Friday, February 04, 2011

Gisele Bundchen Thinks Sunscreen Is Poison


Gisele Bundchen has opened her mouth again and I think everyone just wishes she would stay quiet. Either that or just combine her thoughts with The Goopster and be a full-time contributor to GOOP. That way we could get out all our laughs at one convenient place each week.

Gisele says she does not use any sunscreens and would not use them on her baby either. She says she does not believe in anything that is not natural and that she thinks sunscreen is poison. Then how come she is always on the beach and in bikinis? Well, if you believe her it is because she only exposes herself to the sun prior to 8am. Uh huh. Meanwhile she has ticked off all cancer experts around the world who say there is nothing poisonous about sunscreen and if you don't wear it you are asking for cancer.

Gisele made the comments as she released her own line of skin care products that are organic and natural and presumably full of poisons.

55 comments:

WednesdayFriday said...

Brains and beauty rarely go hand in hand.

timebob said...

Melanoma meet a dumb model and the kid you are going to kill one day beucase mommy didn't believe in sun screen.

Patty said...

What a dumb broad!

Unless her products are freshly harvested, with roots still attached or just picked from trees and then placed directly on the skin, the "natural" are not that natural. They need to be processed to go into a form where it put into a product appropriate to use on the skin.

parissucksliterally said...

we see pictures of her on packed beaches. She is full of shit if she says she is only in the sun before 8am.

Cheryl said...

On a side note...this girl needs to eat!

Anonymous said...

She needs to go away. It pisses me off when models and bunnies give their opinion as fact. They are not experts, and don't base their opinion on actual research.
I would never wish cancer on anyone. I hope karma doesn't come back on her too harshly.

Robert said...

As far as what she does with her own body on the beach...whatever. But put sunscreen on that baby!

ms snarky said...

I try not to use sunscreen either, just because it has chemicals in it that I'm not comfortable absorbing through my skin - largest organ in the human body, kids.
But I also avoid the sun, and I do use sunscreen if I'm going to be out for a long time or on the water.

janele said...

I have no problems slathering chemicals on my skin. I also think that for a supermodel, Gisele Bundchen is actually financially smart. Whether she's smart in other areas remains to be seen.

Perhaps Gisele just meant to say that there is a controversial ingredient in sunscreen (retinyl palmitate) that may or may not be carcinogenic?

It's bad enough that medical reports come out every few weeks to contradict each other. So, I'm sure the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

beguessin said...

To be fair, there have been studies stating that components used in sunscreen can accelerate cancers, so I also try to avoid the sun if possible as my main protection against skin cancer. However, Gisele needs to STFU already


http://www.aolnews.com/2010/05/24/study-many-sunscreens-may-be-accelerating-cancer/

chihuahuense said...

agree, ms. snarky--I, too, try not to wear sunscreen, but I wear hats, sunglasses, and long sleeved light shirts, and/or don't go out in the hottest part of the day. I can do that for 2 months of the year ;) If I lived in Brazil or a more sunny place it would probably be harder.

nancykate said...

Oh, so the skin cancer I had hacked out of my shin at age 27 was from the sunscreen I started wearing the last few years, not from the 4 years I was a teenage foolish lifeguard and never put a drop of it on? I'll have to let my dermatologist know.

Ice Angel said...

Not that I am all that gorgeous or anything, but this woman does nothing for me. She's a long tall drink of water and to me just looks skinny and lanky. I just don't get it.

Heidi said...

I had Stage III Melanoma last year because I was just as stupid in my teens and twenties. She needs to shut up.

Maja With a J said...

I wouldn't advise anyone not to use sunscreen...but I am a bit wary of it too, I have to say. Some of the ingredients are things I'd just rather not have absorbed into my skin and bloodstream. But I am an adult and I choose to stay in the shade. I am not a fan of tanning and when I am on the beach, I am either in the water or under a parasol. It would be very difficult with kids because you can't make those little fuckers sit in the shade, can you? There are products out there that are a little less harsh, look for those for your kids...

JS said...

Like several have said already, there was an article I read recently stating that some lotions had chemicals that might be harmful and that many advertised an SPF value that was way off. People would put on a high SPF lotion and think they were safe, when it was really much lower. Wish I could find that link again......

Patty said...

Actually, the sun can do damage on a cloudy day as well. So it's not just the hottest or brightest part of the day you need to worry about.

skeeball said...

So the hair dye that she uses is totally organic? I doubt that.

she is so full of shit. and a total dumbass, too.

K said...

As far as my skin is concerned, sunscreens might as well be poison. I haven't found a single one I didn't have a horrible reaction to...burning, itching, whelps, redness. Yeah, it's a great beach/pool look.

IMO, if you're an adult, sunscreen gets to be a personal choice. Never had kids, so I've got nothing to add to that part of the debate.

Tempestuous Grape said...

I'm skin cancer waiting to happen and it makes really sad. I'm not concerned about my body really. It's my face that bums me out. I see serious sun damage over the last year on my cheeks. I was an idiot to think I didn't need sunscreen on my face all these years. I have spend an absorbent amount of time in the sun for 38 solid years.

