Time to Bury Our Toxic Coppertone Sunscreens

Written by Ajay Chohan, Founder

Why the Coppertone sunscreen labeling is misleading: Coppertone needs to warn consumers that its ingredients can cause irritations & allergies, hormonal disruptions and cancer

Potentially Harmful Ingredients in the Coppertone Sunscreen to Avoid: Homosalate, Octisalate, Octocrylene, Avobenzone, Isobutane, Polyester-27, Dimethicone

Coppertone boldly states “Stays on Strong When You Sweat” on its bottles. Well, turns out, not only does it ‘stay on strong,’ but it also gets easily absorbed by our skin, after which it strongly pushes its way into our bloodstreams. Now, this wouldn’t be an issue if Coppertone was made with natural and nourishing ingredients. But given all the toxic, synthetic and petroleum based substances in the Coppertone sunscreen - it does become a concern.

Unfortunately Coppertone is bad for our skin and potentially harmful to our overall health, not to mention its toxicity to coral reefs. Let’s now dive right into the 5 reasons we need to avoid the Coppertone sunscreen. I have done extensive research on the below, look for all the sources at the bottom of the article.

Reason 1: Homosalate and Octisalate found in the Coppertone sunscreens are endocrine disruptors that can interfere with our body’s hormones, and can cause allergic skin reactions and dermatitis

The active ingredients in Coppertone have been tied to numerous side effects; whether it’s allergies, skin irritation or even disrupting our hormones. Let’s begin with Homosalate, which composes 10% of Coppertone’s 50 SPF sunscreen. Firstly, Homosalate can be absorbed via our skin into our bloodstreams (1). This is concerning as Homosalate can be an endocrine disruptor that interferes with our hormones (2). The European Commission recommends a maximum of 0.5% of Homosalate in sunscreens (2).

At 10%, the Homosalate in the Coppertone sunscreen is thus 20 times the limit recommended by the European Commission!

Sensitive skins beware:

Coming to the Octisalate (or Octyl Salicylate) in Coppertone, this is an ingredient to avoid especially if you have sensitive skin or are applying the sunscreen on your baby or kids. Octisalate in sunscreens has been tied with contact dermatitis, “acute contact sensitivity” and itchy skin rashes (3, 4). As mentioned earlier in the article, all 4 active ingredients have been shown to easily absorb via our skin into our bloodstream, and after being absorbed “can remain in the body for extended periods of time” (1). The safety of active ingredients in sunscreen is extremely important given it is applied directly on our skin.

The Coppertone marketing copy for this sunscreen states, “don’t be shy: generously fill your entire palm with about 1 oz or 2 tablespoons of sunscreen lotion” and “reapply sunscreen at least every two hours.” Well, not with those ingredients in Coppertone, no thank you.

Thankfully, it is possible to get effective protection from sun’s UVA and UVB rays without using a toxic sunscreen. There are plenty of natural sunscreen options which are mineral based. You can see my all-natural mineral sunscreens article for more on what makes a better sunscreen + recommendations.

Reason 2: The other two active ingredients in Coppertone, the petrochemicals Octocrylene and Avobenzone, are harming the coral reefs and are again tied to allergic skin reactions, disruptions to our hormones and even blocking testosterone

Let’s now get into the other two active ingredients of concern. Starting with the petrochemical Octocrylene in Coppertone sunscreens, the first concern with this ingredient is the risk it poses to our environment and coral reefs. According to the American Chemical Society, Octocrylene “accumulates in coral cells and triggers coral cell mitochondrial dysfunction” i.e. it’s damaging our coral reefs (5). Silvia Díaz-Cruz, an analytical chemist at the Spanish Council for Scientific Research, here says:

“research groups…have detected Octocrylene in dolphins, mussels, and other aquatic organisms, but the new findings mark the first to examine Octocrylene metabolites. They also suggest these organisms are exposed to a higher environmental concentration of Octocrylene than previously thought” (6).

The Octocrylene in sunscreens like Coppertone is clearly bad for coral reefs and the broader aquatic life. To top it off, Octocrylene has also been tied to high rates of allergic skin reactions in humans (7) (Bryden 2006). Octocrylene is an ingredient to avoid especially if you have sensitive skin.

The last active ingredient in Coppertone, Avobenzone, is not any better. According to a report by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, Avobenzone has been linked with allergic reactions (Nash 2014), disruptions to our endocrine systems and even blocking of testosterone in our bodies (Klopcic 2017). Avobenzone in sunscreens is also harmful for our oceans and coral reefs. As this article on the Center for Biological Diversity states,

Avobenzone is also an endocrine disruptor and can reduce coral resilience against the high ocean temperatures that are killing corals worldwide through global warming…Avobenzone may cause a dysfunction with the powerhouse of the cell, which may kill cells and induce a bleaching effect in corals.

It is for these reasons that Hawai’i added the petrochemicals Avobenzone and Octocrylene to its banned substances list, that initially included Oxybenzone and Octinoxate. Coppertone needs to start adding labels like “damaging to coral reefs,” “skin irritant” and “potential hormone disruptor” to all its packaging. Needless to say, chemical sunscreens like Coppertone are ones to avoid if you want something that’s skin and environmentally friendly!

Please Note: Here is my article on all-natural sunscreens from small companies with integrity. These provide safe yet effective UV protection.

Reason 3: Coppertone recalled many of its sunscreens in 2021 over contamination concerns with the cancer causing carcinogen Benzene and is facing a class action lawsuit around this

In early October 2021 Coppertone recalled five different varieties of its sunscreens, including its Baby SPF 50, after detecting the cancer causing chemical Benzene in these batches. The other varieties included Pure & Simple SPF 50, Sport Mineral SPF 50 and Sport Spray SPF 50. Given all the potentially toxic synthetic substances in Coppertone, it will be difficult to track down exactly where the Benzene came from.

