BENZENE WAS ONCE SOLD AS AN AFTERSHAVE: Online pharmacy lab finds benzene in 78 sunscreen products. “In this new effort, the company tested almost 300 brands of sunscreen and after-tanning products sold by 69 companies—they found some amount of benzene in 78 products. They note that the products were being advertised as a way to prevent skin cancer in adults and children. They also note that some of the products they tested had levels that were higher than the 2% cap mandated by the FDA. . . . They also point out that the FDA recently discovered that sunscreen chemicals can be readily absorbed through the skin.”

What would August Kekulé say?

My own feeling is that sunscreen has been oversold. It has its uses, mostly when you’re going to be unavoidably exposed to too much sun. But you’re better off just moderating your exposure to strong sunlight.