The Truth About SPF: Is Higher Really Better?

Summary

Summary of "The Truth About SPF: Is Higher Really Better?" – Biohacking Beauty: The Anti-Aging Skincare Podcast

Release Date: July 2, 2025

In the episode titled "The Truth About SPF: Is Higher Really Better?" Amitai and Anastasia from Biohacking Beauty delve into the intricate world of sunscreen, unraveling its role in skin longevity and debunking common misconceptions. This comprehensive discussion is essential for anyone serious about maintaining youthful, healthy skin through informed sun protection strategies.

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1. Understanding UV Rays: UVA vs. UVB

The conversation begins with a foundational understanding of UV radiation, highlighting the differences between UVA and UVB rays.

• Anastasia explains:
  “[01:20] Anastasia: UVB is the one that burns, so you feel it on your skin. But UVA, that's actually the sneaky one. It goes deeper, breaking down collagen and speeding up aging from the inside out.”

This distinction underscores why comprehensive sun protection must address both types of UV rays to prevent both immediate damage and long-term aging.

2. The Year-Round Importance of Sunscreen

A key takeaway is that UV exposure isn't limited to sunny days or beach outings.

• Anastasia states:
  “[02:03] Anastasia: If you sit by the window at work or in your car, you still need sunscreen.”

Even on cloudy days or when indoors near windows, UVA rays penetrate and contribute to skin aging, making daily sunscreen application crucial.

3. Debunking Common Sunscreen Myths

The hosts tackle prevalent misconceptions that often lead to inadequate sun protection.

a. Natural Pigmentation as Protection

• Amitai counters:
  “[05:30] Amitai: Melanin does offer some natural protection, but UV rays will still damage DNA at the cellular level. Skin cancer rates may be lower, but aging and pigmentation, they still happen for sure.”

This highlights that regardless of skin tone, everyone benefits from regular sunscreen use to mitigate both cancer risks and premature aging.

b. Indoor Sun Exposure Necessitates Sunscreen

• Anastasia adds:
  “[07:34] Anastasia: UV rays are everywhere all year round, all day, even when it's cloudy.”

This emphasizes that modern lifestyles, often spent indoors with indirect sun exposure, still necessitate diligent sun protection practices.

c. Sunscreen Toxicity Concerns

• Amitai addresses chemical sunscreen fears:
  “[14:35] Amitai: Chemical sunscreens can irritate the skin, disrupt hormones, harm coral reefs, and degrade when exposed to sunlight.”

These concerns pivot the discussion towards safer, more effective sun protection alternatives.

4. Chemical vs. Mineral Sunscreens

A significant portion of the episode contrasts chemical and mineral sunscreens, advocating for mineral-based options.

Chemical Sunscreens

• Anastasia explains:
  “[14:35] Anastasia: Chemical SPF ingredients like oxybenzone and avobenzone absorb UV rays and convert them into heat. The problem is many of those ingredients can irritate the skin, disrupt hormones, harm coral reefs, and they degrade when exposed to sunlight.”

Chemical sunscreens, while effective, carry potential long-term health and environmental risks.

Mineral Sunscreens

• Amitai advocates:
  “[15:05] Amitai: Mineral sunscreen, on the other hand, uses zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. It physically blocks UV rays by reflecting them, making it more stable and less irritating.”

Mineral sunscreens offer a safer, more stable alternative by physically deflecting UV radiation without the associated chemical risks.

Nano vs. Non-Nano Mineral Sunscreens

• Amitai further clarifies:
  “[32:21] Amitai: Super small nano particles can absorb into your skin and bloodstream, which is undesirable. Hence, non-nano zinc oxide is preferable.”

Choosing non-nano mineral sunscreens ensures effective protection without unwanted absorption into the skin.

5. Introducing BioShield SPF 40

The hosts introduce BioShield SPF 40, highlighting its advanced formulation designed to maximize protection and skin health.

Key Features:

• Micronized Zinc Oxide:
  “[26:21] Anastasia: Our zinc oxide is micronized so it's not just non-nano. It also helps achieve better coverage without a white cast.”

• Advanced Antioxidant Systems:
  “[34:10] Anastasia: It protects from pollution particles that we're exposed to these days indoors and outdoors.”

• Botanical Complex:
  “[38:13] Amitai: We have a botanical complex that mimics how your body responds to sun damage, activating sirtuins to reboot youthful cell functions.”

BioShield SPF 40 integrates micronized zinc oxide with potent antioxidants and a botanical complex to offer comprehensive skin protection and rejuvenation.

6. Enhancing Sun Protection with Active Ingredients

The episode highlights how BioShield SPF 40 goes beyond traditional sunscreens by incorporating ingredients that actively repair and protect the skin.

• Amitai notes:
  “[28:57] Amitai: We have a sirtuin activating complex that goes after. Sirtuins are enzymes in your DNA that reboot the youthful software in your skin.”

This dual-action approach not only shields the skin from UV damage but also promotes cellular rejuvenation and resilience.

7. Daily Sun Protection and Lifestyle Integration

The discussion emphasizes integrating sunscreen into daily routines rather than treating it as an occasional necessity.

• Anastasia advises:
  “[46:51] Anastasia: As long as you experience daylight, you should consider sunscreen. Think of it as your daily defense for your DNA, not just beach day backup.”

Consistent sunscreen use is portrayed as a fundamental component of a proactive anti-aging skincare regimen.

8. Rapid Fire Q&A

In a dynamic Q&A segment, Amitai and Anastasia address practical concerns:

• SPF in Makeup:
  “[22:18] Amitai: You'd have to use an absurd amount of foundation to match real SPF coverage. So you need to layer a dedicated sunscreen underneath.”

