Are sunscreen sprays illegal? And other questions that block the sun – Episode 175

This is episode 175 and in today’s episode we’re going to talk about stories we’ve found interesting in the cosmetics industry, and we’re going to answer your beauty questions about:

• Are sunscreen sprays legal?
• What level of SPF should we use on our face every day?
• Why hasn’t the FDA approved the new sunscreens available in Europe and Asia like Uvinul and Tinosorb? When can we expect these to be available in the US?
• Is there a home device that can tell you if your spf is being used correctly. I went to the derm and they had a blue light that shows sun damage under the skin. It was shocking! (Angela)

Beauty Stories of Science

Will Coconut Oil Dry Your Hair?

Allure posted an article in 2017 to explore why some people feel the benefits of coconut oil on their hair, while others are left with their hair feeling like grass. Coconut oil has become a staple for skin and hair – many swear by it in their beauty routine. But what do you do with the hair?

Coconut oil is actually confusing in name, as when we think of oil, we think of a liquid that does not dissolve in water. Coconut oil is actually liquid above room temperature and solid below room temperature, yet it is called an oil.

The temperature at which oil, fat, or butter begins to solidify is called the titer point. You can identify this visually when it starts to darken when it melts and becomes clear. Generally, fats have a titer below 40.5°C, and fats have a titer above 40.5°C. A simple way to think about it is that fat solidifies when it’s cold, and fat starts to solidify when it’s warm. Butters have a titer between 20°C and 40.5°C. All these formats are chemically composed of triglycerides, and their different combinations contribute to their titer.

If we look at different oils, apricot kernel oil has a titer of 0 – 6 ° C, or 32 – 42.8 ° F. That’s too cold before it starts to go rancid! Coconut Oil has a titer point of 22°C, or 71.6°C when it starts to solidify, and solidifies quickly. The point is, when one applies apricot kernel oil to the hair, it will probably remain in the liquid oil form when applied to the hair. In contrast, coconut oil starts out as a liquid after being rubbed together in our hands and melts, but once it’s on the hair, the temperature drops before it hardens into a film on the hair. This can happen quickly, and in fact this is what I think has the biggest impact on dry hair.

Coconut oil, in theory, should not leave hair feeling dry based on its triglyceride composition – 48% lauric, 18% myristic and 9% palmitic acids, with oleic acid and linoleic acid in small portions. The latter are easily used in hair care, so coconut oil itself should not feel drying. It may be the difference in consistency and viscosity (it looks like lard versus liquid) that plays into the coconut oil that sits outside the fiber, solidifies, and thus feels like a dry, hard layer on the hair.

Spray Sunscreen update

The FDA’s new recommendation for sunscreen

Before there was a final monograph the companies simply followed the monographs and sprays were not included in this. But in 2018 the FDA issued a new policy that said companies could avoid enforcement against certain forms if they followed certain guidelines including

• 1. Use only sunscreens listed in the monograph and approved percentages.
• 2. Do not make unauthorized claims such as “sunblock”, “sweat proof” or “waterproof” or “all day”.
• 3. Follow all OTC drug requirements such as proper labeling and labeling and reporting of adverse events.

But the law goes on to specifically state the type of form that will be allowed including oils, lotions, creams, gels…and sprays.

Interestingly, some formulations that the FDA still does not approve include Shampoos, Body Washes, Powders, Towelettes, and Wipes.

Now, with sprays the FDA requires manufacturers to have more labeling. They require specific directions, and the warning “do not spray directly on face. Spray on hands and apply to face”

So, even the FDA tells you it’s a dumb idea to spray sunscreen directly on your face. And then, I’ll stop doing that.

Beauty Questions

Paola asks, “What level of SPF should we use on our face every day?”

The FDA recommends a minimum of SPF 15, or SPF 30 for fair skin. It is also important to use a broad spectrum sunscreen. Any sunscreen that is not SPF 15 or broad spectrum must carry the warning, “Skin Cancer/Skin Aging Warning: Spending time in the sun increases the risk of skin cancer and premature skin aging. This product has only been shown to help prevent sunburn, not skin cancer or premature skin aging.” Valerie wears broad spectrum SPF 30 cream every day, but she has fair skin. Perry uses SPF 30 or 50.

Nicole asks…why hasn’t the FDA approved the new sunscreens available in Europe and Asia like Uvinul and Tinosorb? When can we expect these to be available in the US?

The EU has 27 approved sunscreens while the US only has 16. And of those 16, only 8 are actually used. And actually out of those 8, only 2 can block UVA. Half of those approved in the EU but not in the US also block UVA so it would really open up the formulation options for cosmetic chemists if they were approved.

The reason they are not approved is because the FDA considers sunscreens to be drugs while in the EU sunscreens are considered cosmetics. Active pharmaceutical ingredients require more safety and efficacy data than cosmetic ingredients.

President Obama signed the Sunscreen Innovation Act, in November 2014 to help get these products approved as quickly as possible. The law said the FDA was supposed to review applications for eight European sunscreen molecules: amiloxate, bemotrizinol, bisoctrizole, drometrizole trisiloxane, ecamsule, enzacamene, iscotrizinol, and octyl triazone.

Unfortunately, instead of approving sunscreens, the FDA has told manufacturers that sunscreens are not approved without further testing, especially for long-term exposure in children and pregnant women. That means companies that want to sell expensive ingredients and long clinical trials. But companies are getting tired of it so it’s unlikely we’ll see a new sunscreen approved anytime soon.

Angela wants to know…Is there a device you can use at home that can tell you if your spf is being used correctly. I went to the derm and they had a blue light that shows sun damage under the skin. It was shocking!

I looked this up and indeed there is a product available to do just that. There’s a device called Sunscreenr that attaches to your phone and will show you a picture of yourself how you look under a UV lamp. The idea is that the darker your skin looks, the more protected it will be.

More useful than this phone I think are the tinted sunscreens. For example, Coppertone has Kids Colorblock Disappearing Green Sunblock Spray that goes on in one color and doesn’t disappear when dry.

I looked up how this works and according to a patent granted in 2001 (patent 6290936B1) they use a water-soluble dye or a combination of water-soluble dyes whose color largely disappears when the sun emulsion dries after being spread on the skin and/or rubbed off. That seems to work best for me.

However, these types of sunscreens have not been very successful in the market so that tells you what I know about whether the technology will succeed or not.

A wrap of Beauty Brains

Thanks for listening. Hi if you get a chance you can head over to iTunes and leave us a review. That will help other people find the program and ensure we have a full deck of beauty questions to answer.

ASK A QUESTION – If you want to ask a question click this link

or record one on your phone and send it to [email protected]

Social media accounts

on Instagram we are thebeautybrains2018

on Twitter, we are here beautybrains

We also have a Facebook page.

Support Beauty Minds!

Beauty Brains is now on Patreon! Please support us so we can continue making episodes.

Thanks again for listening and remember Be Brainy with Your Beauty