In unrelated news; I just saw Ben Lee and his kid at Whole Foods. Not that exciting, but hey, you know.

MISCH said...

Can you just imagine the deep conversations she has with her husband....

sunnyside1213 said...

I have skin cancer. Don't want it again. I use it everytime I go out. I do avoid the ones with vitamin A.

Mango said...

Yes, yes, I know I'm a bad person, but I can not wait for the day when Tom Brady is caught cheating on her.

RocketQueen said...

Gisele didn't do the world any favours with that comment; then again, if people are looking to her as a role model for anything, they kinda get what they deserve.

That being said, I'd be all for some sort of "natural" sunscreen - anyone know if such a thing exists?

RocketQueen said...

@sunnyside - why avoid the ones with Vit A?

sunnyside1213 said...

Rocket Queen, the vitamin A has shown in tests to increase the chance of skin cancer and speed it up once you get it.

von said...

"All-natural" doesn't mean healthy and safe. Lots of poisons in nature Gisele. Just saying.

Anonymous said...

She is not telling takes out of school. We don't have to like her but on this one point, I happen to agree with her:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/07/01/four-out-of-five-sunscreens-may-be-hazardous-to-your-health.aspx

RocketQueen said...

@sunnyside - shit, thanks! Didn't know!

crila16 said...

That's total BS. My friend owns a salon and mixes her own product line. She told me that you can't have 100% organic skin care products, because if it were 100% organic, you'd have to refigerate it and it also wouldn't have a long shelf life lasting for more than a month or 2.

crila16 said...

She is correct where she's talking about the chemicals in the sunscreen. It's not just in sunscreen though. It's in shampoo, conditioners, soaps, lotions, etc. Everything is absorbed thru the skin. There are more natural products out there...and using a sunscreen when you're out in the sun a few times a year will certainly not harm you. Using the sunscreen will do less damage than what the sun will do. Sun will cause cancer a whole lot faster than sunscreen.

chihuahuense said...

@Patty--my brain was ahead of my typing. I meant that I don't go out in the hottest part of the day because I usually wear long-sleeves...year round, not that I don't go out in the hottest part because that's the only time the sun can be damaging.

mooshki said...

I didn't even know they made sunscreen with Vitamin A. Doesn't that fight the protective ingredients? Vitamin A basically removes the top layer of your skin, right? That's why it's good for wrinkles?

sunnyside1213 said...

Mooshki, if it says retinol, that is vitamin A.

Panda said...

Hi again,

Since @Mooshki and @Sunnyside were talking about Vitamin A, here is what that article says about Vitamin A (not retinol) in sunscreens.

quote
This year, new concerns are being raised about a vitamin A compound called retinyl palmitate, found in 41 percent of sunscreens. The FDA is investigating whether this chemical, when applied to skin that is then exposed to sunlight, may accelerate skin damage and elevate skin cancer risk. FDA data suggest that vitamin A may be photocarcinogenic, meaning that in the presence of the sun's ultraviolet rays, the compound and skin undergo complex biochemical changes resulting in cancer. The evidence against vitamin A is not conclusive, but as long as it is suspect, EWG recommends that consumers choose vitamin A-free sunscreens.
end quote

For the record, I have no affiliation with this group. I just became interested in this because I have two children and seeing our friends going through all they've been through trying to have kids, I'm hoping that whatever I may be giving my kids isn't going to hurt them in the long run.

Panda said...

OMG, I thought I posted a long-ass comment right before this past one. Did it get lost? OY!

Robin the Mad Photographer said...

I know there's a website that goes into great detail about sunscreens that may or may not be completely safe due to their ingredients (damned if I can remember the URL, though), but even they recommended quite a few that did a good job--I think Badger (available at natural stores) was one.

I have trouble wearing sunscreen because it always feels like Saran Wrap plastered on my face & makes me sweaty (then again, so do most moisturizers), but even I suck it up and slap on some Neutrogena (not a good one, alas, according to that website...) when I know I'll be out in the sun. And hell, there are even companies making clothes for sports wear w/high enough SPFs to keep you protected, including items for small children, so there's really no excuse for letting your kid bake on the beach.

Panda said...

Geez, I’m going to try again….

My husband and I are constantly comparing medical problems we Americans have with those of his Central American home country. One of the problems we notice a lot is that Americans seem to have the toughest time getting pregnant. (We have three friends who have been trying to get pregnant with no luck..) In his country, they seem have no problem getting pregnant. (No racist jokes here, please.)

Oxybenzene is a chemical found in most sunscreens and it is thought to affect levels of testosterone and estrogen in negative and odd ways. (Surprisingly, some fire retardant chemicals used on furniture cause these same type of hormone disruptions.)

There is a group called the Environmental Working Group out of Washington, D.C. who does investigative research on things we use around the home everyday: soaps, lotions, make-up, lip balms, cleansers, etc. They are non-profit and survive on donations. (Robin, is this the group you were thinking of?)

