First let me say that I have been a student of natural health for over a decade now. I have read countless health articles on Mercola.com, Natural News, Green Med Info, and other reputable, science-backed websites on the health dangers associated with the toxic ingredients contained in commonly sold and used tanning oils, lotions and sunscreens. Unfortunately, I was still brainwashed or allowed to be scared into believing I needed to use these things in order to ‘protect’ myself from THE SUN, and it took a horrific first-hand experience to bring the reality of what I, in my heart and mind, already knew to the fore of my consciousness, that these chemicals are indeed VERY harmful and are not to be fooled with.
I traveled to Kenya a few months ago (January/Feb. of 2019) for just 2 weeks, JUST TWO WEEKS. Disregarding and putting out of mind everything that I knew of the dangers of these mainstream sun protection products, I slathered myself with a toxic store-bought tanning oil which I had bought the previous summer when I went to Bali. It is a commonly known brand of one of the most popular tanning oils, but the brand is not important, as ALL sunscreens and tanning products on the store shelves that are not 100% natural contain the same or similar variety of toxic ingredients. It's an oil that I had used multiple times before, and I hadn’t had any untoward reaction, but then, I had always been in a place where I had access to a warm shower and could wash the toxic brew off as soon as I came indoors. In Kenya, that was not the case. The water in my hotel room was always cold, ice cold, and it was intolerable. It was torture just to let it hit me for the couple minutes I was able to bear. So for two weeks, I contiuously applied and reapplied these chemical toxins to my skin, not properly washing them off, and then shaving, opening up the pores of my skin further… Upon my return following those two weeks there, I realized my skin appeared wrinkled and spotted, as if I had aged 50 years in just those two weeks' time, and I had what appeared like perpetual goosebumps, as well as red, painful bumps, all over my legs and arms. Then one morning I woke up to big, red welts all up and down my neck and on my upper back and chest. I was so scared. I knew what had caused it. I knew. Now I had to hope and pray that I could find a natural way to repair the damage that I had done. I used everything at my disposal and everything I could think of.... bentonite clay, essential oils, natural herb-infused skin salves and lotions, colloidal silver, Bragg’s apple cider vinegar, skin brushing… I did a liver/gallbladder cleanse, used a skin detox herbal formula, a couple lymph detox formulas, a couple adrenal formulas, upped my vitamin C, D, E, and A intake, ate a clean fruit and vegetable diet (for the most part), and now 3 months later, my skin is looking and feeling much much better, but I still have a ways to go. I continue to treat my skin with herbal salves three times a day, and use Bragg’s ACV and colloidal silver gel twice a day on the parts that need it most, and I thank God for giving me everything that I need, in Nature, and I have promised myself to never dishonor my body like that again and to actually take my own preaching and teaching to heart, and to live it 100%. Could I have damaged my skin permanently? I always thought ANYthing could heal, especially the skin but,... Lord knows what these toxic chemical are capable of. I consider myself the canary in the coal mine, and I have been humbled and taught a hard lesson. Now I must spread the word and warn others. If just one person will stop using those toxic sunscreens and lotions and oils or will recover their skin condition from what I share here today, it will be worth it.
For a list of all-natural, SAFE sun protection products, as per the Environmental Working Group, there is a very good list here in an article by WellnessMama.com https://wellnessmama.com/55366/sunscreen-is-harmful/, and Dr. Mercola (www.mercola.com) has some very good, all-natural sunscreens as well.
So, here are the ingredients listed on the tanning oil/sunscreen I used. Again, these ingredients are commonly found in all of the best-selling, most popular tanning oils and lotions out there. It’s important to read the labels of anything before you buy it, especially if it’s going on your skin or in your mouth.
Ingredients
Active Ingredients: Octinoxate (5.0)%, Octocrylene (5.0)%, Oxybenzone (3.0%), Padimate O (8.0%). Inactive Ingredients: Mineral Oil, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Dipropylene Glycol Dibenzoate, Ppg-15 Stearyl Ether Benzoate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Musa Sapientum (Banana) Fruit Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E Acetate), Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A), Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Isopropylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Butylparaben, Fragrance.
