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Are Sunscreens Absorbed into your Bloodstream?

If you have been reading this blog for any time at all, you know I am a big fan of sunscreens containing zinc.  With the more recent reports showing that even more chemical sunscreens are absorbed into the bloodstream, I’ll just keep on preaching… zinc, zinc, zinc! 

Let’s review;  There are two main categories of sunscreen: chemical sunscreens and physical sunscreens.  Physical or mineral sunscreens include Zinc oxide and titanium oxide. Chemical sunscreens include all those long names that are hard to spell and pronounce. 

Last year, the FDA released a report that the chemical sunscreen oxybenzone and three others were absorbed into the bloodstream, sparking a whirl of debate amongst dermatologists and the media.  Now, in January 2020, a new report looking at six different chemical sunscreens, showed that all can be detected in the bloodstream after use. 

In this study, the FDA found that chemical sunscreens are absorbed into the bloodstream at levels above where they can be presumed to be safe (Above 0.5 nanograms per milliliter of blood).   There is NO EVIDENCE that these chemicals cause any extreme harm, but further studies need to be done to prove safety.  The chemical sunscreens evaluated in this study include avobenzone, octisalate, octinoxate, homosalate, oxybenzone, and octocrylene. 

Chemical sunscreens were absorbed and above the proven safety levels after just ONE USE. 

-The chemicals remained in the bloodstream for 7-21 days. 

According to WebMD, “They tested aerosol and pump lotions and sprays. They had 48 healthy adults — half were men and half were women — apply the sunscreens to 75% of their bodies, virtually anywhere a swimsuit wouldn’t cover. 

On the first day, they applied the sunscreen just once. On days 2, 3, and 4, the men and women in the study took a shower in the morning, then applied the sunscreen every 2 hours for a total of four applications each day. Researchers took 34 blood samples from each study participant, for those first days of sunscreen use, and then later, after a week, 2 weeks, and 3 weeks, to see how long those chemicals might stay elevated in the body…..  It shows that the six active ingredients tested were absorbed into the body. Some continued to be elevated beyond the FDA’s threshold of concern for 3 weeks after the people in the study stopped putting them on their skin. 

For example, blood concentrations of oxybenzone were more than 180 times the FDA’s level of concern after a single application of sunscreen. They soared to more than 500 times the FDA’s level of concern after 4 days of regular use. Three weeks later, blood tests continued to show higher levels of oxybenzone, though it was much lower than at the start of the study.”   

This most recent data emphasizes the benefits of Zinc oxide and titanium oxide, which are inert and not absorbed into the bloodstream.  Especially with children, check those ingredients!  My recommendation is that the active ingredients in your sunscreen be zinc oxide or titanium oxide ONLY.  If you don’t use chemical sunscreens, there’s no need to worry! 


To review our recommendations on commercially available CHEMICAL FREE sunscreens, check out this post.  This is updated annually each May.  To receive our annual update and more articles like this, subscribe to our site.  Please share to make your loved ones aware of this new data.