Since summer is almost here, it's worth reading and then coming to your own conclusion. Despite having the kind of skin that burns easily, I've cut back dramatically on using sunscreen in recent years and instead opt for being a lot more cautious and covering up. Even when I go cycling in the summer, I mix between short sleeve jerseys and long sleeve jerseys that offer sun protection. The arguments against sunscreen have been out there for a while and the FDA has been noticeably quiet on the matter.
More on the subject of sunscreen from Natural Society:
Studies conducted indicate the dangers of certain chemical compounds within sunscreen could be causing a variety of skin damaging ailments, especially when reacting with the sun’s intensive heat. Though the FDA had supervised and funded the studies showing key ingredients related to vitamin A as carcinogenic, they knowingly prevented the information from being released to the public whatsoever – up until recently. The synthetic vitamin A compound found in many sunscreen brands contain retinol and retinyl palmitate, both found to react negatively in the sunlight, becoming toxic to the system. This isn’t to be confused with the health-enhancing vitamin A that is found in many foods – it is a purely synthetic and ultimately useless ingredient. When combined with the extensive use over time, this kind of sunscreen can lead to skin damage in its users.
