Sunblock Ingredients

We all are well acquainted with the fact that the sun exposure offers numerous benefits to us. It benefits by enabling the body produce vitamin D required for strengthening bone tissues, rejuvenating damaged cells and enhancing the body's immune system. Besides these health benefits, it also naturally tans our skin, giving it a stunning golden hue. Since excess of anything is bad for health, same is applicable for sun exposure as well. Therefore, at times excessive exposure to the sun can be harmful to our body.

The sun radiations contain ultraviolet rays which can destroy the lipid barrier underneath the skin, making our skin dry, dull and lifeless. Apart from these side effects, excessive sun exposure can also result in early signs of aging like wrinkles, dark circles, spots, sunburns, tanning, etc. Hence, the best way to overcome these problems is by using a good sunblock.

Sunblock

Often misinterpreted for sunscreens which are also used for sun protection, sunblocks and sunscreens are beauty products which are quite different from each other. Though both are used for sun protection, sunblocks are comparatively more effective in blocking ultraviolet rays (UVA and UVB) from reaching our skin. On the other hand, sunscreens work by absorbing and filtering the ultraviolet rays so that they are not absorbed by our skin. Hence, sunblocks block or reflect these harmful radiations just like our clothes, umbrellas and even trees. Also sunblocks have an added advantage over sunscreens that besides blocking UVB (ultraviolet B rays) rays, they also block UVA (Ultraviolet A rays) rays.

Unlike sunscreens which are applied all over the exposed body areas, sunblocks are usually opaque and applied only to small areas of the body, like nose, ears or cheeks. Since there are different brands of sunblocks available in the market nowadays, claiming to provide complete sun protection, it becomes extremely difficult to decide which product is safe as well as effective for your skin. However, the best way to determine which product is best for your skin is by checking the sunblock ingredients used in that product. So let us have a look at some of the best ingredients used in the different sunblocks that are safe and effective in providing sun protective.

Ingredients used in a Sunblock

The ingredients that are added to guard against the harmful ultraviolet and infrared rays, can be categorized as physical, chemical, and waterproof sunblocks.

Physical Sunblocks: As the name says, physical sunblocks protect the skin from sun radiations by blocking the harmful rays from coming in direct contact of the skin. These sunblocks include the two most common ingredients: titanium dioxide and zinc oxide (Z-cote). Titanium oxide is a highly reflective white chalky mineral used as an active ingredient for sun protection due to its non-irritating, non-comedogenic nature. Likewise, zinc oxide is another effective sunblock ingredient that absorbs UVA rays and is commonly used for antimicrobial, wound healing, non irritating and non-comedogenic properties.

Chemical Sunblocks: Chemical sunblocks are cosmetic products that primarily uses chemicals like avobenzone (Parsol 1789), and octyl salicylate and cinnamates to guard the skin against UVA and UVB rays, respectively. Some of the common chemical ingredients include dioxybenzone, UVB, UVAII, ecamsule, menthyl anthranilate, meradimate, oxybenzone, benzophenone, benzophenone-3, sulisobenzone, UVB, UVAII, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, cinnamates, octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC), ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnamate, octocrylene, octinoxate, octisalate and oxybenzone, UVB, UVAII. While appling chemical sunblocks, ensure that you apply them half an hour before stepping out in sun.

Water Resistant Sunblocks: These waterproof or water resistant sunblocks are generally used before heading to a pool or beach. They include sunblock lotion ingredients which stick to the skin, even when you are in water. However, there are chances that their adherence weaken with time, and so for optimum results, apply again after swimming.

While selecting a sunblock, you should also check the label for some natural sunblock ingredients like beta glucan, organic sea buckthorn oil and vitamin E which not only provide active skin cell protection but also moisten the skin. Also look out for ingredients to avoid like diethanolamine (DEA), 1,4-dioxane, etc., that may result in causing severe skin allergies and irritations. I hope next time before buying any sunblock, you will take a close look at the ingredients listed on the label and after analyzing their pros and cons, you can make your decision.