Why I don’t recommend chemical sunscreens (and what to use instead!)

As we enter spring, we are all looking at our bottles of sunscreen with a couple of questions. Do I really need to put you on every day? Does it really matter what sunscreen I use?

I’m here to say that, yes, you need to wear sunscreen. I tackled that question in this post. But what about the chemical sunscreen question? People say chemical sunscreen is bad. Some others say it’s not. What’s the truth? Should I avoid chemical sunscreen?

If you lean toward natural and low-tox living, the idea of slathering on a cocktail of lab-created UV filters can feel... unsettling.

So, are chemical sunscreens safe? Or are we unknowingly marinating in a toxic stew? Let’s look at the actual science (not just the fear-mongering TikToks) and see if there is sufficient evidence for avoiding chemical sunscreen or not. 

What are the ingredients?

The concerns of the natural living community

So are these ingredients dangerous?

Environmental impact

Summary / TLDR

Let’s get started.

When we’re looking to find out whether a product is cause for concern, the first thing we need to do is understand the ingredients. Why are they used? What are the potential problems with them? What does research say about them?

What are the ingredients in chemical sunscreen and what do they do?

Chemical sunscreens work by absorbing UV radiation and transforming it into heat, preventing it from damaging the skin. Unlike mineral sunscreens (which sit on top of the skin and reflect UV rays), chemical sunscreens are designed to be lightweight and invisible. Their main ingredients include:

• Oxybenzone – Broad-spectrum UV protection.

• Avobenzone – Strong UVA blocker but unstable without stabilizers.

• Octinoxate – Absorbs UVB rays, common in many formulations.

• Octisalate – Enhances other UV filters and adds water resistance.

• Homosalate – Absorbs UVB rays and improves spreadability.

• Octocrylene – Provides UVB protection and boosts photostability.

Obviously these are not all of the ingredients in sunscreen, but they are the ones that have been flagged as potentially harmful. There are plenty of other benign ingredients in sunscreens as well. So what is it about these ingredients that people are so worried about?

The concerns of the natural living community

The natural health community often avoids chemical sunscreens due to concerns about hormone disruption, toxicity, and environmental impact. The idea that these chemicals can interfere with the endocrine system stems from lab studies showing hormonal activity in cell cultures and animal models. While this is worth investigating, real-world human studies have not conclusively shown harm at typical exposure levels.

Another concern has to do with long-term accumulation in the body. A relatively small but well-done study confirmed that sunscreen ingredients can remain in the bloodstream for days, which raises questions about cumulative exposure. This tracks with other personal care products as they tend to include ingredients that are literally intended to help ingredients permeate your skin. If you think about the purpose of chemical sunscreen it makes sense: you want the chemicals in your skin to absorb UV radiation. 

The concern with this is that anything entering your bloodstream through your skin (or any other method… but in this case skin) needs to be safe. The natural living community worries that these ingredients are extra dangerous because they aren’t safe and they penetrate your skin so well. However, regulatory agencies like the FDA and European Commission have yet to find definitive evidence that this exposure is dangerous.

Many in the natural living space also opt for mineral sunscreens because of concerns over skin irritation and potential allergic reactions. The ingredients in chemical sunscreen are certainly more likely to cause irritation than mineral sunblocks and those with sensitive skin (including children) would probably do well to avoid chemical sunscreens. 

A final concern of the natural living community is that the chemicals in sunscreen potentially have endocrine disrupting effects. This is a concern that becomes increasingly more relevant as we learn that long term exposure to small doses of various substances are causing negative effects. If you’re interested to know more about how endocrine disruptors work, check out this post. However, it can be easy to sweep everything into the endocrine disruptor bucket when not everything should be there. We’ll take a closer look at what we know about sunscreen chemicals and endocrine disruptors so far. 

While these are all valid concerns, the scientific consensus is that the risks of UV exposure—like skin cancer and premature aging—far outweigh the potential (read certainly not confirmed by any evidence) risks of chemical UV filters at approved levels. And for me, everything is about weighing risk.

