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Every claim examined, with its status
The recurring structure of this publication is a block that takes a claim as the category states it, sets out what would have to be true for it to hold, what is actually established, what is not, and a status word from a fixed published vocabulary. This is all of them.
Claims35
Status words6
Reviewed7 August 2026
Qualified
Holds, but only under conditions that the claim as stated leaves out.
Mineral sunscreens are naturally broad spectrumUltraviolet A, ultraviolet B and what broad spectrum means on a UK pack, in The permitted filtersQualifiedMineral sunscreen does not break down in the sun, so it lasts longerPhotostability, and why a formulator never uses one filter alone, in The permitted filtersQualifiedZinc oxide and titanium dioxide are essentially the same thingZinc oxide and titanium dioxide, compared on what actually differs, in Zinc and titaniumQualifiedA good mineral sunscreen should leave no white cast at allThe white cast problem, and why the physics makes it hard to solve, in Zinc and titaniumQualifiedThere is no mineral sunscreen that works on dark skinMineral sunscreen and darker skin tones: a formulation problem, not a preference, in Zinc and titaniumQualifiedA high factor mineral sunscreen gives you more protectionThe quantity problem: how a cosmetic complaint becomes a protection gap, in Zinc and titaniumQualifiedThis product is one hundred per cent naturalWhat natural means in cosmetics, which is much less than shoppers assume, in The word naturalQualifiedThis product is certified natural, so it is better for you and for the planetNatural and organic certification: what a mark actually certifies, in The word naturalQualifiedThis sunscreen is biodegradableBiodegradable, ocean friendly and the Green Claims Code, in Reefs and the seaQualifiedMineral sunscreen is better for sensitive skinIs mineral sunscreen genuinely better tolerated by sensitive skin?, in Skin and healthQualifiedMineral sunscreen is the only safe option for childrenMineral sunscreen for babies and children: what the guidance says and where chemistry stops, in Skin and healthQualified
Unresolved
A real question with incomplete evidence. Neither supported nor refuted at present.
Unsupported
We have located no published evidence that would support it. That is not the same as refuted.
This sunscreen is chemical freeWhy chemical sunscreen is a category that describes nothing, in The permitted filtersUnsupportedNon nano mineral sunscreen is safer because the particles cannot get into the bodyParticle size: the variable that decides how a mineral sunscreen looks and works, in Zinc and titaniumUnsupportedThis sunscreen is non nano, so the particles are too large to enter the skinNano and non nano: what the labelling rule actually requires, in Zinc and titaniumUnsupportedThis plant oil has a natural sun protection factorPlant oils presented as sun protection: the most dangerous claim in the category, in The word naturalUnsupportedCarrot seed oil is a natural sunscreenCarrot seed oil, examined against what would be needed, in The word naturalUnsupportedRed raspberry seed oil provides broad spectrum sun protection comparable to a mineral filterRed raspberry seed oil, examined against what would be needed, in The word naturalUnsupportedYou can make an effective sunscreen at home with zinc oxideHomemade sunscreen and why it cannot be made safely, in The word naturalUnsupportedThis sunscreen is reef safeReef safe: what the phrase would have to mean, and what the coral evidence shows, in Reefs and the seaUnsupportedOur sunscreen is ocean friendlyHow an environmental claim is actually assessed when somebody complains, in Reefs and the seaUnsupportedMineral sunscreen is better for skin prone to breakoutsMineral sunscreen and skin prone to blocked pores: what the chemistry suggests, in Skin and healthUnsupportedWearing sunscreen causes vitamin D deficiencyVitamin D and sunscreen: a nutrition and public health question, not a reason to stop protecting skin, in Skin and healthUnsupported
Misattributed
Describes something real, but assigns it to the wrong cause or the wrong mechanism.
Mineral filters are natural and chemical filters are syntheticMineral and organic UV filters: the difference that is real, and the one that is not, in The permitted filtersMisattributedZinc oxide is a physical barrier that sits on the skin and blocks the sunWhat zinc oxide actually does in a sunscreen, in Zinc and titaniumMisattributedCoconut oil has been used as sun protection for generations, so it worksCoconut oil and sun exposure: the oldest version of the claim, in The word naturalMisattributedThis filter is banned in Hawaii, so it damages coral reefsWhere the regional sunscreen bans came from, and what they established, in Reefs and the seaMisattributed
Contradicted
Published evidence or regulation points the other way.
Mineral sunscreen is the only kind that is properly regulatedWhich UV filters are permitted in the UK, and how that list works, in The permitted filtersContradictedMineral sunscreen sits on top of the skin and reflects UV like a mirrorHow a UV filter actually works, in both classes, in The permitted filtersContradictedMineral filters are inert and do not react with anythingWhat titanium dioxide actually does in a sunscreen, in Zinc and titaniumContradictedMineral filters reflect ultraviolet, chemical filters absorb itAbsorb against reflect: the simplification taught to every shopper, in Zinc and titaniumContradictedNanoparticles in sunscreen pass through your skin and into your bloodstreamThe nanoparticle safety questions, separated into the settled and the open, in Zinc and titaniumContradictedMineral sunscreens are simpler formulations with fewer ingredientsWhy mineral formulations are so much harder to make elegant, in Zinc and titaniumContradictedEssential oils are a gentler alternative to synthetic fragranceEssential oils, sunlight and the reaction nobody markets against, in The word naturalContradictedMineral filters are safe for the sea because they are natural mineralsMineral filters and the environment, which is not the free pass it is presented as, in Reefs and the seaContradicted
Editorial disclosure. This article contains no commercial links. Nothing on it has been paid for, no company has been given sight of it, and no brand or product is named anywhere on this site. This publication takes no money from sunscreen or skincare companies at any price, and the reasons are set out in what we refuse to sell. Published by Northbank Media.
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