Check Your Sunscreen! These Everyday Chemicals Could Harm Your Hormone Health, Doctor Warns—Plus, What To Look For Instead
July 1, 2024 by Faith Geiger
With summer in full swing, many of us are reaching for our sunscreens to protect our skin from harmful UV rays. And that’s good! Sun protection is crucial to your health. However, it’s also crucial to be conscious of the ingredients and chemicals you’re putting onto your skin and into your body via sunscreen.
In a recent TikTok, Dr. Robert Love, a neuroscientist dedicated to helping people prevent Alzheimer’s disease with science, has brought to light some concerning information about the chemicals found in many sunscreens. According to Dr. Love, some of these chemicals can disrupt your hormones, posing potential health risks. Here’s what you need to know to make safer choices for your sunscreen this summer.
“It’s really unfortunate, there are a lot of health products like sunscreen that contain chemicals in them that can get into your body. And they can disrupt your hormones,” warns Dr. Love in his video. He warns that these chemicals, often found in common sunscreens, can penetrate the skin and interfere with the body’s endocrine system, which regulates hormones.
For starters, Dr. Love specifically highlights two chemicals to avoid: oxybenzone and octinoxate. “They can be hormone disruptors,” he explains. While some products, like the Banana Boat Sport 30 SPF he mentions, proudly display labels indicating they are free from these harmful chemicals, the issue is far from resolved. “The problem is this,” Dr. Love continues, “The sunscreen also has other hormone disruptors like avobenzone and octocrylene.”
Hormone disruptors like these in sunscreens and other personal care products can interfere with natural hormones in the body, leading to a range of potential health effects. For instance, they may disrupt reproductive function, alter hormone levels, and contribute to other health risks. These effects can be particularly concerning when these chemicals are absorbed through the skin and accumulate in the body over time.