The Aim of This Article The purpose of this article is to discuss the pros and cons of sunscreens labeled as “natural”, “organic”, “hypoallergenic”, or “biodegradable” in an unbiased manner. What are Natural Sunscreens? Claims like “all ingredients are derived from natural substances” can be often found on some sunscreen packages. There is no regulation that would tell which sunscreens may be called natural. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, natural means “existing in, or produced by nature”, “not artificial”, meaning “not man made”. However, the process of deriving ingredients from a natural source may include artificial procedures and artificial substances, making originally natural product unnatural. Besides that, ingredient is not automatically safe just because it is natural. Both natural and artificial substances can cause adverse reactions. Example of ingredients in “all natural” labeled sunscreen (1): zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, deionized water, green tea extract, sunflower oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, eucalyptus oil, shea butter, lecithin, glycerin, xanthan gum, tocopheryl acetate (vit E), retinyl palmitate (vit A). Comment: Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide occur in nature, but those appearing in sunscreens are not necessary naturally produced (but not necessary harmful). Shea butter may be obtained by using synthetic solvents. Tocopheryl acetate is … Continue reading Natural and Organic Sunscreen