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For years we have been told that sunscreen is not only essential to stop pre-mature aging, but that it is also vital in the prevention of skin cancer. Many cosmetics firms capitalise on this and come up with ridiculously high sunscreen factors with added ingredients that promise to stop pre-mature aging.

But are these ingredients actually doing what they say they do? According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), who recently tested over 500 beach and sport sunscreens, they may even be accelerating skin damage. Here are two ingredients you need to look out for in your sunscreen:

1. Vitamin A - also declared as retinyl palmitate, is currently being investigated by the FDA. This compound "may accelerate skin damage and elevate skin cancer risk when applied to skin exposed to sunlight." Although the "evidence against vitamin A is far from conclusive" it is suspected to be photocarcinogenic (cancer causing when in contact with sunlight) and you might want to choose a product that doesn't contain Vitamin A until it has been found to be safe.

2. Oxybenzone - this compound commonly found in sunscreens and is a known hormone disruptor (it disrupts the natural hormone balance in the human body) that can build up in your body. Studies by the American Center for Disease Control (CDC) found that 97% fo Americans had this compound in their bodies shown that there is a link between low birth weight in baby girls whose mothers have been exposed to this substance during pregnancy. As oxybenzone penetrates the skin and stays in the body, scientists recommend that parents should absolutely avoid applying sunscreen containing this chemical on their children's skin.

So What's the Solution?
The most current recommendation on the basis of the latest scientific studies is that mineral sunscreens offer the best safety profile. Unlike sunscreens containing oxybenzone, they are  "stable in sunlight and do not appear to penetrate the skin." The added advantage is also that they offer UVA protection, which is lacking in most sunscreen products. For consumers who don’t like mineral products, the EWG recommends sunscreens with avobenzone (3 percent for the best UVA protection)

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