Moogoo

So many of our regular customers have asked us about sunscreen we thought we should explain why we do not have a sunscreen in our product range at the moment. Because sunscreens are one of the biggest items of skin care, there are a lot of companies that push the 'sun care' message very strongly, and this helps them sell products. However, we have some concerns about everyday use of sunscreen.

There is no doubt that avoiding sun damage keeps the skin healthier and younger looking. However, in our opinion, avoiding excessive direct sun exposure is healthier than applying sunscreen chemicals each day.  When going into direct sunlight without protection, a certain type of sunscreen should be applied.

The Three Types of Sunscreens:

1. Compounds that absorb ultraviolet light.  These are chemicals such as  oxybenzone in a Paraffin Oil base. These are the traditional "non-greasy" sunscreens. The risks of these chemicals are well established. A typical result is below:
   

   Recent research at the University of California Riverside indicates that sunscreen needs to be reapplied within 2 hours in order to remain effective. Not reapplying could cause even more cell damage than not using sunscreen at all, due to the release of extra free radicals from those sunscreen chemicals which were absorbed into the skin.

   (Kerry M. Hanson, Enrico Gratton and Christopher J. Bardeen (2006). "Sunscreen enhancement of UV-induced reactive oxygen species in the skin". Free Radical Biology and Medicine 11: 1205.

2. UV Blocking Ingredients. These block the UV rays. Typically Zinc Oxide or Titanium Dioxide are used. Both of these ingredients are very safe (Titanium Dioxide is even used in your toothpaste and chewing gum). However they do leave that "pasty white" look.
3. Nano Particles.  Nano-Particles of  Zinc Oxide or Titanium Dioxide. These are the same "UV blocking ingredients", as above, but ground down to a very fine size so they don't give the white and pasty look. Although these ingredients are very safe in normal form, there are some concerns that their very small size may penetrate cell walls and do damage. At the moment, the research is not conclusive. Manufacturers of nano-particle sunscreen argue that nano-particles do not pass through the outer dead layers of skin (the Stratum corneum), and so can not enter living skins cells. Other research groups are not so sure. To read more about the conflicting results from nano-particle research click here to be taken to the Nanowerk discussion pages.
   
   
   
   

Conclusion: We personally prefer not to use sunscreen chemicals on an every-day basis.

We only use UV blocking sunscreen when going into direct sunlight. That is, Zinc Oxide or Titanium Dioxide, not in nano-particle form. Although these are white and pasty looking, these are proven to be very safe.  At the moment, the conflicting research about nano-particle safety prevents us from being confident adding these to any MooGoo product just yet.  

All MooGoo products were orignally made for our own use and so we will not release a product that we  would not often use ourselves. 

We also believe that Australian labeling regulations should require nano-particles to be disclosed on ingredient  labels so consumers can choose to use or not use these products.

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