(Keep in mind that I am not a doctor, nor am I an expert in sun protection or the science behind it. This is just what I have learned from my own research.)
Firstly, let’s start out with the importance of sunscreen. Yes, we all know that we should protect our skin from the damaging rays of the sun. But really, we need to protect ourselves from the sun! Not only does it help reduce the signs of aging, but it can help prevent skin cancer. I’m no expert on either of these topics, but I do know that I want to avoid them both! To truly protect our skin, we need to wear it all day long, rain or shine! Even in the Winter, perhaps even more so, the sun’s harmful rays can still damage the skin. But fear not! That’s why sunscreen is so important to apply all year long! I’m not gonna lie, I tend to skip it in the Winter too, but I shouldn’t because the sun’s UVA/UVB rays are still hitting my skin. Enough of the lecturing though. Let’s get into the differences between the sunscreens.
As I said in the beginning, Hang Ten makes three different versions of their sunscreen. One is not necessarily better than the other and what you choose is really just based on your own personal preferences (or in some instances your skin’s sensitivities). So then what exactly makes the Mineral and the Chemical different from one another? I never really gave it much thought, but there actually is a difference in how these formulas protect you from the sun.
Let’s start with Mineral Sunscreens. I always thought of Mineral Sunscreens as the “all natural” variety. And this is basically the case. They use naturally occurring mineral (or physical) active ingredients, predominately Zinc Oxide and/or Titanium Dioxide, to block the sun’s rays. In fact, that is precisely how they protect us. Mineral Sunscreens actually scatter and reflect away the UVA/UVB rays. They almost keep the sun from even hitting the skin and they are immediately effective. Chemical Sunscreens do essentially the same thing, but go about it in almost the opposite manner.
A Chemical Sunscreen is generally considered every bit as effective as a Mineral Sunscreen, but it does work differently. A Chemical Sunscreen uses active ingredients (or chemicals) to absorb and diffuse the sun’s UVA/UVB rays. It basically creates a chemical barrier that prevents the sun from penetrating into the skin. The rays still don’t reach the skin, but they are not deflected like with a mineral sunscreen; the skin has more of an impenetrable shield surrounding it and keeping it safe. Because of this, a chemical sunscreen should be applied about 30 minutes prior to being in the sun because it needs times to work it’s magic. The Chemical variety is no better or worse than a Mineral Sunscreen (at least in the case of Hang Ten), just different. Hang Ten’s Classic Sport and Spray Sunscreens are chemical sunscreens, so they work in this manner. The spray just allows the convenience of a spray application, versus the almost watery lotion-like texture of the standard Classic Sport. If you’d like to learn more about the science and how sunscreens work, check out these helpful bits on Coola’s website.
I was going to review each version of the Hang Ten Sunscreens in this post, but ithas gotten so long that I’m going to break it into two parts. Stay tuned for my next post, which will include a review of the Hang Tan Mineral Sunscreen, the Hang Ten Classic Sport Sunscreen, and the Hang Ten Classic Sport Sunscreen Spray. Hope to see you in a day or two for that post and thanks for checking out this post! J