• Optimal SPF Number:
  “[22:35] Anastasia: SPF 40 is the sweet spot. Higher numbers offer marginally more protection, but the key is reapplying every two hours.”

• Sunscreen on Cloudy Days:
  “[30:37] Anastasia: Yes, you do because you're still experiencing UVA damage.”

• Can Sunscreen Cause Breakouts:
  “[30:47] Anastasia: Pores are getting clogged with comedogenic ingredients, which can cause breakouts.”

These insights reinforce the importance of choosing non-comedogenic, appropriately formulated sunscreens for various daily scenarios.

9. Closing Thoughts on Integrative Dermatology and Skin Longevity

The hosts conclude with an optimistic view on the future of dermatology:

• Anastasia shares:
  “[45:58] Anastasia: There are a lot of integrative dermatologists these days who offer not only topical solutions but also look into other daily practices affecting skin health.”

This highlights a growing trend towards holistic approaches in skincare, integrating nutrition, lifestyle, and advanced topical treatments for optimal skin longevity.

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Notable Quotes

• Anastasia:
  “UV rays are everywhere all year round, all day, even when it's cloudy.” [02:03]

• Amitai:
  “Melanin does offer some natural protection, but UV rays will still damage DNA at the cellular level.” [05:30]

• Anastasia:
  “Chemical SPF ingredients like oxybenzone and avobenzone absorb UV rays and convert them into heat.” [14:35]

• Amitai:
  “Mineral sunscreen is non-negotiable because it's really allowing you to have protection with zero compromises.” [16:05]

• Anastasia:
  “SPF 40 is the sweet spot. Higher numbers offer marginally more protection, but the key is reapplying every two hours.” [22:35]

• Anastasia:
  “As long as you experience daylight, you should consider sunscreen. Think of it as your daily defense for your DNA, not just beach day backup.” [46:51]

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This episode serves as an indispensable guide for individuals committed to anti-aging skincare, offering scientifically backed information on sunscreen usage, debunking prevalent myths, and introducing innovative sun protection solutions like BioShield SPF 40. By understanding the nuances of UV radiation and the importance of comprehensive sun protection, listeners are empowered to make informed decisions that contribute to healthier, more youthful skin.

Transcript

[Amitai]

All right, welcome back to Biohacking Beauty, the show where we simplify the science of skin longevity and help you take control of your aging process. I'm Amitai. Yeah.

[Anastasia]

And I'm Anastasia. And we are here with Yango Skincare, diving deep into the smartest ways to protect your and rejuvenate your skin. Because youthful skin isn't about luck. It's about strategy.

[Amitai]

Today's episode is essential for anyone who's serious about anti aging skin health or just not burning their face off. We're talking about sunscreen. What it really does, why skipping it is sabotaging your skin. And the one myth about SPF that still makes dermatologists cringe.

[Anastasia]

We'll break down what a 10 actually means on a cellular level. Why sunscreen isn't just a beach day thing, and will even settle the mineral versus chemical SPF debate once and for all.

[Amitai]

All right, let's start with the basics. What's really happening when your skin tans or burns?

[Anastasia]

Totally. And I think we should start talking about the two types of UV rays that you need to worry about. So these are UVA and uvb. UVB is the one that burns, so you feel it on your skin. But uva, that's actually the sneaky one. It goes deeper, breaking down collagen and speeding up aging from the inside out. And here's the critical detail. UV rays are everywhere all year round, all day, even when it's cloudy.

[Amitai]

Especially uva. Right?

[Anastasia]

Uva. Uva, yeah. So we're talking about uva. That's the one that's everywhere. If you see the daylight, it's out. It even goes in your closet.

[Amitai]

Like it's hiding. It's like it's in your pocket.

[Anastasia]

Well, if you see the daylight you're affected with in the closet, probably not. Unless your closet is made out of glass and it's by the window. Then guess what? You're affected by UVA even in the closet under those circumstances we just described. So, yeah, if you sit by the window at work or in your car, you still need sunscreen. And unlike uvb, which burns, UVB burning rates uva, kind of. You can remember the UV aging rays. A for aging, B for burning in uvb. So the damage is happening kind of quietly because you don't feel it. You don't feel your skin burning. However, it leads to wrinkles.

[Amitai]

That's what makes it so dangerous. So really, when we think about a healthy tan, what we're really looking at is skin damage.

[Anastasia]

That's correct. A tan is A trauma response. It's your skin producing melanin as a defense mechanism, like a biochemical sos it's tan is beautiful, and it's something that people really strive to wear, but you really need to think about what your skin is experiencing in this moment. And it is, you know, nearly screaming for help.

[Amitai]

And, you know, in a sunburn, it's not just, you know, redness. It's just not like. It's not. I'm red. No, no, it's literal cell death, inflammation, immune suppression, and something that I think people don't think about normally. DNA fusion, DNA damage that is permanent, really, all in one painful package.

[Anastasia]

Yes. And I know we kind of started off green, and, you know, we're not here to fear much longer, so we'll get into biology and physiology here, and we just want you guys to have the most relevant and scientifically backed information, and then you can do whatever you want. But the, the changes that we're talking about here, they're not just cosmetic. UV radiation disrupts mitochondrial function in your skin cells, meaning less cellular energy, slower repair, and faster aging.

