Home-made sunblock options shared at Far North workshop

Workshop participants harvested aloe vera from the Māra Kai o te Hapori (community garden) on Puckey Ave to make their broad spectrum zinc-oxide based physical sunblock. Photo / Noel Garcia

If you’re concerned about SPF claims, cringe at plastic, or worry about chemical sunscreen’s impact on our bodies and oceans, take heed.

Earlier this month at Te Pokapu Tiaki Taiao’s Anō Anō (next to Kaitaia’s EcoCentre), a mineral sunblock-making workshop brought together people seeking an alternative option to what’s currently on the market.

While chemicals in conventional sunscreen absorb UV rays, mineral or physical sunblocks use zinc oxide or titanium dioxide to reflect UV rays away from the skin.

Workshop facilitator Merryn Smith also works as an environmental educator at Kaitāia schools, where she said sunscreen sometimes posed a challenge to those teaching about sustainability.

“Many of our schools are doing amazing work to encourage kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and zero waste education.

“But sunscreen seems to have been a bit of a blind spot, maybe because we have to use it to protect kids.

“More and more I’m being asked about alternatives, because of the plastic bottles and the long lists of chemicals.”

Smith said she knew of friends and colleagues who were also uneasy about sunscreen, and that she too was personally concerned.

“I worry about the effect of all those chemicals on the moana (sea) and the creatures who live there, especially after long hot summers with lots of tourists.”

According to an environmental scientist who studies contaminants, her worries were valid.

Dr Melanie Kah, Associate Professor at the University of Auckland, said conventional sunscreens typically contained many ingredients, including several chemical UV filters.

“We know that some of them - two in particular: oxybenzone and octinoxate - can negatively affect corals.

“These two UV filters have now been banned in places including Hawaii, the US Virgin Islands and Palau.”

Kah said mineral sunblocks had been suggested to be safer for the marine environment, but - despite much research conducted - clear answers were lacking.

She therefore suggested minimising sunscreen use by using a combination of protective strategies like clothing and shade, which would make more difference than switching from one UV-filter to another.

Dr Geri McLeod, co-author of a research paper published in the New Zealand Medical Journal a fortnight ago, offered similar advice.

“Sunscreen is not the be-all and end-all of sun protection.

“It’s just for the bits you can’t cover with clothing, not for putting on your whole body and going out in the sun for five hours.

“It’s not meant to be used that way. That’s why people get sunburned.”

The study looked at sunburned people’s use of three sun protection strategies (protection, coverage and avoidance), and found those who used only protection - sunscreen and sunglasses - accounted for the highest proportion of sunburn cases.

It concluded that cases of sunburn could be reduced by using a combination of protection, coverage and avoiding the sun by seeking shade.

As the uncertainties of sunscreen brands' SPF claims made news repeatedly this year, some have opted to make their own chemical-free mineral sunblock instead. Photo / Noel Garcia

Back in Kaitāia, sunblock makers agreed that clothing and shade were essential parts of their protection routines.

Smith was clear she was not an expert on natural products, and said her workshop style was to introduce the topic and invite people to collaborate and learn from each other.

Among attendees was a soap maker, motivated to stop her whānau’s skin irritation, who shared tips on how to prepare aloe vera for use.

Smith led the workshop with a recipe she’d found online and had previously made herself.

“It uses a few easy-to-access natural ingredients, and protects using zinc oxide, which acts like a shield and reflects the sun. Just like the zinc we used in the eighties.”

Smith said the recipe listed an approximate SPF of 30-40, but that there were “no guarantees” in the absence of testing.

The uncertainties of SPF have made news repeatedly this year, including when Australian skincare company Ego Pharmaceuticals was fined $280,000 for making unsubstantiated claims about the SPF of two of its sunscreens.

After testing last year revealed that only five out of 10 sunscreens were up to standard, earlier this month Consumer NZ found two more sunscreens from Neutrogena and Hamilton that didn’t meet their SPF claims.

In September, the Sunscreen (Product Safety Standard) Act became law.

However, Consumer NZ continued to call for the regulation of sunscreens as therapeutic products - rather than cosmetic - which would require regular testing of SPF claims.

Dr Christopher Jackson, medical oncologist and senior lecturer in medicine at the University of Otago, said he understood the urge to use made-at-home sunscreen.

He said having confidence in a sunscreen’s protective qualities was very important, and was concerned how its high cost was prohibiting appropriate use for some, especially given the rates of skin cancer in Aotearoa.

“New Zealand has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world and one of the highest rates of death from melanoma in the world.

“All commercially purchased sunscreens must report their SPF, and not all meet that.”

The good news from Jackson was simple.

“Sunscreen is meant to be the last line of defence, not the first. Shade, long clothing, hats and glasses are the most effective means of protection.”

In the meantime, those keen on Kiwi ingenuity would find good company at Anō Anō.

Smith said, “Making this can be a mission on your own, but doing a big batch with friends or neighbours can be fun and social.”

She welcomed groups of 10-15 people interested in natural cleaning or skincare to contact her for a workshop.

“That’s what we do, and we’re happy to come to you.

“And if you don’t have the time or inclination to make your own natural sunblock, there are companies that make it locally - like Dirty Hippie based in Waipu.”