What the FDA found

We mention the FDA studies on our product page, so here is the full version with sources. We would rather you read it yourself than take our word for it.

What the studies did

In 2019 and again in 2020, FDA researchers ran trials on how much of a sunscreen's active ingredients end up in the bloodstream. People applied commercially available sunscreens the way the label says to, and researchers measured their blood.

Six common chemical filters were found in blood plasma after a single application, at levels above 0.5 nanograms per millilitre. That number matters because it is the threshold at which the FDA asks for more safety testing on an ingredient. The six were avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylene, homosalate, octisalate and octinoxate.

Both studies were published in JAMA. You can read the FDA's own summary of the second study and the full paper.

What it does not mean

This is the part that usually gets left out, so we want to be clear about it.

Absorption is not the same as harm. The studies measured whether these ingredients get into the blood. They did not find that the ingredients cause damage once they are there. The FDA said as much when it published the results, and asked manufacturers for more data to answer the question properly. That data has not been published.

The FDA still tells people to use sunscreen. So do dermatologists. Nobody at the FDA said to stop. The agency's position is that the benefit of protecting your skin is established, and the open question is about long-term systemic exposure to specific ingredients.

We think people can hold both of those ideas at once: the science is not finished, and going without is not a great plan either.

The reef laws

Separately from the absorption research, Hawaii passed Act 104, which made it unlawful from January 1, 2021 to sell sunscreen containing oxybenzone or octinoxate in the state without a prescription. The concern was coral reefs. Key West passed a similar ban in 2019. You can read the Hawaii statute directly.

Scientists still argue about how much sunscreen contributes to reef damage compared to warming water and runoff. We are not going to pretend that debate is settled. The laws are real, though, and we live here.

Where zinc sits in this

Zinc oxide was not one of the six ingredients in those absorption studies, and it is not covered by Hawaii's ban. It is a mineral, and it works differently from the chemical filters that were studied.

Our balm is 16.3% non-nano zinc oxide by weight. Non-nano means the particles are larger than the nano threshold. That is an ingredient fact, and it is the reason we can tell you exactly what is in the jar.

Why we bother writing this

The people who buy from us read labels. They are used to brands using scary words to sell them something, and they can smell it coming. We would rather hand you the actual studies and let you decide.

Questions? Email us at info@ritualorganics.co. We read everything.

Jon & Gabrielle