So let’s look more deeply into some of these chemical ingredients and see what science openly reports about them.
Octinoxate:
From the Environmental Working Group website:
• Endocrine disruption
• Biochemical or cellular level changes
• Allergies/immunotoxicity
• Developmental/reproductive toxicity
• Persistence and bioaccumulation
• Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
• Ecotoxicology
• Enhanced skin absorption
Human endocrine disruptor - strong evidence European Commission on Endocrine Disruption
One or more studies show significant wildlife and the environment disruption
Produces excess reactive oxygen species that can interfere with cellular signaling, cause mutations, lead to cell death and may be implicated in cardiovascular disease.
One or more animal studies show developmental effects at high doses Schneider
One or more animal studies show reproductive effects at high doses
Ingredient is suspected or measured to accumulate in people
One or more animal studies show liver effects at high doses
And from an article in Women’s Health Magazine:
“…Though SPF products are designed to protect skin from sun-induced aging, octinoxate may actually be a culprit for premature aging, as it produces menacing free radicals that can damage skin and cells…” 2
Excuse me??? What was that?! This chemical that people are applying to their SKIN with the intention of PROTECTING their skin is known to produce free radicals and that it can damage skin and cause premature aging???!!! Well, isn’t that just oxymoronic (or just moronic)? Unbelievable! But moving on…
Octocrylene
From the Environmental Working Group website:
Produces excess reactive oxygen species that can interfere with cellular signaling, cause mutations, lead to cell death and may be implicated in cardiovascular disease.
Ingredient is suspected or measured to accumulate in people
Found to be persistent and bioaccumulative in wildlife
Other HIGH concerns: Biochemical or cellular level changes;
Other MODERATE concerns: Persistence and bioaccumulation;
Other LOW concerns: Ecotoxicology, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)
About OCTOCRYLENE: Octocrylene is a common sunscreen ingredient. It may cause allergic skin reactions in sensitive individuals. 3
And from Women’s Health Magazine:
“…When this chemical is exposed to UV light, it absorbs the rays and produces oxygen radicals that can damage cells and cause mutations. It is readily absorbed by your skin and may accumulate within your body in measurable amounts. Plus, it can be toxic to the environment…” 2
So again! Here is a chemical commonly found in sunscreen products, that is readily absorbed through the skin, bioaccumulates, and that when exposed to UV light, produces free-radicals that can damage cells and cause mutations! Why would this even be allowed??? Answer, the FDA is NOT there for our protection and is NOT looking out for yours or my best interests, but is there for the protection of Big Business, and ergo, the chemical business. We must look out for our own best interests, and we have to stop being complacent and apathetic, and start caring and being proactive with regard to what we allow on and inside our own bodies.
Next…
Oxybenzone
From the Women’s Health Magazine:
“Oxybenzone This penetration enhancer … undergoes a chemical reaction when exposed to UV rays. When oxybenzone is absorbed by your skin, it can cause an eczema-like allergic reaction that can spread beyond the exposed area and last long after you're out of the sun. Experts also suspect that oxybenzone disrupts hormones […] which can throw off your endocrine system. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 97 percent of Americans have this chemical circulating in our bodies, as it can accumulate more quickly than our bodies can get rid of it.” 2
Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A Palmitate)
“…When exposed to the sun's UV rays, retinol compounds break down and produce destructive free radicals that are toxic to cells, damage DNA, and may lead to cancer. In fact, FDA studies have shown that retinyl palimitate may speed the development of malignant cells and skin tumors when applied to skin before sun exposure…” 2
If you’re not angry by now, you’re not paying attention!!! Read that paragraph again! One more time… This retinyl palmitate, a common ingredient in lotions and oils that people all over the world, every day, are applying to their skin for protection, to avoid skin damage, to avoid developing skin cancer, is KNOWN, and is SHOWN in the FDA’s own studies, to potentially (which means definitively does) produce free radicals, damage DNA, and speed the development of malignant cells and skin tumors when applied to skin before sun exposure…”! 2 Well, when do they think these lotions are typically applied??? AFTER sun exposure? For Pete’s sake! If it weren’t so down-right evil, I would be in tears over the ridiculousness of it all! But wait! There’s more!
