According to Consumer Reports, pregnant women are advised to avoid sunscreens with retinyl palmitate as it could increase the risk of birth defects. Retinyl palmitate converts readily to retinoid, which is associated with a risk of birth defects, especially in women using acne medication containing retinoid.
July issue of Consumer Reports includes sunscreen ratings based on protection from UVA and UVB rays that cause sunburn, but also raises questions about potential harmful birth defects on a fetus from retinyl palmitate, a type of vitamin A antioxidant. The ingredient has been associated with a risk of birth defects according to recent animal studies. However, the report warns that additional research is needed to further determine the full cause and effect.
The proven benefits of sunscreen outweigh any potential risks, said the report. Dr. Gideon Koren, directory of the Motherrisk program at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children said that warning pregnant women against using sunscreen with retinyl palmitate based on the findings of animal studies that use much higher doses of the ingredient than can be absorbed through a mother’s skin is unwarranted. Koren published his findings in the medical journal, saying that babies born to mothers taking a cousin of vitamin A, isoretinoin, found in oral medication, were fine and did not have an increased risk of birth defects. Koren warned that women need to almost poison themselves with vitamin A before the dosage would come near the amount used in animal studies, and that scaring pregnant women against using sunscreen can increase their risk of melanoma while not increasing their risk of birth defects.
