Far from protecting you from skin cancer, many popular sunscreen products directly cause it.
Zinc oxide in the sunscreen reacts to direct sunlight, damaging cells and increasing the risk of skin cancer.
Ultraviolet light from the sun starts a chemical reaction in the zinc oxide that release free radicals – unstable molecules that interfere with the DNA in cells. This in turn, makes them more vulnerable to skin cancer.
Researchers from Missouri University of Science and Technology estimate that the zinc oxide begins to react within an hour of being exposed to the sun.
In one laboratory test, half the cells in a zinc oxide solution had died after three hours’ exposure to UV light, and 90% had died after 12 hours…just when you thought it was safe to go outside…