[Amitai]

Yeah. And vice versa. If you're. Again, if you have bad mitochondrial. Mitochondrial function, the same UV is going to actually cause more damage, but really in the long term, or the long term picture, it's really collagen breakdown, elastin degradation, pigmentation issues, and an increased, increased risk of skin cancer.

[Anastasia]

Yeah. So how about we, like, bust some common excuses we hear all the time? Number one, that, you know, I don't really burn easily. I, you know, have natural pigment in my skin, so I. I don't think I need sunscreen. What would you say to this person?

[Amitai]

Untrue. Melanin does offer some. You know, that's kind of our natural sunscreen. Right. Like, that's. It does offer natural protection, but UV rays will still damage DNA at the cellular level. Skin cancer rates may be lower, but aging and pigmentation, they still happen for sure.

[Anastasia]

Now, another excuse that we hear is like, hey, I don't really need sunscreen. I'm mostly indoors. What do you think of that?

[Amitai]

This I'm afraid of, like, getting too, too hyped up. So how about you answer that?

[Anastasia]

Okay. Well, I think that it's pretty much what we talked about earlier, or what I mentioned earlier. If you sit by the window in your house and you're experiencing UVA rays, that area of your body. Let's say you sit by the window and it's the right side of your body, don't be surprised. Like, and let's say now you're in your 20s, 30s, 40s, don't be surprised in like 10 to 20 years this side will actually have more crepey skin, more pigmentation, more coarse skin because it.

[Amitai]

Is like a microwave plate, you know, spin.

[Anastasia]

I mean you are aging that part of your body more now. And I think, I agree that sun is a friend and we all need vitamin D. It just, I think, you know, you need to see like you speak about it often that you can expose like your best bet to produce vitamin D that's healthy for you, like better outcome with vitamin D production is to expose areas that are not normally exposed. So your shoulders and for in this example or your arms that when you sit by the window that are exposed, they're exposed all the time when you're driving, et cetera. So expose like let's say your stomach skin that normally, unless you like always walk around in a crop top is not exposed. So that's where you will get your vitamin D and your health benefits from that. But just be aware that UV A rays that you don't feel at the moment, you know, will show up on your skin later. Whether if you're okay with that and you're like, I don't mind creepy skin, I don't mind wrinkles, I don't mind sides, mind sunspots, sunspots, age spots, then that's fine. That's also a choice you can make for sure.

[Amitai]

And I would say there are other things so. So a lot of what we're going to talk about a lot and we're not going to keep mentioning that, but what we're talking about a lot are things that are translated at the end of the day to oxidative stress, the oxidative load. And there are other things in your environment that are also getting translated to oxidative stress and are kind of topping up. That bucket one is artificial blue light. It's actually called LM sorry, it's called HEV High energy visible light. But the blue light within that is the damaging one. And that would also increase oxidative stress. Non native EMFs are going to increase oxidative stress. Pollution is going to increase oxidative stress. And we know that indoor air is actually more polluted on average than outdoor air. What else am I forgetting? Like heavy metals, glyphosates. There is a new now I think it's very trendy to talk about the dangers of living next to a golf course because of the pesticides that are used in the golf course and are seeping into the, into the ground, to the water, but also, you know, are airborne. So all of those things at the end of the day may be, may behave slightly different, but their end result is more oxidative stress, which would lend itself to aging. But it also plays a negative role, negative synergy with UV radiation. So you're actually going to get more damage per, you know, photon of UV light exposure. So that's all to say, you know, to reinforce your point. I'm wearing a shirt right now. We're in a studio. I'm exposed to artificial light. It's really polluted here. No, I'm kidding. It's not. But like, it's. You know what I was thinking because of Brian Johnson, where he flew all the way to India, was there for a while, sat in a podcast studio, only to say, like, mid interview, it's so polluted here. I'm gonna go.

[Anastasia]

So anyway, I actually thought about when you were just recently recording with Dave Asprey and he was, he had amber lights and red lights on you guys to counteract the bright blue lights that were also on you.

[Amitai]

Anyway, but bottom line is like, there's a lot of, there's a lot of. So I'm here where there's artificial light. That artificial light doesn't actually hit my torso or my, my thighs because of the beautiful jeans you made me purchase and the shirt. Right. But my arms are. My face is. My little, little V area here, here in my chest is. So these areas are now more compromised. They have more oxidative, oxidative stress on average. So these are going to be areas that are going to be less effective at, you know, synthesizing vitamin D, dealing with sun damage. I think everyone sees where I'm going with this. Like expose, as you said, expose other areas. Right?

[Anastasia]

Yeah. And also to add to that, use latter serum.

[Amitai]

Come on, guys.

[Anastasia]

Anyway, yes, but you know, for all of the people that are talking about, like, I need my vitamin D. Yes, sure. But the sun exposure helps, you know, the, that helps synthesize vitamin D. You only need 10, 15 minutes as well. So if you sit in by the window all day, that proverbial window we were talking about, you know, just make like educated, you know, decision here. So like we said, if you want to synthesize vitamin D, expose the areas that you don't normally exposed, you'll be more efficient than that. And you only need 10 to 15 minutes. You don't have to do it for hours. And, but other, other times, if you want the skin not to age don't have it unprotectedly exposed to UVA and uvb.

[Amitai]

Yeah, it's correct. And also, you know, sunscreen doesn't block all vitamins D synthesis. I want to say that. But for consistent kind of high levels of vitamin C, these safe high levels of vitamin D, I would recommend supplementation. There is a huge study that came out right now showing that it actually is an incredible longevity compound. So there is a debate about, hey, should you supplement on vitamin D? Oh, you should only supplement on vitamin D if you're also supplementing on vitamin A, K and E, like K2 and E. Okay, whatever. But the study was only about, you know, supplementing on vitamin D. Great results. So we take vitamin D every day. Take about 5,000 to 10,000 IUs. Depends. Depends on sun exposure. So.