(This being said, because there is an alternative sunscreen that doesn’t have harmful chemicals, I still wouldn’t necessarily recommend chemical sunscreen for most people. But you catch my drift.)

So are these ingredients dangerous?

First, let’s address the concern about absorption. Because, like I said, it’s a valid concern.

Yes, some of these ingredients do absorb into the bloodstream. A recent study found that oxybenzone, avobenzone, octocrylene, and homosalate were detected in blood plasma even after a single application. There’s been other studies that have shown similar results, and it all leads to a very good question, are these chemicals safe to be in our bloodstream?

Just because something is in our bloodstream doesn’t mean it isn’t safe to be there. All sorts of things get into our bloodstream from various sources and with various effects. The body is generally very good at filtering these things out. 

But what about sunscreen ingredients? The FDA has called for more research to establish safety thresholds, but as of now, no study has demonstrated definitive harm in humans at typical sunscreen exposure levels.

But let’s take a closer look at the individual ingredients. 

Oxybenzone

Oxybenzone (also known as benzophenone-3) is one of the ingredients most highlighted as being dangerous. In fact, it is banned in some regions due to the impact on coral reefs. The research is somewhat mixed. 

Oxybenzone is feared mostly because of its potential endocrine-disrupting effects. Some animal studies show hormonal changes with high exposure levels, but these doses were significantly higher than what humans get from sunscreen. A more realistic human exposure study found that oxybenzone levels in the bloodstream were far below thresholds of concern. In fact, most research confirming negative effects is done at levels far beyond actual consumption.

However, there have been studies that have found that not only does oxybenzone pass into the bloodstream, but it’s also small enough to cross the placental barrier. This is concerning because it has been confirmed as a potential endocrine disruptor and even linked with a rare congenital disorder affecting the intestine. That’s pretty significant!

I don’t know about you, but when it comes to my babies, that’s one thing I’m not really willing to chance.

Other potential indicators of endocrine and toxic effects have been seen in studies of coral and animals and the fear is that the oxybenaone may impact humans similarly. It’s not clear by what we have if this is the case but it is possible. 

I think what is the most clear (and certainly a concern) is that oxybenzone is absorbed into the skin and circulates into the blood stream at levels that warrant close research. It’s one of those ingredients that if there is a harm to human health is well poised to wreak havoc because of how thoroughly it is absorbed by the body. 

So all in all, oxybenzone is definitely an ingredient that I would be mindful of that may or may not have negative impacts in the end. Because of clearly safer alternatives, I think it’s an ingredient that certainly can be avoided.

Octinoxate

Octinoxate reads a similar story. Several studies say there is no endocrine impact. Some studies say there is a definite environmental and aquatic impact similar to that of oxybenzone. 

This chemical is less studies but seems to result similarly to oxybenzone and for that reason, could be avoided if you’re concerned about it.

Avobenzone

Avobenzone is an excellent UVA filter, but it degrades when exposed to sunlight unless stabilized with other ingredients. One study found that when combined with octocrylene, it remains effective and photostable. That’s why you typically see both in chemical sunscreen formulations.

Most research finds that avobenzone doesn’t exhibit significant endocrine-disrupting activity, making it one of the safer options among chemical UV filters. One study did report cell damaging effects to the skin from both avobenzone and octocrylene when in combination with avobenzone. This is significant though doesn’t indicate any major long-term health impact.

Overall, as with anything, full study with humans is limited. With what is available, avobenzone does not appear to be of major concern, though the whole picture is unclear. Certainly, if the findings of cytotoxicity can be replicated, that would be a pause for concern. 

Octocrylene

Octocrylene is effective but has been linked to allergic reactions, particularly in people sensitive to fragrance compounds. Additionally, a 2021 study found that octocrylene can degrade into benzophenone, a potential carcinogen. As with many things, byproducts are often of more concern than the original. However, the levels of benzophenone detected in sunscreens were well below concerning thresholds, and regulatory bodies still deem it safe for use. 

