It might seem even stranger that the FDA hasn't published regulations of any kind of sunscreens, considering that many of the ingredients used in them are dangerous chemicals, known to be environmental hazards, cancer-causing (carcinogenic), and disruptive to the endocrine system of the body, particularly sex hormones.
These chemicals are often absorbed directly through the skin.
Recent studies have shown that wide use of sunscreens does not result in a decrease in cancer--sometimes, sometimes often, showing quite the opposite tendency.
This could be due to the fact that sunscreens block the ultraviolet rays from the sun that, in small quantities, generate the extremely powerful anticarcinogenic vitamin D in human skin. Recent studies show that adequete values of vitamin D in the human body could perhaps reduce the occurence of most cancers by 80%.
That's pretty epic.
A large-scale analysis by a private organization, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that about 84% of the sunscreens they tested with an SPF (sun protection factor, or solar protection factor) over 15 in rating contained ingredients that raised significant health concerns for applicants of the sunscreen.
It is a little-known fact that many of the most popular sunscreen chemicals break down into useless (at best) or carcinogenic and environmentally hazardous (at worst).
Some chemicals to watch out for, since most of them are carcinogenic, break down into things that are, or generally just damage the body in other ways: just about anything with "benzo" in the name, PAB and PABA and their esters, cinoxate, ethylhexyl, p-methoxycinnamate, salicylates such as ethylhexyl salicyclate, homosalate, and octyl salicyclate, digalloyl trioleate (doesn't that just sound nasty?), menthyl anthranilate, and propylene glycol.
just like last year i will 100% stay away from all the sunscreens that have oxybenzone in it. you will be surprised how many sunscreens have that in them but there are some out there without that cancer causing chemical. i went shopping yesterday and i bought coppertone - sensitive skin spf 50. i also got the banana boat kids spf 50.