The Sunscreen Project, Part 13.2 (further updated articles)

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For those who are both new readers and as a review for my old readers, all of my posts of Part 13 of The Sunscreen Project are knowledge articles, meaning they give advice on what kinds of sunscreens to look for, what kinds of ingredients to watch out for, etc.

Thus, in this edition, I will talk about what kinds of ingredients to avoid and give evidence as to why one should. Also, I will give recommendations for what kinds of ingredients to look for and why.

As usual, the articles that I cite will be listed at the end of this post. I will not be reviewing any scientific articles and their conclusions; I will just give facts and advice. One who would like to see reviews of articles, primary research, and their results should go to the reference articles I list.

Note: If you are new to this site and are a beginner in learning about sunscreen and/or are not a particularly sciency-type person, I would suggest you to start with the first Part 13 post of the Sunscreen Project (you can find this under the "The Sunscreen Project" tab at the top of this page). Each addendum adds on to the previous articles. This section is geared to be slightly more sunscreen-aficionado geared (i.e. will be more specific and detail-based).

Without further ado, here are Chemicals to think about:

Contraindications w/ avobenzone and octinoxate:

• A combination of octinoxate degrades avobenzone via a chemical mechanism involving alkenes and cinnamates
• Some companies try to minimize this effect by adding in stabilizers such as octocrylene. However, octocrylene isn't completely effective
• Bottom line, there's still research going on in this field. For now it's best to be safe by choosing products that don't contain octinoxate and avobenzone together.

Zinc oxide vs. Titanium Dioxide (ZnO vs TiO2):

• The two most popular inorganic sunscreen active ingredients that are approved for use by the US FDA in the United States are zinc oxide and titanium oxide. 
• Of these two ingredients, zinc oxide provides more comprehensive coverage of UVA and UVB rays, and is less photoreactive and toxic than TiO2.
• Recommendation: choose products that contain ZnO over those with TiO2.

Oxybenzone:

• Oxybenzone is a US FDA approved product for protection against UVB rays. It was first approved in the 1970s.
• Recent studies by the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) have found that in laboratory settings, oxybenzone has been linked to "allergies, hormone disruption, and cell damage." It's even been shown to be linked to low-birth weight in baby girls. Definitely not so cool.
• Bottom line? The thing is that the studies on "allergies, hormone disruption, and cell damage" were done on murine (mouse models) and rat models. Inherently, mouse and rat skin is a lot more sensitive than human skin. Therefore, the results have to be taken with a grain of salt when applying them to human skin. However, it is probably safer to not use products with oxybenzone on babies.

Retinyl palmitate:

• Retinyl palmitate is a form of Vitamin A that is found in many sunscreens. It is often recommended by dermatologists as an anti-aging factor.
• In 2010, studies conducted by the Environmental Working Group proposed that this ingredient may increase the risk of skin cancer. However, this was done in murine models. Once again, since murine and human skin are different in many ways, conclusions must be applied with a grain of salt when looking at human skin.
• A 2011 study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology disproved the EWG's results, suggesting that retinyl palmitate is actually safe.
• Bottom line? If you are extra scared, don't get sunscreens with retinyl palmitate. However, products with it shouldn't be too bad.

Overall thoughts:

• The thing is that a lot of these chemicals were tested in a lab and not actually on people. Also, a lot of these chemicals were tested in ways that were not taking into account their interactions with other ingredients that are in the sunscreens themselves. Think lack of accounting of synergistic effects of other ingredients.
• Fear also plays a factor here: think about all of the hype we hear about on the news. Some stabbing, some shooting, some poisoning, some threat out in in "foreign waters", etc. Very little portrayed news shows all sides of the story - often times, it is just the sensational parts that are published. Don't get sucked in - research all parts of the story before making conclusions.

With these factors in mind, here are the sunscreens that I've previously reviewed that people who are worried about these factors may want to think about:

Part 3: Solbar Avo SPF 32
Part 4: Pur~lisse Essential Daily Moisturizer SPF 30
Part 5: Coppertone Sport SPF 30

Part 8: Clean & Clear Finishes Oil-Free Pore Perfecting Moisturizer w/ SPF 15

Part 9: Coppertone Oil Free Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30
Part 12: Avon Anew Rejuvenate 24-Hour Eye Cream, SPF 25
Part 15: Neutrogena Healthy Defense Daily SPF 50
Part 16: Murad Essential-C Day Moisture SPF 30
Part 19: Murad Essential-C Eye Cream SPF 15

Sources:
John Su - Futurederm: Toxicity of Inorganic vs Organic Sunscreen Ingredients
John Su - Futurederm: How does Octinoxiate Degrade Avobenzone?

