The touted ingredient is a new form of a familiar substance: titanium dioxide. Used for years as an opacifier in paint and an established sun blocker in face makeup and lipsticks, unadulterated TD wasn’t considered suitable for bodies on the beach because it’s white and opaque, like the zinc oxide lifeguards smear on their noses. Now cosmetics researchers have reduced the size of TD particles-they call it “micronizing”-and coated them so that the lotions they’re added to are invisible when rubbed in. “You don’t have to worry about looking like a geisha girl,” says Frank Wright, director of biophysics for Lancome, which-along with Estee Lauder, Chanel, Neutrogena, Bain de Soleil and other companies-has introduced TD to its 1993 sun-care products.
Traditional sunscreens protect us from harmful UVB rays, which cause sunburn, by absorbing and re-emitting them in an innocuous form. Titanium dioxide physically blocks the rays, protecting the skin from both UVB and UVA rays, which penetrate deeper to break down supportive collagen and may also contribute to skin cancer. With TD you can tan very slowly or not at all. Because it doesn’t undergo a chemical reaction, it’s safer for babies and for adults with skin allergies.
Several companies have added other ingredients to their sun products this year, like vitamins C and E and synthetic melanin, that they say will neutralize or prevent some of the sun’s most serious skin damage, including cancer. Theoretically, these additions may help, says Dr. Derek Cripps, head of the dermatology department at the University of Wisconsin. But there’s no scientific evidence that they prevent skin cancer. “Tanning is the skin’s response to injury,” he emphasizes. So if you still think bronze is beautiful, remember your shield.