Having said that, the petrochemical Octocrylene that we covered above could very well be the culprit here. The Consumer Product Testing Company has stated, “It has been strongly suggested that both Benzene and Benzophenone may form as a result of the degradation of Octocrylene within sunscreen product formulations” (10).

This leads us to the class action lawsuit filed against Coppertone by Barbara Truss in November 2021 regarding the Coppertone Water Babies SPF 50 sunscreen. As this article states, “the lawsuit indicates that the aerosol sunscreen cans were designed with Octocrylene, which is a chemical ingredient known to degrade over time, resulting in the accumulation of Benzophenone, which is a mutagen, carcinogen, and endocrine disruptor.”

Benzene is highly dangerous as it can cause cancers such as leukemia and blood cancer of the bone marrow, in addition to causing blood disorders (11). Why the petrochemical Octocrylene is still being used by sunscreen manufacturers is beyond me.

Needless to say, this is another reason to completely avoid chemical sunscreens like Coppertone. It’s simply not worth using synthetic sunscreens will all their ingredients of concern, as it’s difficult to tell which specific ingredient or contaminant is posing a given health risk.

Reason 4: The industrial propellant Isobutane in Coppertone does not belong in your sunscreen.

Isobutane is a flammable propellant tied to skin irritation, allergies and is potentially immunotoxic. The Environmental Working Group here cites “strong evidence” for Isobutane being a human allergen and irritant, and Canada classifies Isobutane as “expected to be toxic or harmful.” Needless to stay, Isobutane should not be in your sunscreen.

Reason 5: The Coppertone sunscreen has the microplastic Polyester-27 which contains the highly toxic UV-328 linked with endocrine disruptions, infertility & sleep disorders and has the petroleum based silicone Dimethicone linked with skin irritation

This is a big one. Coppertone contains the microplastic Polyester-27, presumably added to aid with the SPF value. On its own, it is already unappetizing to have a plastic in our sunscreen, something we apply on our skin. Here’s what’s more troublesome, Polyester-27 and many other plastics contain the compound UV-328 (8). UV-328 is a “UV absorber” added to plastics to protect it from “degradation from sunlight” (9). As this amazing research by Therese Karlsson et al. of the International Pollutants Elimination Network describes,

UV-328 is a persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemical…in mammals, UV-328 can cause adverse effects for several organs including the liver and kidneys…Recent research has further evidenced its role as an endocrine disruptor since it can act as an estrogen receptor…Disruptions to the endocrine system can therefore have several consequences including infertility, sleep disorders, and neurodevelopment and growth disturbances.

Amongst consumer products UV-328 has most commonly been detected in include sunscreens, hair accessories and children’s toys. Covering UV-328 is an entire topic of its own though, I encourage you to look at the aforementioned research to get informed on the consumer products, including sunscreens, that contain UV-328.

Lastly let’s talk about the petroleum based silicone Dimethicone in the Coppertone sunscreen. Dimethicone is a synthetic oil that can clog pores and cause skin irritation. Also, these silicones only give the appearance of moisturizing our skin, while in reality these synthetic substances are not good for our skin in any way.

Given the risks posed by both the active and inactive ingredients, chemical sunscreens like Coppertone do not belong on our skin, in our bloodstream or in the environment. This is especially true if one has sensitive skin, eczema or is applying sunscreen to the little ones.

What makes a better sunscreen?

Let’s succinctly summarize that here:

1. The first thing is to avoid the toxic active ingredients found in most chemical based sunscreens - you know, the ones that are also easily absorbed via our skin into our bloodstreams - and are also harmful to coral reefs. The ‘big 6’ sunscreen ingredients to avoid are Avobenzone, Oxybenzone, Octocrylene, Homosalate, Octisalate, and Octinoxate

2. Second the sunscreen needs to be effective in protecting us against the sun’s UVA and UVB rays. Find a natural mineral based sunscreen that sits on top of the skin and is non-nano. ‘Mineral based’ meaning the active UV blocking ingredients are minerals. Look for a sunscreen with non-nano Zinc Oxide as the primary active ingredient

3. Now, besides doing the important work of protecting us against harmful rays, what if the sunscreen was actually good for our skin? Find a sunscreen which is made with naturally nourishing ingredients and protective anti-oxidants which will support a healthy radian skin whilst protecting you from UV rays

My best all-natural mineral sunscreens article further covers the attributes of natural mineral based sunscreens, along with recommendations.

Is (was) Coppertone part of your outdoor summer time routine? Share your thoughts below! Think a loved one can benefit from this important research? Do not forget to share!

Sources - Research for Yourself!

1. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/fda-voices/shedding-more-light-sunscreen-absorption

2. https://ec.europa.eu/health/system/files/2021-06/sccs_o_244_0.pdf

3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17177714/

4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16956469/

5. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.analchem.8b04187?

6. https://cen.acs.org/environment/water/Common-sunscreen-ingredient-octocrylene-might/97/web/2019/01

7. https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/report/the-trouble-with-sunscreen-chemicals/

8. https://www.beatthemicrobead.org/microplastics-in-your-sunscreen-can-be-more-dangerous-than-you-think/

9. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357993476_Recent_research_on_UV-328_further_proves_its_potential_to_undergo_long-range_transport_bioaccumulate_and_cause_harm

10. https://cptclabs.com/benzene-benzophenone-in-sunscreen-products/

11. https://www.npr.org/2021/10/01/1042507194/coppertone-recalls-sunscreen-benzene