SUNSCREEN GETS a bad rap. It’s inelegant and chalky. It causes breakouts and flares up fiery allergic rashes. It’s killing our coral reefs. And the list goes on. The latest FDA studies only drive the narrative: In findings published earlier this year, six common chemical sunscreen ingredients—avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene, homosalate, octisalate, and octinoxate—were found to have absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream after just a single application, raising questions of safety, especially for children and pregnant women. “The rapid absorption of these chemicals has inspired the FDA to request follow-up testing for further study,” explains New York dermatologist Macrene Alexiades, M.D., an associate clinical professor at the Yale School of Medicine. “Importantly, they did not request additional testing for the two physical [a.k.a. mineral] sunscreens, titanium dioxide and…
