What's in Your Sunscreen? How the ingredient oxybenzone may be affecting your health and the environment Moose Photos. Person Pouring Plastic Tube Bottle ; 2018. Oxybenzone is a chemical that is found in sunscreen, hairspray, shampoo, and even plastics. 1 It naturally occurs in a few flowering plants 2 , however it is more commonly created in the lab. 3 Oxybenzone is found as a cream coloured powder that is nearly odourless, making it a useful ingredient in cosmetics, as it won’t drastically affect the colour or the smell. 3 But why would you want to add oxybenzone to sunscreens and cosmetics? The answer lies in oxybenzone’s most useful property - it’s ability to protect our skin from ultraviolet (UV) radiation. 1 UV radiation can lead to tanning, burning, and aging of the skin, and when an increase in exposure to UV rays occurs, DNA can become damaged, potentially leading to skin cancer. 4 Oxybenzone is able to absorb the UV rays when applied on the skin, and rel...
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