Oxybenzone problems:

CNN
The Daily Green
The Environmental Working Group
FitSugar
US Health News

Retinyl palmitate:

CNN
The Daily Green
Futurederm
US Health News

Lent is over

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I gave up blogging on VitaminCGoodness, but I'm back!!!

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Anyway, so reviews, thoughts, and meaderings on skincare and beauty products resume =D

The Sunscreen Project, Part 21

My next sunscreen in line to be reviewed is Origins A Perfect World SPF 25 Age-Defense Moisturizer with White Tea (1.7oz).

Source: I received two bottles of this at Sephora and Origins (separate shop) on Earth Day last year. There was a special promotion where you could recycle a bottle of one of your used-up beauty products (including shampoo, haircare, etc) and receive a 1.7 oz of either this or another moisturizer. I decided to go for two products with spf due to my concerns about Texas sun.

Ingredients (taken from NIH's DailyMed site):


Active ingredients Purpose
avobenzone 3.00% Sunscreen
octisalate 5.00% Sunscreen
octocrylene 2.70% Sunscreen

Inactive ingredients: 

water; citrus aurantium amara (bitter orange) flower water, anthemis nobilis (chamomile) flower water ∙ butyloctyl salicylate ∙ ethyl macadamiate ∙ methyl trimethicone jojoba esters ∙ butylene glycol ∙ lauryl peg-9 polydimethylsiloxyethyl dimethicone ∙ peg-100 stearate ∙ glyceryl stearate ∙ citrus aurantium bergamia (bergamot) fruit oil1, citrus medica limonum (lemon) peel oil1, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) oil1, cinnamomum camphora (camphor) bark oil1, mentha viridis (spearmint) leaf oil1, magnolia acuminata flower extract, iris pallida (orris) root extract, rosa damascena (rose) extract, citral, linalool, limonene ∙ camellia sinensis (white tea) leaf extract ∙ pinus pinaster bark/bud extract ∙ arabidopsis thaliana extract ∙ ascorbyl tocopheryl maleate ∙ oryzanol ∙ ergothioneine ∙ triticum vulgare (wheat) germ extract ∙ hordeum vulgare (barley) extract ∙ cholesterol ∙ caffeine ∙ mangifera indica (mango) seed butter ∙ butyrospermum parkii (shea butter) ∙ potassium cetyl phosphate ∙ cetyl alcohol ∙ ethylhexylglycerin ∙ linoleic acid ∙ squalane ∙ sodium hyaluronate ∙ caprylyl glycol ∙ dehydroxanthan gum ∙ silica ∙ ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/vp copolymer ∙ citric acid ∙ sodium stearate ∙ sodium dehydroacetate ∙ phenoxyethanol ∙ mica <iln36381>



Seeing that Origins is a company that prides itself on using "natural" ingredients, the schlew of oils and other extracts is not surprising.

Once again, here are the qualifications I look for in a sunscreen:

• Preferably inorganic (derived from zinc oxide or titanium oxide)
• At least SPF30 coverage (following US FDA recommendations)
• Doesn't break me out or give me a rash
• Preferably does not give me a white cast
• Does not contain oxybenzone or retinyl palmitate (future article coming out soon)
• Is affordable

Now, let's see how this sunscreen did.

Pros:

• No white cast
• No oxybenzone or retinyl palmitate
• Provides both UVA and UVB ray coverage (active ingredients include avobenzone, octisalate, and octocrylene)
• Provides the highest level of avobenzone possible, as allowed by US FDA guidelines (3%)

Neutrals:

• Uses organic sunscreen ingredients (listed active ingredients)

Cons:

• "Comedogenic-ness": When I first tried out this sunscreen, I applied it directly to my face. Not surprisingly, with all of the essential oils and extracts, I broke out. However, afterward, I decided to apply it just to my neck, and it was fine - no more breakouts.
• Price: This product sells for $39.50 (1.7 oz) on Sephora.com. Definitely very very pricey.
• Lower SPF coverage (SPF 25)

Overall, while I am definitely very thankful for my two tubes of product, I do not think I will purchase the product. It is definitely very pricey and there definitely seem to be cons that in some ways outweigh the pros.