[Anastasia]

Yeah, yeah. And I also think to add to that point, and then we'll move on. A lot of the time, like within our community, within our biohacking community, there is now a lot of people that are quoting some research done in some native populations, you know, basically saying, hey, they don't use sunscreen and they don't have skin cancer. You know, therefore I will go ahead and also not use sunscreen. But then do you do everything else those native cultures do, like, do you live in the same environment? Do you eat the same.

[Amitai]

You're Irish and you live in Florida. Okay. You're not, you're not native and your skin is not designed for those levels of vitamin or for those levels of UV for that UV index. It's not. Okay. Yeah, that's number one. Number two, those native populations have, you know, what raises population wise, wide cancer levels the most?

[Anastasia]

What?

[Amitai]

Early detection. So these communities obviously generalizing here, but these communities also have a detection issue. They have a general early detection and available medical service issues. And by the way, these are epidemiological studies done over time. So maybe now things are a little bit better, but still. So this is not a great excuse both because you are not native and you know, for both. Both cases. Yeah.

[Anastasia]

And then I want to address one more common excuse, which is sunscreen has toxic chemicals. I won't put it on my body.

[Amitai]

Well, here are. So there. There are not. Again, not all SPF is created equal.

[Anastasia]

Yeah, I think that's.

[Amitai]

Yeah, that's.

[Anastasia]

We should really like now talk maybe about the. What makes them different.

[Amitai]

Yeah, but I would also say that you can't, you know, expect just beef mixed zinc oxide and beef tallow and like, enjoy the sun. Like one of the things that well, there's so much to say there. Maybe we should start with just talking about chemical versus mineral and go from there.

[Anastasia]

Okay. Yeah, I think that will help our listeners to wrap their head around it a little bit easier. So. Okay. Chemical SPF ingredients like oxybenzone and avobenzone absorb UV rays and convert them into heat.

[Amitai]

Mm.

[Anastasia]

And the problem is many of those ingredients can irritate the skin, disrupt hormones, harm coral reefs, and they degrade when exposed to sunlight, making them less effective over time. You wanna talk about mineral?

[Amitai]

Yes. I would also say that they can absorb to your bloodstream. And that's one of the major issues that arose recently and made the FDA kind of go back and say, hey, these, these compounds need to be researched more.

[Anastasia]

Yeah.

[Amitai]

Mineral sunscreen, on the other hand, uses zinc oxide. Or a less popular compound right now is titanium dioxide. Because if you were to inhale it. So if it's like a spray, spray on it's an issue. But not topically. But it got a bad rap. So these compounds physically block UV rays. So it sits on the skin and reflects light and works, you know, works. Works like that. It doesn't kind of absorb it and converts it to heat, it reflects it like a mirror.

[Anastasia]

Yeah. And the great thing about it also, it's more stable, less irritating, and safer for sensitive and compromised skin. So honestly, it's a no brainer.

[Amitai]

Yeah. And you technically, although the FDA said, you know, part of the FDA guidelines is you have to let the, to tell the consumer that they need to reapply, technically speaking, because it doesn't get metabolized like, you know, the chemical ones that we talked about, reapplication would be more like if you went into the water or things like that, or, you know, sweat profusely or something like that.

[Anastasia]

Yeah. Whenever our customers ask, like, do I actually have to reapply it every two hours? Because that, like sunscreen is a drug, it's registered by fda. So even on our sunscreen, we have to give this direction that you have to reapply it for every two hours. It's a mess. Like, direction we have to put. However, I always explain that since it's a physical sunscreen that physically sits on your skin and physically deflects rays, the common sense is unless it's melted off your face, let's say you played pickleball and you sweated, so it melted off your face or you went to swim, you don't really have to reapply it. So if you sit by that window, we talked about all Day. But you're in ac, you didn't sweat and it didn't, you know, physically washed from you off your face. You don't have to reapply it.

[Amitai]

Yeah, but we kind of have to say you have to reapply. Reminds me the Curb your Enthusiasm episode where he goes to a chiropractor and the chiropractor drops, name drops, Harrison Ford, but he can't say it. So he's like, you know, you need privacy. People, famous people come here. Like maybe Harrison Ford. He's like, oh, you, you take care of Harrison Ford. I didn't say that. I didn't say Harrison Ford came here after his latest plane crashed. I didn't say, you know. Anyway, Shout out to Curb youb Enthusiasm. Anyway, if I think if you are kind of into biohacking your skin. Mineral SPF or non nano? Mineral SPF is non negotiable. Non nano, non negotiable. Because it's really allowing you to have protection with zero compromises for the most part. The newer ones, they also don't have a white cast, so it's really no compromises. I do want to talk a little bit about why sunscreen, like super, super, super clean sunscreen is an issue, like why you need to find the middle ground. It's because sunscreen is basically built to be on your skin at a very high heat. So a lot of the things. For example, do you know what's going to happen if you just applied like, let's say without the zinc oxide? Just. Let's play, you know, let's go to first principles here. What would happen if someone just applied beef tallow on their skin and went to the sun?

[Anastasia]

They would burn faster.

