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Video length: 2 min.
Who says summer vacation says sunscreen, an essential product to protect your skin. But you have to choose it well. The National Health Security Agency warns against octocrylene, present in certain products and harmful to the environment.
Wearing sunscreen is an essential summer gesture, but is potentially harmful to the environment. In question, theoctocrylene, a chemical UV filter present in some tubes. The National Health Security Agency is asking the government to restrict the use of this molecule to preserve the oceans, which are polluted by 25,000 tonnes of sunscreen residue each year.
A substance present in several cosmetic products
“This can be mortality, this is the case observed on microalgae”, says Philip lebaron, professor at the Sorbonne. According to a scientific study from 2021, the component also has health risks. If the tube is open too long, theoctocrylene can become an endocrine disruptor, with risks of cancer. The government could ask the European Union to ban this substance, present in other cosmetic products.