Well, that’s interesting; there’s several things that conflict with my prior information. Time to look into it further; thanks for sharing.

Oh, then I might not be using enough because I don’t look like a ghost after applying it lol

only recently bought some mineral sunscreen for the first time, because I got into biking places

thinks back to college chem lab classes and MSDSes why would anyone put benzene in sunscreen

Anyway, for reference here’s the paragraph from the article about the harmful substance:

When people say chemical sunscreens are unsafe or “toxic,” they generally point to a 2001 study that found some risks associated with oxybenzone after scientists put high levels of the ingredient in drinking water for rats. But a followup study in 2016 found that for humans to get to similar risky exposure levels they’d have to apply full-body daily sunscreen for 227 years.

Meanwhile, I’ve noticed that mineral sunscreens (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide) are reportedly considered “reef safe”: https://savethereef.org/about-reef-save-sunscreen.html

And they aren’t the substances that are cited for toxicity/carcinogenicity. So, based on the available information (correct me if I’m wrong, of course!), it seems that they’re the best choice.

Also I’ve heard that mineral sunscreens work by reflecting sunlight rather than absorbing it and dissipating it as a different form of energy (I forget whether that’s heat or chemical change) so that might also be useful in other ways. But I am not an expert.

EDIT: see later replies to this post for more information to consider

Ah, I see. So, basically a “less bad” alternative for people who have nicotine dependency?

why do these even exist

Reading this reminds me there’s efficiency in terms of energy conversion (which is presumably what the efficiency stat here refers to) as well as efficiency in terms of materials and space usage (which is why there’s separate stats talking about those aspects).

who is this btw?

I forgot about Lemmy for months…this has gotten me to show back up!