Of the more than 15 UV filters available, the FDA singled out zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as the only two it considers safe and effective.
In 1944, Benjamin Green, a World War II airman, developed one of the first sunscreens. Described as a ruby-hued petroleum jelly , it was a standard in the water survival kits of American soldiers serving in the Pacific. Post war, Green altered the formula, adding cocoa butter and coconut oil and the resulting recipe became the first iteration of Coppertone.
“Titanium dioxide can be considered a bonus ingredient in that it increases the SPF, but it provides minimal UVA protection, while zinc oxide on its own is considered a broad-spectrum UV filter because it protects from both UVB and UVA light,” says Dr. Sharyn Laughlin, dermatologist and co-founder of The Sunscreen Company.
That is until earlier this year when the U.S. Food & Drug Administration announced a forthcoming update to its safety guidelines around sunscreen ingredients, the first in 40 years.
“What is starting to become clear is the idea that coral is like a canary in a coal mine,” says Dr. Laughlin, who believes that currently the only reef- and people-safe sunscreens are mineral sunscreens which she says “are as effective or more effective” than conventional chemical sunscreens.
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