What is the difference between using a Mineral suncream and a chemical based suncream?

Mineral based suncream, is usually made with Zinc oxide or Titanium dioxide.

Zinc oxide is a natural earth mineral that works as a reflector of the light in your skin. That is the reason why mineral based suncreams are called physical protection suncreams.

Zinc oxide is one of the two ingredients that have been classified as safe to use in suncreams by the FDA. Zinc oxide is one of the most effective natural protectors there are.

The most common mineral suncream is made with is non-nano zinc oxide, which sits on top of the skin and refracts the sun's UV rays. The active ingredient doesn't get absorbed into your skin internally or your bloodstream.

In contrast, chemical based suncreams work differently. They use a variety of chemical ingredients that can penetrate your skin. The most common chemicals found in conventional suncreams, oxybenzone, octinoxate, get absorbed into the skin, which then convert UV rays to heat.

The FDA proposed that 14 ingredients commonly found in convetional suncreams needed additional data from safety and efficay testing.

For example oxybenzone one of the most common ingredients in conventional suncream, has the potential to be a problem because it gets easily absorbed by the skin. It can then pass through the bloodstream, and circulate throughout the body, which could negatively impact several parts of the body. Oxybenzone has been linked to endocrine disruption and could affect hormonal health.

The negative effects of these chemicals can not only be detrimental for your health, but once absorbed and then eliminated they can pose a risk to marine wildlife, in some parts of the world the use of Oxybenzone and Octinoxate haven been banned and they don't allow the use of suncreams containing these ingredients. In contrast mineral based suncreams containing zinc oxide are safe to be used in the delicate marine and coral reef areas.

Using only mineral suncream without any other chemical ingredients will act as a reflectant, blocking the UVB and UVA rays. Our mineral suncream at Lily Body Organic has just 4 ingredients: Non-nano zinc oxide, beeswax, that creates a film in your skin, and helps to keep the moisture of the skin, organic shea butter that hydrates and nourishes your skin and organic coconut oil.

Chemical based suncreams made with oxybenzone and Octocrylene, have a margin profit of more than 97%, .In comparison mineral suncreams are 4 times more expensive to make. That is the reason the industry favoured chemical suncreams in detriment of mineral based ones.

Mineral based suncream made with non-nano zinc oxide is non irritant to the skin, is hypoallergenic, it is anti-inflammatory which may help calm acne, rosacea, eczema and other conditions. It also provides a broad spectrum sun protection by reflecting both UVA and UVB, helping to prevent sunburn.

Non-nano Zinc Oxide is also soothing to the skin it can help to reduce redness, making it useful for sensitive skin. It is also comedogenic which means it is unlikely to clog pores, making it suitable for acne prone skin. It also protects against hyperpigmentaion by reducing UV-induced skin damage that can cause dark spots.