It’s time get out in the sun and get out the sunscreen.  But how well do you know the ingredients in favorite bottle or spray?

Consumer Reports has a quick quiz to learn more about what’s in your sunscreen.

Among their questions:

• How can you tell if a sunscreen protects against UVB rays – the primary kind that causes sunburn and contributes to skin cancer?
• Which ingredients protect against UVA rays – the kind that penetrate deep and cause wrinkles, age spots, and contribute to skin cancer?
• Are sunscreen makers required to identify nanoparticles – very small engineered ingredients – on their product labels?
• Are there any sunscreens that pregnant women should avoid?

And while Consumer Reports noted that “the proven benefits of sunscreen outweigh any potential risks,” they do single out some ingredients which are associated with adverse health effects:

• Oxybenzone and other endocrine disruptors:  “may interfere with hormones in the body”
• Nanoscale zinc and titanium oxides:  “linked to problems such as potential reproductive and developmental effects”
• Retinyl palmitate:  “animal studies have linked to an increased risk of skin cancers. In skin, it converts readily to retinoids, associated with a risk of birth defects in people using acne medications containing them”

Consumer Reports also shares information about another concern – the smell and feel of various sunscreens, and also warn against sunscreens containing insect repellent.

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