An additional shout-out: To my best friend (who also got the sunscreen from the same promotion): What is your opinion of it? Lemme know via the comments, Skype, in person, or something!

Source: 1

Review: Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream (Normal-Combo skin)

This. is. da. bomb.

I have been searching for a good, non-comedogenic, light, hydrating nighttime moisturizer for my face. As you all may know, I have combination-oily, acne-prone skin. What does this mean? It means that I have normal skin around my cheek area but around my t-zone (forehead, nose, down to my chin) I am prone to getting breakouts. I definitely do have acne, depending on my levels of cortisol (a hormone that correlates with the amount of stress I'm under). And of course, around the hormonal changes that surround most women, etc.

I got a sample of this product originally in the mail. Oh my goodness. So light, yet refreshing. It is literally the first dupe I've found of Clinique's Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief.

Ingredients (Garnier product):


Water , Glycerin , Alcohol Denatured , Dimethicone , Isononyl Isononanoate , Carbomer , Dimethiconol , Chlorphenesin , Caprylyl Glycol , Sodium Hydroxide , Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Extract , Xanthan Gum , Tetrasodium EDTA , Tocopherol Acetate , Ascorbyl Glucoside , Methoxypropanediol , Magnesium Gluconate , Sodium Citrate , Benzyl Salicylate , Linalool , Calcium Gluconate , Biosaccharide Gum 1 , Hydroxyisohexyl 3 Cyclohexene Carboxalde , Butylphenyl Methylpropional , Yellow 5 , Blue 1 , Fragrance , Phenoxyethanol


As you can see, the second ingredient, glycerin, is a humectant - water-retaining product. That is nice. Dimethicone is a skin protectant, which is also a nice addition

Pros:

• Really light-feeling
• Only slightly sticky (less sticky than the Clinique product)
• Really moisture-retaining
• Doesn't make me break out (non-comedogenic)
• Price ($7 for 1.7 oz at HEB/Target/Walmart/wherever, vs. Clinique, which is $37 for the same size at Sephora)

Cons:

• Really big, heavy scent (characteristic of most Garnier products, in fact)
• Jar packaging - susceptible to bacteria

Overall, I definitely liked this product. The pros definitely outweigh the cons. Personally, in some aspects, I like this better than Clinique's because it feels less sticky, and of course because of the price. I could buy 5 Garnier's for just one Clinique! Seriously!

I have just repurchased this.

Source: 1 / 2

Hair issues

Unedited fob pose. Look at the crazy light hair color!

Confession: I think the quality of my hair has gotten worse.

When I was younger, I used to have dark, smooth, silky, strong East Asian hair. Later on in life, southern Gulf Coast USA weather sunbleached it to a dark brown.

My hair has been getting lighter in color since.

I have gone to the same cosmetologist for the past 6-7 years. She is very detailed and knows how to do perfect East Asian female cuts. And she charges for $15 a cut + tip. (what a great deal!) Anyway the point is that she's stated that the quality of my hair has been getting worse throughout the years. It's still shiny; it's still silky, straight, etc. But these characteristics are now not because of a result of my natural/inherent body, but because of products as well.

• I now have to put in hair serum in order to make my hair feel smooth and silky
• I do co-washes every other day to prevent shampoo from damaging it
• Split ends come in a lot.

What is going on?

Well, for starters, around the time my hair first started changing quality, I had:

• Changed my diet - a lot less cheese, milk, red meat, etc
• Been under a lot of high school stress - college apps, scholarship apps, etc
• Been deprived of sleep
• Involved in a lot of competitions

Perhaps the chronically high levels of cortisol were diverting resources away from hair quality and more toward surviving?

• During my junior year of college, I started growing it out a lot. I was still shampooing it 1x/day, every day, and I guess the sulfates really got to my hair. Lots of split ends. I had never, ever, ever gotten split ends before. Etc.
• Based on recommendations, I actually have to eat protein and stuff now. So red meat, milk, Greek yogurt, etc - have to be in the equation.
• Now, going into anatomy lab = formaldehyde/formalin exposure (which I have been going to for the past 7 months)
• The condo that I live in is quite old (perhaps around 30-40 years old) so perhaps something with the walls/ventilation system/air created as a result?

What do I do now to prevent this (or at least as much as I can)?

• Use a hair serum every night - rub into hair's roots and ends
• Cut off ends of hair every 2 months
• Do a co-wash every other day
• Use a sulfate-free shampoo

So far it seems like it's worked but I've still got to work on it. I hope it'll get better!