Are sunscreens good for us ?

Do not expose yourself during the hottest hours, wear anti-UV swimsuits and clothing, and regularly apply sunscreen. Here are the main recommendations regarding sun protection. If the use of sunscreen is essential, is it harmless for us and our planet? Not so sure….

Are sunscreens essential? Yes, but…

More than 15 million tubes of sunscreen are sold in France each year. An extremely lucrative market that sees many brands and laboratories competing in inventiveness and ever-revolutionary technologies. In the end, when faced with the aisle of supermarkets or drugstores, consumers are often a little perplexed. Between the spray, the milk, the cream, the oil, the special product for children, the special product for mature skin, the after-sun, the SPF 50+, the SPF 30, the lip balm, how can we distinguish between truly effective sunscreens and marketing hype? It is precisely very difficult as the labels are sometimes opaque and the terms used are unclear for the uninitiated!

Remember that a child's skin absorbs almost twice as much cream as an adult's. Being thinner, it is not only more vulnerable to the sun's rays, but also to the active ingredients present in creams. You must therefore be particularly careful when choosing it! For the youngest, a good sunscreen is a mineral sunscreen product, i.e. without chemical filters, SPF 50+ (the term "total screen" is now banned), without preservatives, without endocrine disruptors, without silicone, without nanoparticles, without alcohol and without perfume. It is necessary to repeat the application very regularly for maximum effectiveness: after each swim (practical with children who come and go with the waves and sandcastles!) or every two hours at a rate of 5 sprays per arm. All parents know that these spreading sessions often turn into a nightmare... but they are nevertheless essential. Far be it from us to denigrate creams because it is not possible to do without them. But we must nevertheless keep in mind that these products have their limits, are not infallible and have very real consequences on our skin...and on our planet.

Sunscreen: an ecological disaster

Letting the water run while brushing your teeth, taking your car to get bread, buying clothes made on the other side of the world, using sunscreen, each of our actions has consequences on the environment. When swimming, a quarter of the sunscreen product dissolves immediately in the water. So you might think that it's not so bad, after all, it's only a tiny film of cream. The problem is that on a global scale, nearly 14,000 tons of cream pollute the oceans each year, especially areas particularly frequented by tourists in the summer. But then, what are the consequences for the seabed and biodiversity?

The chemical filters present in certain creams, and substances such as oxybenzone, have a harmful effect on corals and certain species of fish. The corals' reproductive cycle is disrupted, they bleach and the entire balance of the reef is jeopardized. A dramatic phenomenon against which the Hawaiian archipelago has decided to take a stand. In May 2018, Hawaii was the first state to adopt a bill to ban the sale of sunscreen products containing oxybenzone and octinoxate. A strong gesture that sounds like a real cry of alarm and should push us to find alternatives: that of favoring products certified as non-toxic for the marine ecosystem but also of turning to anti-UV swimsuits and clothing.

Econyl: the alternative to sunscreen

More and more dermatologists and pediatricians are recommending the use of anti-UV textiles. A simple, very effective and environmentally friendly way to protect yourself from the sun. And that's exactly what CANOPEA offers: anti-UV swimsuits without chemical filters and made in Europe from 100% recycled fibers. This little miracle is possible thanks to Econyl, a textile fiber made from fishing nets abandoned in the ocean. CANOPEA products are also UPF50+ and OekoTex certified. If this doesn't exempt you from applying sunscreen to your children's faces and uncovered parts of their bodies, CANOPEA will take care of the rest. This is the price we pay to reduce our environmental footprint. The next time you find yourself on a dream beach, your feet bathing in turquoise water, think of this phrase from the American nature writer Wallace Stegner: “Visit these places for the good of our souls, but leave no trace.”