Spf 15 Body Lotion For Arms & Legs

[NancyL]

I'm a very fair skinned westerner recently moved to LOS. Since I sunburn easily, I always use a body lotion with a light sunscreen, something like the Vaseline body lotion with SPF sunprotection of something like 4 (I don't really remember, it could have been as high as 15). I don't like heavy, greasy sunscreen and only use those if I know I'll be in the sun for a long period, as when gardening. I just need something lighter for "everyday" use, like when walking around shopping.

I've used up all the body lotion I brought and am now using my Oil of Olay face lotion as a body lotion. That's an expensive option. When I look in the stores, even Boots, I find Oil of Olay in the "regular" formulation and also in a "whitening" formulation that looks much like the SPF 15 Oil of Olay I'm used to. Also I find a Vaseline body lotion with "whitening" action that seems to be what I know as the Vaseline body lotion with sunscreen. Neither of these Thai products seem to list a SPF factor on the label, but say they have sunscreens.

What's my best option? Am I going to create problems in using a whitening lotion, especially a name brand one like Vaseline? I really don't need to be any whiter, but I sure don't want to be any redder! I've heard that whitening creams can be dangerous to the skin, but is that only the really serious whitening treatments that are dangerous?

[Cuban]

I think you will find that the whitening products contain mild (?) bleaches to lighten Asian skin for people that desire to look more pure Chinese or Western, or at least less dark Asian.

Stick to high SPFs - there are some good Japanese +50s that are light and non-greasy.

[sbk]

gotta agree with cuban, I don't touch the whitening stuff at all. If you look you can find some non-whitening sunscreen like you want, try shopping in a touristy area, they carry more of that stuff.

[hanno]

Apart from the fact that some whitening creams contain mercury, I'd be wary of any product that inhibits melanin production. Stick to sunscreen.

[cathyy]

Look for a lotion that specifies UV protection, preferably UVA and UVB. That's your sunscreen. As far as the whitening goes, yes, they do work. Stick to a major brand and read the labels. You aren't going to get actual melanin inhibition in anything not sold over an expensive cosmetics counter. You will get mild bleaches, such as milk or lactic acid and fruit extracts. They are not harmful if you stick with familiar brands with these known whitening ingredients. I like Vaseline Healthy White and Citra brands; I find Ka to be too greasy.

Mercury? I think lead and arsenic would be more likely. Arsenic gives a lovely translucent glow to the skin and was used by stage actresses a century or two ago. Lead was used to make the skin appear whiter, like Queen Elizabeth the First and geisha. Again, read the ingredients and keep to a known brand, not some Chinese company.

[NancyL]

Thank you Cathyy. I did some googling on this subject and read the press releases that Unilever sent out when they re-launched their line of body lotions in Thailand a couple of years ago. Yes, I know Thailand isn't lawsuit-happy like in the US, but I still found it hard to believe that a big, reputable company like Unilever would risk their Vaseline brand credibility by putting harmfull (and expensive) substances in a lotion they sell for less than 200 baht.

Today I found a Citra lotion that said something about UV Moisturizing but didn't use the words "whitening". That could be a good alternative too. I found that in a big Tops store, in the KSK mall in Chiang Mai, kind of a "touristy" area as SBK suggested.

I have fairly dry skin and use a lot of body lotion, so I didn't want to spend a fortune. I think I found some good alternatives. Of course, I'll stick with a higher SPF, western-produced cream for my face, but I think I found a couple of good inexpensive lotions for the stuff I buy by the liter for the rest of my body!

[stonechild]

try physiogel or eucerin. i believe some variants contain spf

[Beachbunny]

Just because it says whitening doesn't necessarily mean it has any bleaching agents in it. I think using the term whitening is kind of a misnomer since it is more of a exfoliation with sunscreen benefits.

I asked a Thai friend about all the whitening lotions when I first moved here and she basically said it was sun protection. She was educated in the West, so I'm sure she understood me.

