The right choices for protecting your skin from the sun

Updated on 2025-05-13

Summary: The right choices to protect your skin from the sun

Pierre-Philippe Bibeau talks to Lynn Goneau, naturopath at La Boîte à Grains, about sun protection. They discuss the effects of UVA rays, responsible for premature skin aging, and UVB rays, which cause sunburn and are linked to skin cancers.

Lynn explains the difference between chemical sunscreens, which absorb UV rays, and mineral sunscreens based on zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, which reflect them and are better suited to sensitive skin. She points out that the sun protection factor (SPF) varies only slightly between SPF 30 and 50, and that effectiveness depends above all on regular application. The column stresses the importance of opting for local, natural solutions, such as those from the Ontario brand Green Beaver.

The return of the sun: beneficial, but watch out!

The sun is good for you, but it can also cause skin damage. So it's crucial to protect yourself, even when you're not directly feeling its effects.

Understanding UV rays

UVA :

• Less energetic than UVB

• Present all year round, even through windows and car windows

• Responsible for premature aging (wrinkles, brown spots, loss of elasticity)

UVB :

• More energetic

• Responsible for sunburn, tanning and certain forms of skin cancer

• Do not pass through windows

Sunscreens: chemical vs. mineral

Chemical filters :

• Absorb UV rays

• May cause allergic reactions or irritation in sensitive skin

Mineral filters (based onzinc oxide and titanium dioxide) :

• Act as a physical barrier: reflect UV rays

• Do not penetrate the skin

• Ideal for children and sensitive people

• Often leave a white film, but some brands improve appearance

Oxide and dioxide = natural?

Yes, despite their "chemical" names, these minerals are natural. Zinc, for example, is used to soothe babies' bottoms.

SPF (Sun Protection Factor): what's the difference?

• SPF 30 about 96% protection

• SPF 50 : approx. 98% protection

• Above SPF 50the gain is minimal
  👉 The most important reapply every 2 hours

Myth: Tanning salons are safer

False:

• Tanning booths emit up to 12 times more UVA rays.

• Accelerate premature aging and increase the risk of skin cancer

Local, natural solution

Green Beaver brand (Hawkesbury):

• Mineral suncare products for children and adults

• Available in cream or spray

• SPF available: 27, 40, 50, etc.

About the author

Lynn Goneau, Certified Naturopath

Specialized in :

• Digestive health
• Hormonal health
• Stress and fatigue
• Memory and concentration
• Weight management

Transcription

Pierre-Philippe Bibeau - Host 104.7FM:

We've made peace with the sun these past few days. It's good for the soul. It's good for our morale, but we mustn't forget that we must always protect ourselves because it can also do harm. So, over the next few minutes, we're going to be talking about how to protect your skin. It's the perfect day for it.

And to talk about it, I welcome Lynn Goneau from La Boite à Grains. People are used to meeting you, but it's my first time. So nice to meet you. We'll start by talking about the impact of UV rays. It's something that doesn't leave us, even though it deteriorates over the years.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

Incredibly. And it's important to understand the difference. On the other hand, when we talk about the difference between UVA and UVB rays, we start by saying that UVa rays have a lower energy level than UVB rays, but even if they're present, they're always present. Those that contribute to premature skin aging include loss of elasticity and the appearance of wrinkles.

Also, brown spots, and even a rough texture to the skin. It's really the UVA rays that do the damage, and you have to bear in mind that they even go through our windows. So, if you're that close to a window, it's important to protect yourself, and even when you're driving your car, because the rays will pass through the window or the car too. 

UVB rays have a very powerful energy level. They're even responsible for damage to the skin's surface. It's what causes tanning, sunburn and even the famous water bells we call "water bells", because UVB rays are really the cause of most skin cancers. It's good to know that UVB rays don't penetrate windows, but you still need to protect yourself.

Pierre-Philippe Bibeau - Radio host 104.7FM:

Okay, okay, because windows and that, there are ways to protect as well as put filters on the windows or the house. If people want to take it to another level. But you'll have to explain that to me, because I don't think sunscreen is a very natural product. What I see in shops in general. And then there's La Boite à Grains, we all agree that chemicals are out of place.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

Exactly. There are two types of sunscreens: those that are chemical-based and those that are mineral-based, which have two very different functions. So, if we're talking about sunscreen threads in the chemical formula, it's going to protect your skin by absorbing all UV rays. So it absorbs them to prevent an impact at cell level. There are just a few drawbacks for those with sensitive skin or those who have an allergic reaction to the chemical formulation.

Then there are all the mineral-based products made from zinc oxide and titanium oxide, which, unlike chemical filters, have a barrier effect on the skin's surface, which has the effect of bouncing back the rays. This prevents rays from penetrating the skin barrier. Mineral nets are active as soon as they are applied; they don't penetrate the skin, but remain on the surface.

So it's perfect for those with allergies or intolerances, or even for young children who don't necessarily want to use chemical products, but it does leave a thin white layer on the skin, which may be a little unpleasant, but it's precisely what gives the skin protection.

Pierre-Philippe Bibeau - Host 104.7FM:

A bit like a ghost, but we're protected.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

There are a few companies working on the formulation, precisely to prevent it from being so white. So they're less obvious.

Pierre-Philippe Bibeau - Host 104.7FM:

But when we say "oxide" and "dioxide", we're still in the natural realm, because these words sound a bit chemical, but we're still in the natural realm.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

Yes indeed, you can even recognize zinc when you put it on the skin for different things. Babies, when they have problems with their buttocks, when they have things like that, we put the zinc on the top, you can see it on the white diapers.

Pierre-Philippe Bibeau - Host 104.7FM:

Does the protection factor work the same way, chemically or naturally? When you use a 30 or 60 cream.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

In fact, the sun protection factor, the SPF, is what will really protect your skin. There isn't a huge difference. If you start with SPF 30, it will generally protect you to 96%. But when you go to 50%, it's only going to protect 98%, so there's not much of a margin.

Pierre-Philippe Bibeau - Host 104.7FM:

So there's no difference between SPF 30 and SPF 50. There's just 2% more protection.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

That's right, even up to SPF 60. It's not necessarily much more important, it's not necessarily, it's reapplying it, putting it on every two hours that really makes a big difference.

Pierre-Philippe Bibeau - Radio host 104.7FM:

Some people think they're getting a good deal when they go to a tanning salon instead of going straight to the sun. It's a myth, actually.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

Yes, because you have to understand that tanning booths emit about 12 times more UV rays than those mentioned earlier. Yes, UVA rays are really linked to premature aging of the skin and will cause wrinkles, fine lines and age spots. Yes, there are more of them, because we need to tan.

Pierre-Philippe Bibeau - Host 104.7FM:

And uh, there's even a solution. We're talking more and more about buying local, a local solution.

Lynn Goneau - Naturopath of La Boite à Grains:

Yes, I really like Green Beaver, this company is from Hawkesbury, and they have mineral formulas based on zinc oxides, as we talked about earlier, and titanium oxide, a level of protection, obviously SPF 27, 40 50, etc., and they have spray formulas called vaporizers or creams or sunscreens for both adults and children.