[Amitai]

They would burn faster, yes. So a lot of compounds are just not suitable for, you know, being the carrier of skin of SPFs. And a lot of compounds, when they are exposed to heat, they actually change chemically. So a sunscreen doesn't like safe. Safety in sunscreen is making sure molecules stay at their original intended structure. Structure. That's, I think that's very important to say. And if you add antioxidants to that, because what we're talking about at the end of the day is oxidative load, oxidative stress, you can actually support that. And antioxidants, they need their own stabilizing molecules. So we have there, like it's not as easy as your, you know, face oil or something like that. But anyway, that was my little rant. That's what I wanted to make sure we're Talking about zinc oxide and like, what really, we want people to kind of remember. But I wanted to give this little.

[Anastasia]

Rant, but yeah, yeah, no, no, I think that was a very important rant.

[Amitai]

Hey there.

[C]

This is Amitai, co founder and CEO of Young Goose and host of the Biohacking Beauty podcast. I wanted to take a brief moment to share something really special with you, our dedicated listeners. At Young Goose, we've always been about more than just skin care. We are about cellular care. We believe in not just addressing the signs, but truly diving into the very source of skin aging. The reality is, as time goes on, our skin undergoes damage and this damage accumulates gradually, leading to those signs of aging we all see and know very well. But what if we could hit the rewind button? What if we could delve deep, not into the layers of the skin, but into the life sustaining mechanisms of our skin cells? That's exactly what we're doing at Young Oops. We're pioneering a renaissance in skincare by employing products principles from regenerative medicine. By rejuvenating and restoring the cellular functions, our products aim to rewind time, gifting your skin a youthful, vibrant glow. And for our Biohacking Beauty listeners, we have a special treat. Head over to Yongoos.com right now and use the code PODCAST10 to get 10% off your first purchase. Discover the magic of truly transformative skincare. And hey, because we value our returning customers just as much, use podcast five on your subsequent purchases to get 5% off. And the best part, that this discount can be combined with subscriptions and our already discounted systems. So why wait? Dive deep into the realm of regenerative skincare with Young Goose and legal your skin. Thank you. Remember, it's not just skin care, it's cellular care. And now back to our conversation.

[Anastasia]

Okay, so we have some rapid fire round. Amita, tell me, what are your thoughts on SPF in makeup?

[Amitai]

Not enough. You'd have to use an absurd amount of foundation to match real SPF coverage. And no, that's not an excuse to use an absurd amount of foundation. So you need to layer a dedicated sunscreen underneath.

[Anastasia]

Correct. Best SPF number, I would say.

[Amitai]

You know what, I've answered the last one, so how about you answer it?

[Anastasia]

Okay, so SPF 40 is the sweet spot. Higher numbers offer marginally more protection, but the key is reapplying every two hours. So I mean, that's it. I think if you go for like, there are SPF numbers that are like really high. Right? And a lot of the Times it's you thinking like the, the protection is not that much higher because within, I forget now I don't have like the table next to me. Okay, so I think the SF40 is like 95, 98.

[Amitai]

98, 90. Now you confused me. I think it's 98% and every 10 points. So it has to be at 50, for example. It's another half a percent.

[Anastasia]

It could be. That's why I, I, I didn't want to be the one saying it. And like I, I always rather under sell and over deliver. Like I'll say 95, but then it's.

[Amitai]

98, you know, but also the number is the amount of minutes you could be in the sun per protected. Right, so like 40 SPF 40 extends the protection for 40 minutes.

[Anastasia]

Yes, exactly. And then we were saying that, you know, that's if it didn't, you know, melt off your face. Yes, but also if you go the SP40 non nano, I love that you have a higher chance of not having a white cast compared to like, the higher go, the more likely you're going to look a little more ghosty. But then it also has to do with a lot of other things in the formulation, which I guess we can talk about it when we, you know, if we decide to highlight how we went about it with BioShield. Or do you want to talk about it now?

[Amitai]

I don't know. Let's unwrap it. Fire. Yeah, let's talk about it.

[Anastasia]

You know, there is a question like, okay, so what is the, which, which number is best? And I think this, the best number here is actually the one that you will use and be happy with that will look good on your face. And it's not actually the number dependent. That's what I'm trying to say. It's like, what else did you put in the formula? So when you apply your sunscreen, your skin looks so beautiful, you actually want to wear it. And it also serves the function. And so with BioShield, SPF 40, which is the sunscreen that we created, one of the reasons that you will not look like a ghost and you will not have a white cast, even if you're far on the like dark curves.

[Amitai]

Actually we have ghosts that apply it. They look human.

[Anastasia]

You would not look like ghosts. I know, I know that it's very popular among ghosts, actually.

[Amitai]

Number one. Number one sunscreen used by ghosts.

[Anastasia]

I'm telling you, we're like getting ready for Halloween in our head. But so what we did, first of all, our zinc oxide is micronized so that's like the Rolls Royce of zinc oxide. So it's not just non nano. Okay. Non nano makes. It makes sure that you will not experience any penetration through your bloodstream. And all of those worries that people have, like, oh, the sunscreen were found in the brain. We won't even go there. Actually, if you want to know, a year ago we recorded an episode about sunscreen, and there we broke down lots of studies, including that very famous study quoted by very famous Andrew Huberman. But anywho, so first of all, our.

[Amitai]

Sunscreen, I did not quote it correctly. Anyway, that's a different.

[Anastasia]

Anyway, yeah, you talked about it there.

[Amitai]

Oh, yeah. Okay, good.

[Anastasia]

You did. Yeah. So first of all, our sunscreen is non nano. Then it's also micronized zinc oxide. So instead of having four flat circles, which is the regular zinc oxide, ours is actually round. And this round shape makes it so you need less product to get very good coverage. So that also is something that makes it so it looks very, very natural. And our sunscreen is tinted naturally by some iron oxide in the formula. And that also helps it actually not look white.

