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Most Sunscreens Don't Meet Safety Standards — Report
Red Light Therapy (RLT) has become popular in both the wellness and beauty markets, promising a wide range of benefits.
Sometimes called low-level laser therapy, RLT uses LED lights to expose users to low levels of red and near-infrared light, which can penetrate the skin and cells.It is believed to work by targeting certain parts of cells, causing them to repair themselves or work more efficiently.
And while an RLT machine was once just something you would find in a clinic, you can now buy a huge number of devices to use at home, from small hand-held products to wearable masks and even RLT beds.
A lot of RLT products are focused on beauty and anti-aging, as it is claimed to fight acne and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.You can also get things like RLT toothbrushes and hairbrushes, promising a healthy smile or thicker hair.
Unlike other popular beauty treatments like Botox, RLT doesn't involve needles, pain or healing time.There are also very few safety concerns, although some research has found that very strong treatments could cause blisters, and it is recommended to protect your eyes while using it.
According to Forbes, the RLT market was worth more than $440 million in 2025, and could be worth as much as $658 million by 2032.
The question is, though, does it work?
Research is very much ongoing, but studies generally show at least some evidence that RLT does improve collagen production, which in turn may lead to smoother skin.It also seems to reduce inflammation, which helps prevent acne, and may help with the healing process and prevent acne scarring.
A number of studies have also found it can improve hair growth and protect hair follicles, reducing hair loss.
However, this does not mean that all RLT products are equally effective.In particular, at-home devices will generally be far less powerful than those used in clinical settings, and users may see limited results.
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Sunscreen protects our skin from the effects of too much sun.Using it helps prevent sunburn and, more importantly, some kinds of cancer.防晒霜能保护我们的皮肤免受过度日晒的伤害。使用防晒霜有助于预防晒伤，更重要的是，还能预防某些类型的癌症。
Sunscreens are supposed to meet high quality and safety standards.But a report has found that few on sale in the US actually do.防晒霜本应符合严格的质量与安全标准。但有报告显示，美国市场上销售的防晒霜中，很少有真正符合这些标准的。
The report was shared by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a product safety research organization that has been publishing its Guide to Sunscreens for 20 years.这份报告由环境工作组（EWG）发布。该机构是一家致力于产品安全研究的组织，20 年来一直致力于编写防晒霜相关指南。
This year's report included almost 2,800 products with sun protection factor, or SPF.Of them, only 550 products — just under 20% — were found to be up to the EWG's standards.今年的报告中涵盖了近 2,800 种具有防晒功能的产品。其中，只有 550 种产品——占比不到 20%——符合 EWG 的标准。
The EWG modeled each product's sun protection based on its ingredients.Products that scored well protected against both UVA and UVB rays, the two types of ultraviolet rays from the sun that damage DNA, something that's linked to skin cancer.They also had to have safe ingredients that last a long time under the sun.EWG 根据各款产品的成分来评估其防晒效果。那些评分较高的产品，能够有效阻挡 UVA 和 UVB 两种紫外线。这两种紫外线会破坏 DNA，而 DNA 损伤则与皮肤癌有关。此外，这些产品还必须使用安全且能在阳光下长期保持效力的成分。
If the EWG estimated that a product had lower UV protection than the label suggested, the product scored poorly.如果欧洲环保组织认为某种产品的紫外线防护效果低于其标签上所标注的水平，那么该产品的评分就会很低。
But being labeled with an SPF over 50 also led to a poor score.According to the EWG, SPF 50 already blocks 98% of UVB rays, while SPF 100 only blocks 1% more.So super-high SPF labels may make people think they're much better protected than they really are, leading them to stay in the sun far longer than they should.不过，SPF 值超过 50 的产品反而会得到较低的评分。根据 EWG 的说法，SPF 50 已经能够阻挡 98%的 UVB 射线，而 SPF 100 则只能多阻挡 1%而已。因此，过高的 SPF 值可能会让人们误以为自己受到了更好的保护，从而让他们在阳光下停留的时间过长。
And vitamin A and oxybenzone were considered bad ingredients, because some research has suggested they may have negative health effects when used in sunscreen.此外，维生素 A 和氧苯酮也被视为有害成分，因为有研究表明，这些成分在防晒霜中的使用可能对健康产生不良影响。
Finally, the EWG report recommended against using spray or powder sunscreen products, because of the danger of these being breathed in.Sunscreens may be considered safe on your skin, but those same chemicals and particles are not good for your lungs!最后，EWG 的报告建议不要使用喷雾或粉状防晒产品，因为这些产品中的化学物质有可能被吸入体内。虽然这些防晒产品对皮肤来说可能是安全的，但这些化学物质和颗粒对肺部却有害无益！
No spray or powder sunscreens were considered safe by the EWG.根据 EWG 的研究结果，没有任何一种喷雾型或粉状防晒霜被认为是安全的。