Interestingly, one study found that most people with an allergic reaction actually have taken an NSAID called ketoprofen (though we’re not sure why the connection to octocrylene) and contact allergies without that exposure are most common in children.

If you have sensitive skin or prefer to minimize chemical exposure, avoiding octocrylene may be a reasonable choice. Additionally, with kids who have sensitive skin at baseline, I just don’t think it’s a necessary risk with a viable alternative out there.

Homosalate

The European Commission recommended limiting homosalate concentrations due to potential hormonal effects, but it remains approved in the U.S. at higher but still regulated levels. If you’ve read some of my articles you’ve probably seen that the EU generally has stricter regulations than the US for what is allowed in products and food.

Recently, a study suggested that homosalate may exhibit weak endocrine activity in cell models, though real-world exposure levels were unlikely to pose significant risk and research is still limited. Again, not necessarily a major red flag, but it does raise the concern about potential accumulation over time and what that may cause long term. 

What about the environmental impact?

Oxybenzone and octinoxate have been implicated in coral bleaching, leading to bans in places like Hawaii and Palau. A study found that these chemicals contribute to coral stress and bleaching even at low concentrations, but the research is somewhat mixed. Some research clearly asserts that oxybenzone is damaging coral and other research show relatively low impact on specific species.

However, newer research suggests that the impact may be more complex, with factors like rising ocean temperatures playing a bigger role, while others propose that the combination of climate change with UV filters is amplifying damage.

As you can see, it can be difficult to say for sure what the answer is. It seems to me that there’s enough research to support negative impacts of chemical UV filters on marine ecosystems. So again, since there are alternatives, I’d certainly recommend them in natural bodies of water. 

Summary / TLDR

It’s true that chemical sunscreen as a whole poses the risk of being a concoction of multiple endocrine disruptors with permeability enhancers. If they do cause endocrine effects in humans, this would not be good for our health. For this reason, we should be careful about our use of chemical sunscreens and more research should be conducted to ensure their safety. 

However, there is just not enough evidence to say that chemical sunscreens are certainly harmful to human health. We have plenty of evidence that the chemicals can cause irritation and even poses a small risk of allergic reaction in sensitive populations. We also have minimal evidence of potential endocrine effects of a couple of the chemicals. But we can’t say that chemical sunscreens are damaging. They may be, but it isn’t clear. 

All that being said, there’s a very easy solution to this. Though chemical sunscreens aren’t without a doubt “bad for you,” there’s enough evidence that it could be, and plenty of evidence that it’s at least irritating, that I’d look for an effective swap. 

What’s so great is that we have mineral sunscreen, which uses zinc oxide and titanium dioxide instead of chemical UV filters. This is great because these ingredients have been shown to be effective against both UVA and UVB, particularly when used in combination. They’re also safe and non-endocrine disrupting!

So here’s my take: Why use potentially harmful chemical sunscreens when an effective and safer alternative exists? Especially for my kids, mineral sunscreen is the obvious choice here. If there was no safe alternative to chemical sunscreens, I would say the risk of skin cancer is far greater than the risk from sunscreen chemicals. But there is an alternative, so why not reap both benefits?

Now I know you may prefer chemical sunscreen because you can’t stand the white tint mineral sunscreens tend to have. If that’s you, I know I’m unlikely to change my mind. But like the research presented here (and much more I’m not linking) shows, there is a potential risk to chemical sunscreens and mineral sunscreen is clearly the safer choice. 

Luckily, mineral sunscreen formulations have come a long way. There are for sure some mineral sunscreens I will not use because they are just so dang white casting. But there are also plenty that leave much less of a cast and even tend to blend in a few minutes after application. 

If you’re interested in my recommendations on the best mineral sunscreens for various uses (that I’ve actually tried and tested!), check out this post.

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