Most Effective Sunscreen Ingredients

Protecting your skin from the sun’s damaging UV rays is probably the easiest and safest step you can take to preserve your skin’s youthful beauty and health. There are two ways to protect the skin from sun damage: using physical methods through which UV rays cannot penetrate well, like clothing or applying sun screens which absorb UV rays.

This table is compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency featuring chemical and physical sunscreen ingredients as well as the type and amount of ray protection that they provide and their class.

Zinc Oxide provides the best broad spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB rays!  It looks to be better than Ecamsule, which is commonly known by the trade name Mexoryl.  Which means, the industry claims that Mexoryl is the most potent photostable anti-aging sun filters for UVA and UVB rays may not be so true after all. 

Many dermatologists suggest transparent zinc oxide (also called Z-Cote), found in some sunscreens, moisturizers, and foundations. It does a good job of blocking ultraviolet A rays, which wrinkle skin, and UVB rays, which burn it. But as with any sunscreen, you need to lay it on thick before heading out.

SPF is a measure of UVB absorption only. There is no measure of UVA absorption, so be sure your sun screen is broad spectrum and contains ingredients to block UVA absorption as well. Some UVA absorption ingredients are: Parsol 1789 (avobenzone); cinnamates such as octyl methocinnamate and cinoxate; salicylates such as octyl, homomenthyl, or triethanolamine salicylate. Until recently avobenzone (sometimes known as Parsol 1789) also got high marks as a UVA fighter. But recent studies show it can break down after only a half hour in the sun, and it may degrade other ingredients that absorb UVB. The experts advice: Reapply avobenzone lotions after 30 minutes.