This week, we continue our suncare theme as our Founder, Dr Carol Treasure, reflects on the trend towards suncare-as-skincare products, and some of the complex implications it poses for testing and safety assessment:
I often find that sitting down with a coffee to browse the beauty pages of a magazine is a mixed experience! I’m intrigued and inspired by the latest innovations across the cosmetics industry, but it seems impossible to fully detach from work mode. As a scientist with a background in skin biology, I find myself reading the colourfully illustrated pages through the lenses of safety assessment or claim support – and a myriad of questions come to mind!
This is especially evident, right now, for sun protection. As a fan of Red magazine, I loved reading their recent piece “Hello Summer: Beauty to breeze through the heat”. A variety of experts, from brand owners to make-up artists and beauty editors, contributed their own approaches to suncare as well as highlighting some of their favourite products.
Thoughts cascaded into my mind about the “suncare-as-skincare” trend. Some were already familiar, some were new revelations, and many troubled me – a feeling only amplified by further reading. It highlights the critical importance of making an informed, exposure-led safety assessment. Let me share a few key factors to consider:
ACTIV-ATION: Suncare-as-skincare means that more actives are now present in products that are designed to be applied in the sun. High-end formulations boast ingredients such as panthenol, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide, to name a few. There’s a need for even more scrupulous safety assessment, to ensure that active ingredients aren’t photo-activated to cause irritation or sensitisation reactions. Factors like sunburn and shaving could also increase the absorption of ingredients into the skin and, for those acting in the dermis, subsequent entry into the systemic circulation.
EXPOSURE: One quote from the article: “…. You need to be (re-applying sunscreen) at least four times a day, which is a pain, but at the end of the day, you’re looking after yourself….” But are you? What’s the total chemical load on your body’s detoxifying enzymes when blitzed with an all-over application of products four times a day? We know that some UV filters and other ingredients reach the dermis and therefore may be absorbed into the systemic circulation. There are safety concerns that cannot be taken lightly – from endocrine disruption to cancer risk.
INTERACTIONS: To further increase the concern, many influencers are recommending liberal application of multiple products at once, such as lotions topped up by a spray, in addition to skincare and makeup that already contains SPF. This not only increases the daily load of chemicals, but opens an array of questions about potential interactions between ingredients in those products, increasing the occurrence and severity of local and systemic adverse reactions. With a huge number of products on the market, it’s impossible for industry to test every possible multi-product combination. At the very least, there’s a need to apply substantial margins of safety to allow for the increased risk.
INFORMATION: When and how did the Sun – our life-giving star – transition from something to be worshipped, to something obsessively feared? Protection from excessive UV exposure is undoubtedly important, but that’s very different from being afraid to go out on a sunny day. The current hype seems worryingly imbalanced, centred only around the importance of UV protection rather than encouraging informed choice about the risks of dramatically increased chemical exposure through excessive use of suncare products. Many are now making fear-based decisions and denying themselves the wider benefits – such as the feelings of wellbeing that come from being out in nature, and the natural boost to our Vitamin D levels. One healthy alternative is to cover the skin with light clothing. A wide variety of “UPF50+” clothes, wraps, hats etc are now available (another topic for discussion about claims substantiation!) but of course any clothing provides protection.
As a testing lab, XCellR8’s job is to provide independent, objective data to evaluate the safety of ingredients and products. We can provide objective data to support your safety assessment process through our human-relevant, animal-free in vitro tests, from local effects such as skin mildness, phototoxicity and skin sensitisation, through to systemic endpoints including acute toxicity and genotoxicity.
Contact us if you’re a brand owner, formulator or safety assessor with concerns about data gaps. We’d love to hear from you!
Email info@x-cellr8.com
Call +44 (0)1925 607 134.
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