Oars and Alps 100% Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 spray

These days, there are so many different brands of sunscreen to choose from. They all say “SPF” on the packaging, so it’s easy to think of them all as the same. The first sunscreen (a chemical formula) came out in the 1930s and in the 1980s mineral-based formulas became very popular. Today, those are still the two categories of sunscreen—mineral and chemical—based on the nature of their active ingredients. These are two different approaches to sunscreen, sparking a lot of academic research and public health debate about which class of ingredients is the most effective and also the safest to use.

Although the debate continues today, one thing everyone can agree on is that both mineral and chemical sunscreen have been widely shown to decrease your risk for skin cancer (basal cell, squamous cell, and melanoma). When the sun’s rays reach your skin, the radiation actually damages your DNA, creating highly active oxygen molecules in the skin that can destroy cells. Over time, this can lead to basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, the two most common types of Keratinocyte cancer. These represent about 95% of malignant skin tumors.

Studies have shown there is a worldwide increase of these types of skin cancers, making your decision to use sunscreen daily exceptionally important.