The Global Change Savvy Consumer
SUNSCREENS, COSMETICS, & SKIN
CARE
With this choice you can equip yourself with the
latest information on the reasons for full-spectrum protection from ultraviolet
radiation, as well as the approved ingredients that can provide this protection,
select the sunscreen, skin care, or make-up products that best meet your
established criteria (cost, effectiveness, fragrance, etc. ).
BACKGROUND READING & WEB-BASED
INFORMATION:
(a) BACKGROUND ON UV RADIATION: -- To
remind yourself about the key concepts related to this topic, look over p 39
and pp 51-55 in Class Notes. For reference purposes, the table
and figure from the Class Notes are reproduced here:
|
Wavelength
Range
|
Name
|
Biological
Effect
|
 |
|
.32
to .4
µm
(320-400
nm)
|
UVA
|
once
thought to be relatively harmless, BUT causes wrinkles, premature aging
and associated sun-related skin damage; new research indicates possible
skin cancer link
|
|
.29
to .32 µm
(290-320
nm)
|
UVB
|
harmful,
causes sunburn, skin cancer, and other disorders
|
|
.20
to .29 µm
(200
- 290 nm)
|
UVC
|
extremely
harmful, damages DNA -- but almost completely absorbed by ozone
|
(b) BACKGROUND ON SUNSCREEN & SKIN CARE - Now
read through the following TIPS related to sun
safety, skin care and health, taken from the website of Paula Begoun,
the "Cosmetics
Cop." Begoun has spent her career examining the scientific
basis underlying the ingredients and performance claims of thousands of
beauty and skin products. It
is HERE that you will find out which ingredients provide adequate protection
from different wavelengths of the UV radiation part of the electromagnetic
spectrum:
THE SKIN CARE SCOOP (excerpts
from Paula Begoun's website; see also her "Question of the Month"
archive for the Category Sun Care)
(c) Lastly, read through the ADDITIONAL LINKS
below to learn more about ingredients, health risks, skin
damage, and other aspects of the UV radiation
problem -- including information about SUNGLASSES -- an alternative
product that you might want to rate!
Additional Links on OZONE, UV RADIATION, & TANNING
COLLECTING DATA
- Now it's time to
do some savvy consumer window shopping! Visit a few of your
favorite drug stores, department stores, or cosmetics boutiques -- any
places that sell sunscreen products and skin care items and check out the
ingredients listed on the various sunscreen, moisturizer, and foundation
products that list an SPF value, thereby indicating they have properties
supporting a "sun protection factor" designation.
[NOTE: This "field work" can be done with one or more
other students from the class, as long as you each focus on a different
category of product and write up your own unique reports. Be sure you
list the names of any other students you worked with on your survey activity
in your report.]
- Make a list of
the products and the ingredients they contain and classify the products
according to whether or not they have full UV spectrum protection.
Also write down the size (or amount) contained in the product and its
cost. You may also want to test them for fragrance, greasiness,
texture, coverage, and other properties that are important to you in a skin
care product. (For the latter "testing" exercise --
depending on the type of store you are in -- you may want to actually purchase
samples so you don't upset the clerks!)
- Define a set of
criteria for how you are going to rank the products in a specific
category (e.g., regular sunscreens, waterproof sunscreens,
foundations, etc.) -- UVA, UVB, and UVC protection must be part of your
criteria, but you can add other factors to your ranking too.. For fun
you could even have a "product testing" session with some of your
friends to assist in ranking the products.
- Assemble all
your collected data and figure out how you will arrange it in a table
and compare the different products using one or more graphs as described in
STEPS 3 and 4.
BONUS POINT
OPPORTUNITY: (1 -3 pts)
Visit
different types of local tanning salons and interview the operators to find
out what they are saying about UV radiation and tanning. Then rate them in
terms of the accuracy of the information you get, safety and cost.
[NOTE:
this bonus activity may be done with one or more other students in the
class. Each student needs to write up his/her OWN unique message and
post it. If you worked with others, be sure you list their name(s).]
Then
post a thoughtful 1-paragraph message on the
D2L Discussion Board about what (if
anything) you learned by doing your survey and whether the activity helped you
become a more informed consumer of sunscreen and skin care products. THIS BONUS POINT OPPORTUNITY is worth 1- 3 bonus pts, depending on the
level of effort represented and quality of the Discussion Board paragraph.
ADDITIONAL
LINKS ON OZONE, UV RADIATION, SUNSCREENS & TANNING:
NOTE: some links may be broken --
haven't had time to check them all!
Ozone Hole & Depletion articles:
About
the UV INDEX:
About Sun Protection:
Medical Information on Melanoma and other UV radiation
damage: