Aerosol Sunscreens Don’t Work, Here’s What to Use Instead

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Although they’re more convenient and less cumbersome to apply than creams and lotions, aerosol sunscreens don’t work nearly as well. When applied correctly sunscreen sticks and lotions work better, and they may not cause the same level of environmental destruction. Pretty soon, the choice may not be up to the consumer anyway.

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Thanks to legislation known as the 104 Reef Act, aerosol spray sunscreens that contain oxybenzone and octinoxate have already been banned in Hawaii and in Key West, Florida in a city-wide ordinance. The two harsh ingredients can seep into the waters and cause ecological damage, and while sunscreen hasn’t been conclusively tied to phenomena like coral bleaching, the 104 Reef Act was passed by the Hawaiian government under the assumption that there’s a correlation between these chemicals and harm to marine life.

Environmental impacts aside, aerosol spray sunscreens are the inferior choice. Any sunscreen won’t work if it’s not used properly, but a 2020 study out of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology showed that aerosol sunscreens are applied inadequately more often because of the “convenient” spray design. A study from Griffiths University out of Queensland, Australia found that up to 93% of aerosol sunscreen is lost during typical wind conditions.

Dr. Luke Maxfield, a board-certified, LA-based dermatologist, and fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon, sees worse outcomes with patients who use spray sunscreens.

“I find [aerosol sunscreens] wildly inconsistent. The whole week after the July 4 holiday I saw the craziest sunburns in my office and also with my staff,” said Dr. Maxfield.

“They looked just outlandish. People were coming in with spotted, streaky, drippy sunburns, and across the board every single one of them had used a spray. That really just drove it home for me, it’s a complete anecdote but it really just speaks to the ineffectiveness when used improperly.”

According to Maxfield, creams and lotions are the most efficient, highest-performing option, but sunscreen sticks can be adequate if they’re used properly.

“I am a low-key fan of the sunscreen sticks, but again it’s how you’re using it,” he said.

The main drawback of a sunscreen stick is it’s harder to spread than a lotion or cream. “They have the problem of inconsistent coverage and that largely equates to skip areas or uneven application,” said Dr. Maxfield. “You kind of get hot spots or clumping with the stick because it groups up. It’s not as soft or spreadable as a lotion or cream.”

The most important thing is to swipe with the stick multiple times — the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) suggests four swipes — and rub the formula in to even out the coverage as much as possible.

Sunscreen sticks are also more efficient and effective for use on the face than the body, according to Maxfield, and better for reapplying once there’s a strong base layer.

“A sunscreen stick is also easier to reapply over makeup and it’s also anecdotally easier to apply to kids. It comes back to it being acceptable but not optimal,” said Dr. Maxfield. Optimal is using cream lotion, applying liberally, and reapplying diligently. That’s not always in the cards for parents running after squirmy kids or endurance athletes sweating for hours during a long-distance race.

“If you can’t get sunscreen on your kids, if you can’t get sunscreen over your makeup, or if you’re someone who’s just not going to do it? This is your acceptable alternative because it might fit in better with your life,” said Maxfield.

Sunscreens are regulated by the FDA to the same degree as prescription drugs, hence the somewhat frequent recalls of popular brands like Neutrogena and Aveeno due to the detection of cancer-causing benzene.

All in all though, ingredients are less of a concern than adequate usage. Most people should use a mineral zinc or titanium sunscreen, according to Maxfield. These are effective and don’t carry as many of the potential environmental impacts.

“Since we’re primarily dealing with U.S. regulations, the tested effectiveness is probably going to be there in the ingredients,” said Maxfield. “In a real-world application, I think you’re looking at the vehicle and how you’re using it.

Dr. Diane Madfes, an Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine said that “Chemical and Mineral UV blockers protect the skin no matter the vehicle. Glide application gives even coverage and excellent UV protection.”

She specifically recommended the mineral sunscreen stick from Badger for folks looking for a dependable option.

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“I love that it’s water-resistant, gentle on the skin, and really works! It’s important for the stick’s sunscreen to be lightweight on the skin but effective,” said Madfes. “No breakouts. Badger doesn’t run with sweating and exercise.”

Maxfield recommended two brands, with a caveat that, because of the nature of zinc, it’s impossible to find a sunscreen that’s effective, environmentally safe, and doesn’t cause a white cast on the skin.

It’s become a common practice to shrink down zinc, an infamously thick ingredient, into smaller particles so it goes on smoother and doesn’t leave a white sheen on the skin a la Mark Zuckerberg. With high-quality brands, this doesn’t make the sunscreen less effective. However, a 2019 study out of Oregon State University showed that smaller zinc can cause environmental damage too since its particles seep into the surrounding environment faster.

“It’s almost impossible to find a mineral sunscreen that’s a spray that’s non-nano, non-adjusted zinc titanium that also blends. I don’t even know if that exists,” said Maxfield. That being said, he offered two brands, ThinkSport and Derma-E, as options for folks looking to protect their skin and balance their ecological conscience.

“ThinkSport and Derma-E do put a lot of thought into the environment and they will play those lines where it’s environmentally friendly but it’s also dermatologically functional and safe if you’re using it appropriately,” said Maxfield.

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ThinkSport’s zinc oxide mineral sunscreen is vegan, reef-friendly, and formulated for sensitive skin. It doesn’t contain oxybenzone or octinoxate, but it also doesn’t contain avobenzone, another common sunscreen ingredient. There’s no explicit evidence that avobenzone does harm, but a 2019 study conducted by the FDA showed that over a 7-day period, it was absorbed into the bloodstream at higher levels than the FDA’s threshold for minimal cancer risk.

Derma-E’s sunscreen is oil-free and contains both zinc and titanium oxide for comprehensive sun protection that’s lightweight and hypoallergenic. It’s also 100% unscented, making it a better choice for folks with sensitive skin.

Maxfield said that the data surrounding the environmental impact of sunscreen is still unclear, and more research needs to and should be done to determine whether it’s the aerosol function of the sprays, or common ingredients in all sunscreens, that cause the environmental impact.

“If you still look up the safety of spray sunscreens you’ll find a ton of blogs, videos, etc that will harp on the fact that they can be carcinogenic, but it actually doesn’t have anything to do with the spray itself. It all boils down to the benzene contaminant that was in a lot of spray sunscreens at the time,” said Maxfield.

Benzene has since been very publicly removed from top brands like Neutrogena, but trust in something as predominant as sunscreen won’t going to be gained back immediately.

“We have to assume that the issue is resolved. We don’t know that for a fact. We did have a lot of recalls at that time, and it hasn’t been re-evaluated since,” said Maxfield.

“Earning back trust is a whole other issue, in the large scale and the small scale,” said Dr. Maxfield. “Sunscreen is only a small part of that.”

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