Among all the skincare products in the market, if there is one that has passed through intensive clinical studies to prove its effectiveness, it must be sunscreen. Its importance in your skincare routine is paramount; Not only does it protect your skin from sunburn, but it also plays an important role in helping prevent skin cancer.

Nevertheless, despite all the evidence, there are still people who fail to accept the value of sunscreen. They often promote alternative products that claim to offer sun protection in one form or another form.

One such product, although it does not clearly promise to change your sunscreen (As stated in the right print of some websites), Marketing is done as a ‘potable sunscreen’. Such branding can easily confuse consumers thinking that it is a suitable option for topical sunscreen, but it is not.

Now, even though potable sunscreen is not a new concept; This is a fairly interesting history in the US that includes a lawsuit (We will meet this lateR), but it is creating an entrance to the Indian market with the same name, but with various ingredients.

The analysis we have done is that these products contain tons of antioxidants and vitamins that can offer any kind of protection from the effects of the Sun, but cannot protect your body from UV rays, no matter what the claim is.

Let’s dive more in this, but before that, we asked experts what they think is potable sunscreen.

What are potable sunscreen, though?

As the name suggests, it is a sunscreen that you can consume directly from the tube. I am joking Do not gross yourself yet.

Well, a dermatologist and medical advisor in Kaya Limited. According to Vinata Shetty, jokes, potable sunscreen is an oral supplement designed to provide internal sun protection by helping to combat the body from within UV damage.

These sunscreen are in two forms: tablets, which are called oral sunscreen and the material is not like that. NaturalAnd the other one, which is available in the pouch and has all the natural elements, is usually marketed as potable sunscreen. Here we are talking about the latter.

“These supplements are usually marketed as an alternative or complement for traditional topical sunscreen. These include antioxidants, botanical extracts, and sometimes UV-filtering compounds that claim to neutralize free radicals and reduce the skin damage in contact with the sun, ”Dr. Shetty says.

Dr. Nicetta Sonwen, a celebrity dermatologist and the founder of Ambrosia aesthetics, agrees. She says that these products typically have a combination of antioxidants that work from within to reduce the negative effects of UV rays on your skin.

What can potable sunscreen do?

Dr. Sonwen says that even though these supplements do not prevent UV rays from reaching your skin such as topical sunscreen, they contain materials that help to buffer the damage caused by exposure to the sun.

Dr. Shetty explains that unlike topical sunscreen, which create a physical or chemical barrier on the skin, potable sunscreen works at a cellular level.

The price of these sunscreen is more than Rs 2,000-3,000 for 30 pouches. But the hour is the question…

Do they also work?

Dr. Shetty says, while potable sunscreen supplements can provide some extent protection, they are not an alternative to traditional sunscreen.

“Clinical studies suggest that some antioxidants and plant-ritual compounds can help reduce UV-inspired skin damage, but they do not offer direct protection similar to SPF-based cream or lotion,” Dr. Shetty says.

Dr. Sonwen says that potable sunscreen does not prevent UV rays from reaching our skin.

“They do not prevent tanning, sunburn, or skin cancer the way a broad spectrum sunscreen. Therefore, if you are relying only on potable sunscreen, you are leaving your skin insecure, ”she says.

Dr. Sonwane asks to understand potable sunscreen, we can think of it as a good diet for your skin, that is, eating healthy can improve our skin health, but this does not mean that you can leave your moisturizer or sunscreen. You still need that outer layer of security.

Now, to understand whether any product is even more effective, we need to see the material. So to find out its effectiveness, we did this. We analyzed some famous potable sunscreen brands, including ‘India’s first potable sunscreen’.

What did we get here:

Most potable sunscreen contains antioxidants, vitamins and plant extracts that help fight free radicals from the sun. Here is a breakdown:

• Polypodium leukotomos: A fern extract that has the ability to reduce inflammation along with sun damage. I often advise patients who have hyperpigmentation.
• Astaxanthin: A powerful antioxidant found in algae that protects the skin cells from oxidative stress. It also helps with anti-aging.
• Lycopene: Found in tomatoes, this antioxidant is shown to offer light UV security over time.
• Vitamin C and E: These work together to cure sun damage and promote the natural healing process of the skin.
• beta carotene: A form of vitamin A that strengthens the skin protection against UV rays.

Dr. Sonwen says that even though all these ingredients can help in increasing our skin health, our skin can help to recover rapid healing and reduce the chances of long -term damage, but, they do not work immediately; The effect increases over time.

Dermatologists emphasize that oral sunscreen can be used as an additional layer of sun protection rather than primary protective measures.

For complete sun protection, remember, topical sunscreen, protective fabrics, and sun-safe behavior (such as searching and wearing a hat) are important. Therefore, even if you are thinking about adding potable sunscreen to your routine, experts suggest that you should talk to experts first.

Case eager to ‘potable sunscreen’ in the world

When Dr. Ben Johnson, a former (his license was canceled) beauty physician and Skincare Entrepreneur, announced the launch of ‘drink sunscreen’, a collective double-tech by Skincare World.

Marketed under its brand, Osmosis Skincare, this ‘UV Neutraliser Hormonished Water’ claimed users to save users with only a few drops in water for three hours from UVA and UVB rays. Bold claim? Absolutely. Supported by colleague-review science? Erm … not enough.

As the product has discussed, the same was SCEPTICISM. The brand claimed that water included vibration frequencies that somehow cancels UV radiation. This is correct, no chemicals, no SPF, simply with “harmonious” water they call 24k gold. If you are wondering what ‘harmonious water’ means, you are not alone. According to the company, it is essentially a form of water that has a high frequency or vibration, whichever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po08rkjzkge

But not so soon, in March 2017, the Iowa Attorney General filed a consumer fraud case against Johnson’s companies (yes, they had two companies that sold things like harmonious water for mosquito bites), alleging that the promises of the product were not only unbalanced, but also potentially dangerous.

The trial states that relying on such a product may give consumers a false sense of safety, which proves them to be the methods of sun protection. Facing increasing legal pressure, Johnson’s company settled in October 2017 for USD 70,000 with the Iowa Attorney General, but did not accept any wrongdoing.

Now, even though we have Dr. in India. There are no brands such as Johnson, Oops, Sorry, Johnson’s brand potable sunscreen, this case works as a warning for us, to see the component list before arriving for such products and stick to the reliable products of the expert instead.