I've used a few that say whitening and of the ones I've used all they have in them are mild sunscreens. The one I have now is Citra extra nourishing uv white lotion. It doesn't give an spf rating as one of the ingredients is photoreactive making the degradation unpredictable. I used to make soap and toiletries in the states, and I had to list not only the common name but the INCI list name, so I'm always looking at ingredients.

Visit My Website even if those ingredients has sunscreen benefits such as titanium dioxide, you couldn't make that claim because it was unmeasurable.

This is the list of ingredients on my Citra whitening lotion.

Ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnamate: 1.25% sunscreen

Butylmethoxydibenzoyhmethane: .40% sunscreen

Vitamin b3 1.00%

shea butter .10% (very good for your skin)

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnamate: sunscreen (for most important UV rays the ones that go deep.)

2-Ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnamate, 1, is a known sunscreen agent which absorbs ultraviolet radiation in the UV-B range.

(I read thai, but don't always understand what I'm reading so I asked my husband if there were any other ingredients, and he said no.)

THE INVENTION

It has now been found that heating, preferably distilling, 2-ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnamate in the presence of a phenol can be used as a reliable procedure to insure that the product manufactured will not test Ames positive.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnamate

Title:

Light-stable cosmetic formulation containing butylmethoxydibenzoylmethane

Document Type and Number:

United States Patent 6436374

Butylmethoxydibenzoyhmethane: sunscreen

Butylmethoxydibenzoyhmethane

Abstract:

A cosmetic preparation having butylmethoxydibenzoyhmethane as a protection filter and insoluble inorganic particles which are titanium dioxide particles doped with cerium or iron ions which absorb in the UVA region and are added to improve the photostability of the cosmetic preparation.

http://www.thaipr.net/nc/readnews.aspx?new...G1hbmFnZW1lbnQ=

http://asiams.net/Skin/Lighten/lighten.html

There is a wide range of lightening (a.k.a. whitening products) products in the U.S. but most of these domestic whiteners contain hydroquinone, a possible carcinogen as noted by the FDA.

Hydroquinone is banned for cosmetics usage in Asia, so the products marketed in Asia use plant based kojic acid(fruit or plant acids) instead.

http://www.skin-whitening-product.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin_whitening.

From my searches looks like the so called whitening creams in asia are safer than in the states. However, you're free to dispute that.

Beachbunny

[NancyL]

Wow, Beachbunny, thanks for all the research and detailed report! I used to work in the chemical industry, too, but as an engineer, not a chemist and I don't read Thai (I'm taking classes), so I had problems with the product labels and probably wouldn't have known much about the ingredients even if I could read them. (Well, Dr. Google could have helped)

I've been using the same Citra lotion you mentioned in your posting. It bothers me that these lotions don't list an SPF factor and I'm glad for your explanation of why they don't. But, given your knowledge, what would you estimate for a SPF factor for the Citra extra nourishing uv white lotion if the bottle has been stored in the dark, at cool (but not cold) temps?

[Beachbunny]

I would think it's not more than SPF15 IF that.....If it doesn't give specifics, I wouldn't depend on it as a sunscreen if I were going to spend any amount of time

in the sun.....as I mentioned one of the ingredients is photo degradeable.....if you are not going to be out in the sun, but just popping in and

out you're probably OK. It's better than nothing.

My Olay SPF 15 moisturizer for sensitive skin, on the other hand, uses zinc oxide, which is a good sunscreen, but it doesn't say it's for

both UVA & UVB, so there again you come up short. Nivea does have a Total UV milk body lotion..........not sure if they have a face moisturizer....

I've been trying Nivea again and have this lotion. The thing about Nivea for me, is that after I use it I still feel dry. This time of year I like

a heavier cream. I really like Scacare treatment cream with C&E evening primrose oil and aloe vera. I use it on my face and hands at night,

very good for your skin, but if using for daytime moisturizer, unfortunately no sunscreen.

I think Vaseline now has lotions with both UVA/UVB protection. If I remember from my trip home this summer, some of them even have a tint in

them.

Whatever you end up using don't forget your neck and the back of your hands. I get a headache from the sun, so I usually use a wide brimmed hat or

umbrella and try to stay out of the sun the hottest part of the day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Beachbunny