[Amitai]

Okay, I just want to make sure I explain the micronization because you, you did a good job, but not good enough.

[Anastasia]

So you.

[Amitai]

But I just want to geek out about it. So normally, zinc oxide, it looks like a golf ball, basically.

[Anastasia]

Oh, I said it in reverse.

[Amitai]

You did say it in reverse.

[Anastasia]

I apologize.

[Amitai]

It's okay. But it's the intent that it's the thought that counts. So zinc oxide, you want to explain it?

[Anastasia]

Yeah, well, basically I said it in reverse. So the regular zinc oxide is round shape. And. And now it also makes sense that you will need more of it to make it line up like on your face. So you need a lot more product to make it, like, cover all of. All of the surface. Whereas ours is micro nice. So this golf balls of zinc oxide were flattened. So that actually helps you put less product and get more coverage.

[Amitai]

So, yeah, they're tiled on top of each other, so they can actually. That also. So the white cast is when basically, like sun rays or just like light is catching those golf balls and like weird angles and when they're flattened, when they're smooshed like a pizza, that those angles kind of don't exist. You don't get the white cast, although you get, like, much better coverage. Yeah, but I wanted to say also because we're talking about the numbers of SPFs and stuff like that, so a good antioxidant system within a formulation can Actually double this from a study, a few studies, but one really good one done in Australia. A good antioxidant system can actually double the effectiveness of a sunlock formulation. So yeah, numbers are great, but the combination of numbers and a system around it are imperative especially and that's something that we didn't touch on before because this is a new innovation for us are enzymes that allow your DNA to get repaired from the UV radiation and that we do with, with our ladder serum. So even though this is not a, an episode that is necessarily built to talk about the latter serum combination of everything, all the protection that we spoke against now together with which would maybe we would call like a passive protection, like a preventative protection together with active protection, which is a reparative, reparative kind of in sync with the damage. So damage is done as damage and damage is being repaired. That you could do with a ladder serum is something really unique. So if you know that you have a day where you're going to get a lot of UV DNA damage, you could use the ladder serum, not like you would use it normally with red light therapy, but just as a serum in your routine and then continue your routine and then you would be able to get some active regenerative protection alongside your SPF for sure.

[Anastasia]

And if, and if you're listening to it, like latter serum. I've never heard of that. There is a whole podcast episode about latter serum where you can geek out about all of the very special ingredients that we have there, including those photosomes, so enzymes that are activated by the, the sunlight or the red light, you know, so that's definitely a great serum for sure. Use to use when you're exposed to light.

[Amitai]

And I have a question for you.

[Anastasia]

Huh?

[Amitai]

Let's rapid fire again.

[Anastasia]

Okay.

[Amitai]

Because you kind of alluded to it beforehand. Do you need sunscreen on cloudy days?

[Anastasia]

Yes, you do because you're still experiencing UVA damage.

[Amitai]

Yes. Okay, I'll give you another rapid fire. Can sunscreen cause breakouts?

[Anastasia]

Well, I think what ends up happening is that the pores, pores are getting clogged and that for sure can cause breakout. So you have to think about again, we're talking about the formulation. So if your sunscreen is comedogenic, like if it's tallow based, that's for sure gonna give you some breakouts. What were you doing? You know, were you sweating and then you didn't really wash your face and you know, you had a very, let's say again, you played pickleball or tennis.

[Amitai]

Or Something heavy foundation that you needed.

[Anastasia]

In order for you very heavy foundation. You played pickleball and then you didn't wash your face after that. Yeah. Chances are you're going to get breakouts.

[Amitai]

So I think pickleball gives you breakouts well again.

[Anastasia]

So I think it's, it's about what's inside your sunscreen that you were using in general. The, the if you, if you really want to avoid breakouts and have outdoor sunny activities it, you should look what else did you put in your skin? Because if you use appropriate serum that you know protects your skin barrier and actually makes sure that none of the pollution particles will, will get inside then you'll have much less lower chance to get breakouts. And speaking of rapid fire questions, do you want to since the nanoparticles is.

[Amitai]

Like a big question answer was just rapid.

[Anastasia]

Yeah. Do you want to unpack it a little bit?

[Amitai]

To do what?

[Anastasia]

Unpack the nanoparticles versus non nanoparticles. Question.

[Amitai]

No. I think it's like super basic like zinc oxide, like old timey zinc oxide gave you a white cast. Then people said hey do you know what we could do? We could bake the zinc, the zinc oxide nano sized. So you break down those big clusters into nano sized molecule. The problem is that that's so small it actually absorbs into your skin rather than staying on top of your skin which would first of all just not work. That's number one. Number two it will get into your bloodstream and that's a negative. We don't want that. So that's just why we wouldn't want nano zinc oxide or for that matter titanium dioxide. Even though that's not a very popular thing to do.

[C]

And.

[Amitai]

We would want you know, a non nano one. I think that's basically it.

[Anastasia]

Yeah.

[Amitai]

Okay, sure. Let's talk about our take on daily sun protection.

[Anastasia]

Yes. So I think first of all at Young Goose we're all about functional skincare. So that's why our 100% mineral SPF BioShield that's non nano isn't just sunscreen. It's like a whole 360° skin defense system. So we already talked about the fact that we use micronized zinc oxide. Do you want to talk about actoin and why we put it there?

