themselves if they wanted to. Most importantly, they want to know that it works at least as effectively as store-bought sunscreen.
If I sold sunscreen, what would the ingredient list look like?
That’s it! No need for oxybenzone, or octinoxate, or the common sunscreen preservative methylisothiazolinone (named “allergen of the year” by the American Contact Dermatitis Society).
So if I create the recipe that my customers approve of, and follow the SPF requirements set by the FDA, I’ve got the perfect product, right?
Not so fast, surfer.
I dove into the research last summer with the hope of having something ready for you to buy in 2015. Here’s what I found:
Prior to 2012, FDA regulations for sunscreens dealt almost exclusively with protection against sunburn, which is primarily caused by ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation from the sun. Now the FDA regulates for warnings about skin cancer and early skin aging as well, which is contributed by ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation. When you read a sunscreen label offering “broad spectrum” sun protection, that product has been tested for both UVB and UVA.
If I wanted to sell a sunscreen online, here’s what I would need to do:
And so, I make sunscreen for my family, share the recipe online, sell the ingredients, and now that I’ve learned about the blending aspect of it (#3 above), I do want to make you aware that when you make sunscreen, you are making it at your own risk. As always, be aware of the dangers of overextended exposure to the sun and cover when necessary… with clothing, or sunscreen.
I will definitely leave that door open in the future, and if you have questions or comments, reply and let me know!
Renee Harris, owner
MadeOn Skin Care
P.S. Are you interested in even more research? Here are some links to read up on:
Regulatory Explainer: Understanding the Regulation of New Sunscreen Ingredients – Published March 2014. Explains which sunscreen ingredients are approved now, and why there’s a hold-up of having other sunscreen ingredients approved.
Labeling and Effectiveness Testing: Sunscreen Drug Products for Over-The-Counter Human Use – Published December 2012. Everything you want to know about labeling and testing, straight from the FDA.
The Trouble With Sunscreen Chemicals – Published 2015. The Environmental Working Group’s research on sunscreen ingredients and their safety levels.
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