Bobbi Brown SPF 50 UV Protective Face Base
What it promises: “This soothing lotion helps shield your skin from the harmful effects of the sun with a high level of broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection. Lightweight and quick-absorbing, it can be layered over Brightening Moisture Cream to help prevent future damage and help maintain a radiant, even skin tone.”
What it does: Generally, any product with an SPF of over 15 is very thick, non-absorbing and streaky but this stuff is different. After it soaks in (about 10 minutes) you really can’t see or feel it on the skin which makes makeup application easy and I like that it has broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection.
The sun protection factor comes from its chemical sunblock ingredients. Chemical sunblock ingredients absorb UVA or UVB (sometimes both) rays whereas physical sunblock ingredients such as Zinc and titanium dioxide reflect them and do not require “soak in” time.
Below is a summary of the ingredients in this product. After some research, I was very surprised at what the ingredients actually were, especially the last one:
Homosalate: a UV absorbing compound (5%)
Octisalate: ingredient penetration enhancer (5%)
Avobenzone: a good UVA absorber but degrades in sunlight (3%)
Oxybenzone: absorbs UVB and short-wave UVA rays. This highly controversial ingredient may cause increased free radicals in the skin and therefore is likely to be a photocarcinogen. It is a derivative of benzophenone which can attack DNA when illuminated. The British Medical Journal showed that there may be a possible link between malignant skin cancer and Oxybenzone. For more information about this ingredient, see the following link:
http://www.natural-health-information-centre.com/paba-oxybenzone.html
before this blog entry, I didn’t know about the difference between physical and chemical sunscreens or that Oxybenzone is potentially harmful. Going forward, I am going to be very careful about what kind of SPF I use. I’ve decided that it’s not worth using the chemical sunscreens (that this product uses), I’m going to use physical blockers (zinc and titanium dioxide) from now on.
Hey Lindsey,
Great post! Not sure where you did your research but if you want more information about chemicals in sunscreen and makeup you should check out the following two links from the Environmental Working Group. After reading the information on these two sites I was able to start making more informed decisions about the products I was choosing.
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/
http://www.ewg.org/whichsunscreensarebest/2009report
Hoe you are doing well,
Michelle
Thanks Michelle!
I actually checked out those sites last week and bought one of the sunscreens recommended on http://www.ewg.org. I’m planning on reviewing that soon. I can’t believe all the bad stuff that’s in most sunscreens.
When I did some research online to try to find ingredient lists for Bobbi Brown’s products, I couldn’t find anything. The only reason I knew what was in the sunscreen is the FDA requires companies to list which active sunscreen ingredients are in products. I have no idea what’s in her other products. It’s scary to think I could be putting harmful things on my face- the largest organ on a human body!
Did you know that the FDA doesn’t regulate cosmetic claims or ingredients in cosmetics that are available in the USA and Canada? Some ingredients are banned but many have insufficient data and companies use them anyway. There are also about 10-50 ingredients that are banned in Europe and Asia but are used widely in north America.
If you’re interested in learning more about cosmetic ingredients, I recommend the book, “A Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients” by Ruth Winter, M.S. It’s a very detailed dictionary of every ingredient used in cosmetics that are sold in North America. I have learned all sorts of interesting things about the products that are supposedly great for your skin.
Anyway, hope all is well in Vancouver!
Best,
Lindsey