Natural vs. Traditional Sunscreen in Eau Claire, WI

When you’re at the store and looking at your various options for sunscreen, it’s understandable to want to just grab the cheapest item possible and walk away. However, there are a variety of reasons why that slightly more expensive bottle of natural, organic sunscreen might be worth your while.

Here’s some information to consider the next time you need to purchase sunscreen in Eau Claire, WI.

Some traditional sunscreen ingredients can be harmful

Sunscreen is an important product for protecting your skin against the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun. However, some of the traditional sunscreen products will instead cause other forms of damage that you would do well to prevent. The vast majority of commercial, traditional sunscreen products contain ingredients like benzophenone-3, oxybenzone and octinoxate, various types of chemical filters that soak up UVA and UVB rays. Oxybenzone is also used in products like hairspray, nail polish and various fragrances.

While these ingredients do have their uses and are very effective at what they do, they also have some drawbacks, most of which are environmental. These products are extremely harmful to oceans and marine life, especially coral. They speed up coral bleaching and alter the coral’s DNA and reproductive capabilities, rapidly killing off many of the coral reefs around the globe.

These ingredients also tend to cause allergic reactions, and can disrupt some important functions of the endocrine system.

Choosing natural sunscreens instead

For these reasons and many others, people are more and more frequently opting to use natural sunscreens, which are more likely to be based on zinc and titanium oxide. These minerals form a barrier on the skin to protect against those UV rays without posing the same dangers to the environment as the chemicals listed above.

The main drawback is that organic sunscreens do cost a bit more to produce, and thus are a bit more expensive on the consumer end. But for people who are environmentally conscious or who might have sensitive skin, there is no better choice than an organic sunscreen—and that goes for various other types of skincare products and cosmetics, as well. Spending the extra few dollars to go organic can help you do your part to save the environment, and can also help you avoid some harmful side effects on your own body.

Another drawback is that most organic sunscreens these days still come in the form of thick white pastes, which can be more difficult and labor-intensive to apply and don’t sink into the skin in quite the same way as many spray-on chemical sunscreens you’ll find in stores, which are nearly invisible after application.

But ultimately, both your body and the planet can greatly benefit from the use of natural sunscreens. Browse the selection you have at your nearest natural foods store next time you’re there and give on a shot for yourself.

For more information about the benefits of using natural sunscreen in Eau Claire, WI, or to check out our selection, we encourage you to visit Mother Nature’s Food today.

Categorised in: Natural Products