Because regular sunscreens are “oil-in-water” based, sunscreen chemicals easily penetrate the skin and enter the bloodstream. Safe Sea is world’s only sunscreen which is “water-in-oil” based. It does not dilute in water and does not enter the bloodstream.
Because of this, Safe Sea is safe to use, even for babies (from 6 months old onwards) and Safe Sea is extremely reef-friendly.
It is world’s only sunscreen certified by the “Friend of the Sea” organization!
From CNN health:
(CNN)After a single application, a total of seven chemicals commonly found in sunscreens can be absorbed into the bloodstream at levels that exceed safety thresholds, according to studies by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, an arm of the US Food and Drug Administration. “What is most alarming about these findings is that chemicals are absorbing into the body in significant amounts and the ingredients have not been fully tested for safety,” said David Andrews, a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group, or EWG, a consumer organization which advocates for sunscreen safety.
“If companies want to keep these ingredients in products, they need to urgently test for potential harm to children and harm from long-term use,” Andrews added.
The fact that an ingredient is absorbed through the skin and into the body doesn’t mean that particular ingredient is unsafe, said Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, the arm of the FDA which conducted the studies.
“Rather, this finding calls for further industry testing to determine the safety and effect of systemic exposure of sunscreen ingredients, especially with chronic use,” Woodcock said.Experts and the FDA stress the sun’s link to cancer and aging is real, so don’t abandon sun protection. Suggestions include long-sleeved clothing, hats, sunglasses and staying in the shade. If chemical sunscreens worry you, consider mineral-based sunscreens, which the FDA has determined are generally considered safe and effective.The American Academy of Dermatology recommends applying at least 1 ounce of sunscreen to all exposed skin every two hours or after swimming, including “back, neck, face, ears, tops of your feet and legs.”
Confirmation of previous study
The FDA findings, published Tuesday in the journal JAMA, confirmed the results of a pilot study the agency published last year. That pilot study discovered four popular chemical sunscreen filters often used in commercial products — avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene, and ecamsule — were absorbed from the skin into the bloodstream after a single day of use.
The new study re-evaluated three of the original four (avobenzone, oxybenzone and octocrylene) and added three additional sunscreen chemicals — homosalate, octisalate, and octinoxate.
All of these chemicals are part of a dozen that the FDA wants manufacturers to research before they can be considered GRASE or “generally regarded as safe and effective.”
Participants in the new study were asked to apply sunscreen on 75% of their bodies the first day. On days two through four, they were asked to apply the same amount at four times during the day.
After initial absorption, the concentration of the six chemicals in the blood increased each day of application, and remained above FDA safety levels at day seven, well after application had ended. Two of the chemicals — homosalate and oxybenzone — were still above safety thresholds at day 21.
“It seems likely that some of it is getting absorbed into the blood long after the sunscreen applications and in part that is why levels in blood stay high weeks after application,” Andrews said. “
The skin is not a perfect barrier and so absorption of small amounts of chemicals from sunscreens (and indeed other skin care products such as cosmetics) is to be expected,” said Rob Chilcott, a professor of toxicology at the University of Hertfordshire in the UK.
“This does not mean that sunscreen products are unsafe to use, but that appropriate safety tests need to be performed by manufacturers,” he added.
Sunscreen industry associations said they would continue to work cooperatively with FDA to determine what additional studies are needed to ensure the ongoing safety of sunscreen active ingredients.