Padimate O
From the Environmental Working Group’s website:
HIGH concerns: Biochemical or cellular level changes, Contamination concerns;
Other LOW concerns: Enhanced skin absorption, Ecotoxicology, Endocrine disruption
About PADIMATE O: A derivative of the once-popular PABA sunscreen ingredient, research shows this chemical releases free radicals, damages DNA, has estrogenic activity, and causes allergic reactions in some people.
Function(s): Sunscreen Agent; Ultraviolet Light Absorber 4
Produces excess reactive oxygen species that can interfere with cellular signaling, cause mutations, lead to cell death and may be implicated in cardiovascular disease.
One or more in vitro tests on mammalian cells show positive mutation results
Associated with immunotoxicity or allergies
20,352 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical 4
Are we beginning to see a pattern here? For fear of being redundant, again, here is yet another chemical added to the already aforementioned toxic brew, that is allowed to be included in a product and sold to people as a purported skin protectant, that has been shown in studies to create free-radical damage, genetic mutations, allergic reactions, immune-compromise… And this is just this one chemical alone, in isolation! With three, four, five, ten of these toxic chemicals taken and applied to the skin in combination, it is NO WONDER my skin aged 50 years in just 2 weeks’ time and I had such a horrendous reaction! It’s amazing that it didn’t happen sooner! And I’m sure I’m not the only person this has happened to! Fortunately, being I HAD studied natural health for so long, I had a lot of weapons in my natural health arsenal and didn’t jump from the pot into the fire by going to a skin doctor or to the hospital for help. We all know where that would have led. No place good! While my skin is still not back to what it was before, it has made tremendous improvement, and I thank the Creator each and every day for it. So for those who are suffering with skin conditions of your own, here is a list of the natural products I have been using and that I have found to be of great relief and benefit.
- Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar
- Alive Coconut Oil
- Kuumba Made Herbal Salve
- Medicine Mama’s Sweet Bee Magic
- Dr. Morse’s Cellular Botanicals Skin/Burn Salve
- Dr. Morse’s herbal formulas (skin, lymph, liver/gallbladder, kidney & bladder, adrenal formulas) www.drmorsesherbalhealthclub.com (or contact me)
- Super Silver Gel
- Shea Moisture Mommy Firming Massage Lotion
- Baking soda and Himalayan salt body scrub (just made my own)
- Essential oils (various brands) – tea tree, frankincense, lavender, lemon, tangerine, peppermint, and oregano
Again, I hope this helps, if only just one reader. Thank you for listening and for taking my words of warning to heart. Namaste!
Written by Suzanne Borho
Contact: s.borho@yahoo.com or just my name (Suzanne Borho) on Facebook
References
“Octinoxate.” EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. EWG.org (Environmental Working Group), n.d. https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/704203/OCTINOXATE/
“6 Scary Sunscreen Ingredients and 6 Safe SPF Products: Smarten up before you slather on.” Womenshealthmag.com. Women’s Health. Renee Loux, 23 May 2012. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/beauty/a19919520/6-scary-sunscreen-ingredients-and-6-safe-spf-products/
“Octocrylene.” EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. EWG.org (Environmental Working Group), n.d. https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/704206/OCTOCRYLENE/
“Padimate O.” EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. EWG.org (Environmental Working Group), n.d. https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/704392/PADIMATE_O/
“The Trouble With Ingredients in Sunscreens.” EWG.org (Environmental Working Group), 2019. https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/report/the-trouble-with-sunscreen-chemicals/#.WwRgTNMvw_U