Check the label; if your sunblock contains this chemical; it’s doing more harm than good

Sunblocks aren’t just a cosmetic item for the summer months but a year-long must-have derma product to protect your skin from the ultraviolet rays of the sun. Sunblocks also protect against photoaging, which appears as dark spots, sagging skin and wrinkles.

However, a new study has found that in certain combinations, sunblocks may also have a harmful impact on the skin. Published in the journal Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences, the study discovered that sunscreens that contain zinc oxide may lose efficacy after two hours in the sun. Not just this, they may also become hazardous when combined with other chemicals present in most sunscreens.

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According to researchers, when zinc oxide is used beneath or on top of other organic sunscreens, it does not filter as much UV radiation compared to either product alone. A mixture degrades the organic UV filters thereby not only decreasing efficiency but also producing potentially hazardous byproducts.

Experts believe that using multiple ingredients together causes issues as the drugs may be interacting with each other to create the problems. However, they added that more randomised controlled studies needed to confirm the findings.

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