Duel In The Sun

Tangled government regulations are keeping Americans in the dark about how best to protect themselves from cancer-causing UV light

WEAR SUNSCREEN, ALWAYS. NOT JUST AT THE beach but at all times, even in winter. When it comes to skin care, that Michael Pollan–esque adage is one that we can all agree on: Regular use slows signs of aging and prevents exposure to the harmful ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B rays that cause skin cancer.

But for many Americans, sunscreen remains a fraught subject. Products that use zinc oxide, the most effective barrier between the skin and cancer triggering UV light, usually leave the skin with that chalky white cast sometimes called “life guard face.” And products that avoid zinc oxide by using alcohol-based chemicals that the skin more readily absorbs have prompted health concerns that deter many Americans from using them.

Sunbathers elsewhere—in France, Japan and Korea—have a lot more options, with access to sunscreens that absorb better, aren’t greasy and don’t leave the face tinted white. Although most American sunscreens offer sufficient protection against sunburn-causing UVB rays, European and Asian formulations come equipped with the chemicals Tinosorb S, Tinosorb M, Mexoryl SX and Mexoryl XL—filtering agents that also stave off signs of aging and subtler damage caused by UVA rays.