Sun Block and Pregnancy
Sun Block and Pregnancy
During our research on
specific Sun Blocks used during human pregnancy, MOTIS looked into the
ingredients from Coppertone All Day Protection®, Banana Boat Sun block®,
Bullfrog Sun block®, Hawaiian Tropic Sun block®, Neutrogena Sun block®, and
Vaseline Intensive Care Moisturizing Sunscreen®. Common ingredients
included: Oxybenzone, Homosalate, Octocrylene, Octylmethoxycinnamate,
Padimate-O, and Titanium Dioxide. Human studies of Oxybenzone indicate
that percutaneous absorption of sunscreens applied to the face may be 2-3 times
that found for forearm skin. Hypersensitivity contact reactions to
oxybenzone have been reported. Animal studies have not found this agent to
be teratogenic, however, like several of the other ingredients listed above,
there are no well-controlled studies at this time regarding exposure during
human pregnancy. Titanium Dioxide is used as the white coloring of a few
sun blocks. Again, no studies have been done regarding possible
reproduction or lactation effects of this agent in humans. Further
investigation is required to accurately determine any possible teratogenic
effects involved in using sun blocks during human pregnancy.