SunscreenBy: Brittany Cleland

Purpose of Sunscreen First effective sunscreen was made in

1946 Sunscreen was produced to protect skin

from getting damaged by radiation coming from the sun’s harmful UV rays

Some different compounds in sunscreen: zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, octyl methoxycinnamate, etc. (Reisch 2).

2 Active Ingredients: Organic and Inorganic

Organic Organic absorbs

UV light and makes it into heat (Reisch 2).

Inorganic Inorganic reflects

and scatters the UV light (Reisch 2).

UVA rays These rays reach deeper

into the skin Cause things such as

wrinkles and sun allergies Can be unprotected by

some sunscreens that only protect against UVB rays

Protected by compounds such as oxybenzone

(O’Connell 2) (Marshall 1)

UVB rays These rays damage the

top layer of the skin Cause sunburn and skin

aging Mostly all sunscreens

protect against UVB rays Many compounds

protect against these rays

Example: homosalate (O’Connell 2) (Reisch 2)

Different Compounds Many different compounds can be found

in sunscreen Examples: 1. Titanium dioxide2. Zinc oxide3. Octyl methoxycinnamate4. Oxybenzone5. Homosalate6. Avobenzone7. 4-methylbenzylidene camphor

Caution: No Sunscreen can cause CANCER!

Melanoma is a skin cancer caused by the mutation of the melanin in people’s skin

Getting this cancer is more common if a person does not wear sunscreen

Works Cited Marshall, Jessica. "Beware the A-ray: when you slap on

the sunscreen, you might not be getting as much protection as you think." New Scientist 194.2610 (2007): 38+. General Science Collection. Web. 28 Apr. 2013.

O'Connell, Patricia. "The fine print: how to decode a sunblock label and get the protection you need." Skiing Mar.-Apr. 1996: 32. General OneFile. Web. 14 Apr. 2013.

Reisch, Marc. "WHAT'S THAT STUFF?- SUNSCREEN." The NewsMagazine of the Chemical World 24 June 2002: 38. Print.