[Amitai]

So yes. So ectoins. That's not necessary. We can talk about LPC 6 which is the antioxidant we have there which is if biohackers are listening. It's very, it's, it's like a Better behaving cousin of carbon 60 or C60. So that's as far as it's extremely strong antioxidant.

[Anastasia]

Yeah. And it doesn't protect only from free radicals of oxygen, but also free radicals of nitrogen and carbon. So it really protects from pollution particles that we're exposed to these days indoors and outdoors.

[Amitai]

Now, when we talk about ectoin, that's another really cool ingredient, which I think that was. We were definitely the first sunscreen to have it. But that, you know, bioshield was one of the first products on the market to have ectoin.

[Anastasia]

Yeah. Actually I remember somebody I know that lives in France. She told me like, oh, they're you know, like, like a couple of months ago she sent me a message like, have you guys looked into using actoin? It's like becoming really popular in France. I'm like, oh yeah, yeah, we've had products.

[Amitai]

We actually been there, done that. That's my French accent.

[Anastasia]

But then when she heard that we actually use it and we've been using it for a while, she was like, okay, now you earned the place of pioneers in skincare. I'm like, we did nad precursors before everyone else. We brought spermidin and topical formulations. But yeah, actoin is pretty cool as well.

[Amitai]

Yeah. Anyway, we started researching actoin. I think like, I think you know, basically like you know, over five years ago for sure, probably more. But really I told what it does, it is a, a protein that build, that structures water around proteins. So it does a lot of things normally I call it what everything hyaluronic acid want wished it was it were because it increases hydration. It allows your cells to kind of have more hydration packed around them or again all of the collagen fibers, everything in your skin that is kind of using hydration or using water, elastin, et cetera. But it also builds a protective, that protective barrier also is there against oxidative stress damage and foreign things like non native EMF damage to those areas of your skin. So it protects the skin against damaging rays that are passing through through it, which is like really, really, really cool. It's, it's an incredible ingredient.

[Anastasia]

Yeah, it's extremely light and I think that's so cool that it's sourced from bacteria that can survive in the uninhabitable environments, like super hot environments or super cold. And like even it is said to be like they're, they're the bacterias themselves. They're called space teddy bears because supposedly they can survive in space. And that's because besides structuring water around themselves, they also are able to rebuild, like, as protective. Like they keep rebuilding protective protein around themselves. So the ability to constantly repair, regenerate, and, you know, enhance your protection, it's really vital. When you think about sunscreen and, you know, the skin being, like, bombarded with all of those environmental aggressors we talked about, you know, the sun, the space. Space.

[Amitai]

What's her name?

[Anastasia]

Oh, yeah, the future wife of Jeff Bezos.

[Amitai]

No, the singer. Katy Perry.

[Anastasia]

Well, they went together.

[Amitai]

What's the other one?

[Anastasia]

No, it was Katy Perry. It was. I'm blanking on the Jeff Bezos fiance. And I feel so bad because she earned to be.

[Amitai]

She's the best.

[Anastasia]

No, she's the number one from Jeff Bezos.

[Amitai]

What's her name, Ms. Bezos?

[Anastasia]

Lauren Sanchez. Right.

[Amitai]

Okay, sure.

[Anastasia]

But her as well.

[Amitai]

Yeah, but I would say that. Do you remember what Dave Asprey called it? Said, Wait, you're telling me you have tardigrade juice in your skincare? Anyway? Yeah, so that's, I think, a really cool. A really cool kind of concept. Because what you're saying, in other words, and what we're trying to do is that word defense isn't just about shielding, it's also about healing.

[Anastasia]

Yeah. And I think now this is a good segue to the botanical complex that we put there. Do you want to talk a little bit about that?

[Amitai]

Yeah. So we have a botanical complex that mimics how your body is going to respond to sun damage. Just does it, obviously, it refines it. And what we're doing there is we're activating, as we said about. As we said about ladder, just in a different manner. Ladder activates enzymes that go after pyrimidine dimers, which are the parts of your DNA that are becoming damaged here. What we're doing is it has a sirtuin activating complex that goes after. So sirtuins are enzymes in your DNA that. Correct. Again, that kind of reboot the youthful software in your skin. So it's different from specifically UV damage. They're just, again, like running a youthful repair software in your cells. So we're able to provide. Provide a better functioning cell that deals with sun damage. That's kind of what we said before about, you know, being exposed to all of these environmental stressors, artificial blue lights, all of those, and then going to the sun. The problem is, is that our skin is just becoming like an older skin, and now it's hard for it to deal with sun damage. So with this complex, with this Herbal complex that activates sirtuins. We're able to at least mitigate some of that because our cells are now behav. Behaving like younger cells. And they can handle the damage. Yeah, maybe better.

[Anastasia]

You know, I hope now that we broke down all of the thought and research that went into formulating the BioShield SP40, I hope the listeners understand that it's really hard to compare it like apples to apples with other sunscreens because a lot of the time people try.

[Amitai]

It are made out of apples. No, I'm kidding.

[Anastasia]

A lot of the time people will try our sunscreen. We'll be like, oh, my God, this is amazing. But this is $125 for, for, you know, 60 days supply. I don't know. There are sunscreens for 20 bucks and 30 bucks. And they feel nice on my skin as well. So it's really about the level of protection you get and from what. So it's not just. We're not. Although we're talking like the name of the product is sunscreen in general. Right. The category. We should really understand that it's no longer just the sun's rays that affecting your skin. And you should not only protect from uva and UVB that we talked about in the beginning, but all of these other aggressors as well. And you know, this is the product that really does that.

