Chemical Sunscreen and Inflammation

Why is it that physical sunscreens (aka MOTHER) are often recommended for people with sensitive skin? 

Because of their anti-inflammatory properties.

Compare this with its counterpart, chemical sunscreens, and the opposite can be true. 

They can trigger:

• Inflammation
• Redness
• Irritation
• Exacerbated conditions such as acne, eczema, rosacea and melasma

Yikes. 

So what exactly is inflammation and why do we care?

Inflammation is our body’s defense mechanism to something harmful that enters the body. It happens in two ways: acute, and chronic inflammation.  

Acute inflammation is when something foreign enters the body, say, a splinter, our body launches into action, with swelling, warmth, redness and pain to protect against injury and infection.

But what happens when we’re in a constant state of inflammation, and we don’t even know it?

Enter chronic inflammation.

Environmental and lifestyle factors are to blame for this beast: chemicals, artificial fragrances, stress, UV damage, poor nutrition, and weather can all contribute. 

When your skin is assaulted by any of these external forces on an ongoing basis, it can enter a state of mild inflammation, and never have time to repair. The result? 

Aging.

Or, what some call, inflammaging. 

Second yikes. 

Skin inflammation that’s always hanging around means that it never has time to heal itself, compromising elastin, collagen production and skin barrier function. 

Hence, the aging (shall we throw in a third yikes?).

Obviously, we’re not putting our hands up for extra wrinkles so… 

What’s the answer?

Don’t worry, it’s not all yoga, meditation and cacao ceremonies (although sign us up!). It’s a multi-pronged approach to reducing stress, slowing down and being mindful of what we put on our skin.

Here’s one concrete way you can target inflammation:

Zinc Oxide Aka our wonder kid

This inorganic compound is MOTHER’s active ingredient and is famous for its anti-inflammatory properties. Not just a sunscreen, MOTHER’s a skin product that’ll help reduce your skin’s inflammatory load.

Zinc Oxide’s known to:

• Reduce inflammation
• Protect against UV damage
• Fight damage from stressors such as pollution because of its superpower antioxidant properties
• Reduce pigmentation and prevent hyperpigmentation
• Kickstart collagen production, helping to build and repair your skin
• Support acne-prone skin, because of its non-comedogenic properties
• Won’t block pores
• Inhibits excessive oil production and bacteria
• Soothes redness caused by inflammation
• Gives mattifying effects

So what we’re hearing is, wearing a physical sunscreen like MOTHER will combat inflammation, keep our skin healthy, reduce acne and niggly pigmentation, fight against pollution and give us the complexion of a five year old. 

Too bold of a claim? You tell us 😉