Using sunscreen is supposed to be the best thing for you to prevent skin cancer and premature aging, but over the past two or three years, there has been a lot of negative information coming out about sunscreen. Mostly, the information says that like other products full of chemicals that you smear across your face, sunscreen is actually bad for you.
Problems that can occur include bad skin irritations such as skin dryness and acne to the very serious problem of cancer. Of course, it’s dependent on your own skin’s sensitivities and which chemicals the sunscreens have.
To avoid skin dryness: stay away from sunscreen with alcohol and isopropyl as they can really dry out your skin fast.
If you get acne easily: avoid sunscreens with mineral oil, liquidum paraffinum, paraffin oil, paraffin wax and petrolatum as these ingredients have a tendency to exacerbate any acne problems that you might already have and might even cause breakouts.
Some ingredients have been linked to liver and kidney cancer including: TEA, DEA, and MEA.
An environmental watchdog group did an investigation as to which sunscreens were the most effective at preventing harmful rays while avoiding nasty chemicals and found that of most of the popular brands including Neutrogena and Banana Boat did not pass their tests. For a complete list of products which met their rigorous standards, check this link out. If your skin is sensitive or acne-prone, and you want to avoid sunscreens with minerals, check out their list of mineral-free alternatives.