[Amitai]

And it's important to say that they are the. So in the western world, again, studies corrupt. What I'm saying right now is from published studies that have been replicated over and over again cumulatively. Other stressors that are not UV radiation are aging your skin more than UV radiation. You know, it's a 60, 40 split. UV radiation is responsible. If you live in the western world. On average, UV radiation is 40% of. Of what's driving skin aging. And the other stressors are 60. So when you're using sunscreen, you're only really targeting 40% of the environmental stressors that age your skin.

[Anastasia]

Yeah, for sure. Now, we promised to. To talk about, you know, the, the. The myth that the. What one of the myths.

[Amitai]

Oh.

[Anastasia]

That the dermatologists. Some dermatologists put out there. And the myth is that the best sunscreen is the one that you're going to apply versus, like, you know, be it chemical or mineral. And I. And we touched on it briefly that the fact that, you know, so they were saying, like, okay, because the sun rays, in their opinion, is the number one reason, you know, skin ages. So you should really not put too much thought into versus Are you going to use chemical sunscreen or mineral? Just use the sunscreen that you will use in, in that.

[Amitai]

Just use the sunscreen that I'm sponsored in this, in this post to say.

[Anastasia]

That you should use. Put a lot of foundation with the sunscreen and you'll be better off. So like you were saying, unfortunately with the chemical screens, you know, we already talked about the work in a very different way, but they also really do accumulate in your blood. And there's also studies that found it accumulating the breast milk. Like they, you know.

[Amitai]

Yeah, that's why I don't drink.

[Anastasia]

So that's a really, that's really alarming data. So, I mean, yeah, I think there shouldn't be a debate. It's mineral, 100% mineral sunscreen. And also when sunscreen says mineral, you really need to make sure that it's 100% mineral because even if it's like 50, 50, great, it's allowed to be called mineral. So look for 100% mineral sunscreen. Look for non nano. You know, I think you should really consider giving BioShield SP40 a chance. You now can order it in a travel size, by the way, now that, you know, it's the season when people are traveling for a limited time. We have travel sizes. A lot of our products available on the website. It was a huge ask and you know, believe it or not, it's actually not that easy for us to, to make it happen. But we made it happen.

[Amitai]

Yes, it's true. Because we need specific bottles and it was hard to procure. I would say, first of all, for that myth about like, oh, you know, use what you, whatever. First of all, you're going to use what you have. Okay? So just make sure you have a sunscreen that answers everything that we said today. So I think that's number one. Number two, again, like dermatologists, they normally, there is a lag, there is a delay of many, many years between, you know, what the education that they really are sure is effective in whatever. And where science is today, where longevity science is. And dermatologists, I mean, one, there is a dermatologist, and I'm not going to say the name that came to our booth at the biohacking conference. This is probably the number one dermatologist on Instagram, on YouTube, Instagram, whatever. For reference, Neutrogena pays her $15,000 per post that she posts. And when we talked longevity, she was flabbergasted by every single thing that we said. I'll give another example which Was the lady that back then 2018, I think was the head of derm in Harvard, which she did not know. And you know, on a one, one to one conversation, she did not have a correlation between leaky gut and skin issues like psoriasis and eczema. Like what I'm saying is, is that there is like a huge chasm between the depth of knowledge a dermatologist has and the breadth of knowledge you need to cover. Also longevity or where research is right now. So I will definitely not count on a biohacker to treat my MRSA or staph infection or melanoma or whatever or to diagnose it. Right. But when we talk about something like, you know, where is research right now as far as like skin longevity and the effects of environmental stressors on it, that's something that 99.9% of the mathologists are just not educated on it because it's a moving target, because it's, it's new information that's being revealed all the time and it's a full time job to follow that information.

[Anastasia]

Yeah. But on that topic, I do want to end on a hopeful note. There are a lot of integrative dermatologists these days.

[Amitai]

Shout out Erica Klemperer, Dr. Jen. Dr. Jen Haley.

[Anastasia]

Haley, yeah. And we attend integrative dermatologist conventions and we see that they start to get education, you know, from all of the other, like about nutrition and about, you know, skin gut axis, skin brain axis. So it's, it's, it's getting there. It's not available to all dermatologists because not all dermatologists going to, you know, go ahead and invest in this type of education. But if you're someone dealing with acne, for example, I really recommend to look for integrative dermatologists who probably will not only offer you topical solutions but will actually like look into other things you do on a daily basis.

[Amitai]

And I think that's a nice note to end this episode.

[Anastasia]

No, for sure. No, I think like one of the takeaways for sure is that the spf, you know, as long as you experience daylight, you should consider sunscreen. Think of it as your daily defense for your DNA, not just beach day backup. If you're serious about skin longevity, you can't afford to skip it. And you know, we made something that makes you not to have compromise, which is our BioShield SPF 40.

[Amitai]

That's a good slogan, BioShield SPF 40 for people who don't compromise on their assemblage. Yeah, check it out. Younggoose.com that's definitely the best sunscreen you'll ever use. Podcast 10 is a again is a promo code. If you're driving and you are scrambling to write this down, stop at the on the side of the road. Put a note for yourself. Podcast 10 will give you 10% off. And please don't forget if you like what we're doing right here and you think other people will enjoy this information as well, or it will be useful for them and they will enjoy it. Rate, review and please share this episode with your loved ones and anyone who still thinks a 10 is just cute.

[Anastasia]

Yeah, everyone that needs all that information. And we'll see you next time on biohacking Beauty. Thank you so much for being with us.

[Amitai]

Thank you. Bye.

[Anastasia]

It.