Last year they did an update on their sunscreen information; here is the link: http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreens/press ) This article says that oxybenzene is an "hormone-disrupting compound that penetrates the skin and enters the bloodstream."

The Centers for Disease Control (notice it is not the EWG who did these tests) did biomonitoring (don't know how many people were included) but the CDC found 97 percent of the people tested had oxybenzene in their blood.

On their website, they have a list that contains both the good and bad sunscreens and where you can buy the good ones. Most of the safe ones were at places like Whole Foods, but a few could be found at Target and Walmart, as well. I don’t have time to look for it now (since I wanted to re-type this first lost comment) but I know it’s on EWG’s website somewhere: www.ewg.org … They have a search box on the site that you can use, too.

Again, I’m not affiliated with them in any way, and the fact they are non-profit made me feel better listening to what they say as they have no allegiance to any company.

The info about the vitamin A stuff I included in a previous comment is from the article link in this comment.

Panda said...

Not trying to beat a dead horse, but I found the direct sunscreen link:

http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/

lanasyogamama said...

I think the EWG is legit, but I really believe Mercola is a quack.

There are certain ingredients to avoid, but sunscreen is a must.

Giselle has a great body, but her face is mannish.

lunabelle said...

Parabens are also a major issue. Look at your lotion, hair products, even makeup and most likely theynhave some sort of paraben. Paraben converts to estrogen in the body and may be a huge issue regarding infertility in the US, or so I have read.
I am super pale and need sunscreen. In also have small children I need to protect from the sun. I just buy the most natural sun products I can.
It is all about weighing the pros vs cons. I think skin cancer is worse than occasionally using a sunscreen that has potentially unhealthy ingredients. Particularly since my father had melanoma.
I wonder if she was talking about some sunscreens as opposed to making a blanket statement and was either misquoted, misunderstood, or misspoke. Regardless, she has put herself into the position of being a role model and as such needs to be well informed, articulate, and not talk about things unless she is an expert on them, such as being a super skinny model.

Anonymous said...

@Rocketqueen

http://www.badgerbalm.com/c-6-sun-care.aspx

selenakyle said...

I agree with her.

Meg said...

@crila16 - Yeah, that's what I'd always heard too. I had to do a marketing plan on an organic skin line once & that was something we learned.

I have heard the stuff about the chemicals being in sunscreen but it's like anything else... you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. What doesn't cause cancer these days.

I freaking hate cancer!

Henriette said...

Does anyone think it could be a language problem with her? I'm serious! I've seen her in interviews and I don't think she really comprehends English as well as people give her credit for. I think the language problem is what keeps giving this broad problems and makes her come off as stupid.

CarolMR said...

Sunscreens have chemicals. So does makeup. So I guess she should stop wearing makeup, too.

shakey said...

My uncle died from melanoma. I don't think he used sunscreen in his life, ever. I'm somewhat surprised I haven't had issues myself since I've had some nasty, nasty burns in my youth. I use baby sunscreen because I find that works for me the most - I won't even tan with that stuff.

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/

^This is an ewg site as well, but it has everything.

mooshki said...

Thanks for the info, guys. I still think sun is way more dangerous than sunscreen (and Giselle is a dummy), but it's good to know there are safer options out there.

Barton Fink said...

@Ice Angel, I too have often wondered what people saw in Giselle. Tall, lanky, pretty enough, nothing visibly wrong with her appearance, just nothing memorable. I used to think that she was famous because she dated only people who would bring attention to her.

__-__=__ said...

emer - I recently had the SAME conversation. Unbelievable! Too many chemicals here and not enough moderation. You really surprised me with your comments!

Jesse D said...

Giselle isn't supposed to be beautiful. She's a model. She's supposed to make the clothes look good. And she does. As for her brains, meh. Who's looking to her to be a role model?

RocketQueen said...

Thank you @ this is my life.

And lunabelle - I totally agree about parabens! I had really bad eczema about ten years ago and completely changed everything I put on and in my body, and a big part of that was parabens. Well, parabens and dairy products, but that's another issue ;)

ForSure said...

I know I'm a week behind on this post, and I'm sure no one will ever see this comment, but I have to post it.

EWG looks like a reliable source for info, but they may not be after all. Their science and their methodology is questionable. Please read this link, and any articles at that site, for a different view.

http://www.beautybunch.com/2010/05/26/cancer-from-vitamin-a-in-your-sunscreen/

In general, I would say wear sunscreen. More importantly, wear the correct sunscreen, with the correct ingredients, and an SPF between 15 and 50. Some people are better with mineral sunscreens, some are better with synthetic chemical sunscreens. Everyone is different. More info can be found at www.cosmeticscop.com. :)

lanasyogamama said...

@FS, I LOVE Paula Begoun, she had great, well documented research and advice. Thanks for the link.

sunnyside1213 said...

FS, thanks for the link. Very informative.

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