Retinyl Palmitate in Sunscreens

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer has been pushing the FDA to offer some guidance to the public about the effects of Retinyl Palmitate, a common ingredient in the majority of store bought sunscreens.

Retinyl Palmitate is a synthetic form of Vitamin A. Retinyl,a pure form of vitamin A is mixed with Palmitate acid to produce a synthetic mixture which has been widely used in anti-aging creams marketed as containing Retinol-A. This ingredient is also commonly found in many sunscreens.

The studies concerning Senator Schumer include ones by the National Center for Toxicological Research where lab rats were coated with a cream containing Retinyl Palmitate. Another group of rats was coated with a cream that did not contain this ingredient. The findings indicated that lab rats coated with the cream containing Retinyl Palmitate tended to develop tumors 11 to 21% faster than the rats that were not exposed to that chemical ingredient.

Although further research may be prudent, consider the fact that we slather on sunscreen several times a day, every day when we are out in the sun. We coat ourselves and our young children in a cocktail of synthetic ingredients. These ingredients are seeping into our bodies and potentially causing effects that we are unaware of. And that's not to talk about the fact that sunscreens block our bodies ability to produce Vitamin D - a cancer preventative.

The mass campaign to use sunscreen continously and consistently is so embedded in our minds that we carry the stuff with us everywhere we go and use it constantly giving little thought to the side effects.

Let's then ask ourselves these questions:

In our rampant mission to prevent skin cancer are we in fact causing skin cancer along with other cancers and illnesses?

Why do we blindly accept mass media messages?

What about the other synthetic ingredients in our sunscreens and body lotions?

Why is the FDA being so quiet on these findings?

Using sun protection is important in certain circumstances, but why is the public not demanding more natural sun protective creams and lotions?

Life is about balance. Balance the information and as always you have a right to choose.

Choose wisely.
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