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.

Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world.  In the United Kingdom, men's skin cancer rates have doubled in the last 30 years.  In the late 70's in England, only 400 men died each year from melanoma, but now 1100 men die each year. (Link to Cancer Research UK here). . There are many possible explanations including increased packaged holidays etc.  But with sunscreen being the fastest growing segment of the skin care market for a number of years pushed by a safe sun safe message, people should be made aware that sunscreen alone won't prevent all skin cancer. The largest sunscreen study ever undertaken showed unscreen can help reduce one type of skin cancer by a statistical significant portion, but has no effect on basal cell carcinoma. The summary of this "NAmbour Study" is shown below.

The research results into the safety of sunscreen are mixed and it is difficult to get a fully impartial opinion. Money is made selling sunscreen, not in not selling sunscreen. It is difficult for sunscreen manufacturers to make money just by advertising to stay out of the peak sun.  So a strong message of sunscreen safety is pushed as part of a message of "sun-safe".

There is also the opposing message of the "natural" sunscreen makers which might over dramatize the risks in order to sell their product. Sunscreen standards vary through the world and contradicting research results are published.   Because of this, it is difficult to know what is the safest possible effective sunscreen.

We will provide some links to the pro-sunscreen camps, and the anti-chemical sunscreen camps at the bottom of this page. Most researchers have the health of people as their priority and we do not wish to be critical of their work, however skin cancer is a very complicated topic that is not fully understood.

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 which we will explain below.

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 in studies such as the one 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 and are usually used in the "natural" sunscreens. 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" unless very small particle sizes are used. Micronised sized particles (above 100 nanomenters in size) would be our preferred sunscreen additive, provided there was a good balance between UVA and UVB protection
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.

Sunscreen Standards

These vary throughout the world. Some countries have a SPF rating which really only measures UV B protection. Others argue that reducing UV B, without reducing UV A, might increase the risk of skin damage.  There is no standard for the term "broad spectrum". This is a complex area, a simplified version can be read through Wikepedia here.

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 originally 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.

Some "Pro" Sun Screen Links.

Nambour Study: This is a good independent study. Results however were not as positive as the sunscreen campaigners might have hoped. But it did show some benefits to a typical sunscreen. The "Nambour Study" found a 40% decrease in squamous cell carcinoma incidence on outdoor workers who used a sunscreen regularly. No change in basal cell carcinomas. It also says "currently, there is no such evidence to answer the question of the relationship between sunscreen use and the incidence of cutaneous melanoma." Click here for full report.

Cancer Council WA discussing the myth of sunscreen risks: Click here for their view.

"Anti-Sunscreen Links."

Friends of the Earth arguing the risks of nano-particle use in sunscreen, and asking for a requirement to have nano-particles labeled when used in sunscreen.  Click here for their argument.

A more radical anti-sunscreen view: Click Here.

Here is an ABC News (Australia) Item that explains how researchers are lookign for a better sunscreen as "many types of sunscreen do little more than prevent burning in some skin types". Click here if you would like to see the video.

Note: This page aims to provide a very simple and short overview of sunscreen for the average person. We believe it is balanced. We do not sell sunscreen at the moment and so are not biased in any direction. We wear sunscreen when goign into direct sunlight such as the beach. If you have another viewpoint, or correction, we would like to hear it. Please email us here to share your view.