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Reuters
Explainer-Extreme heat may mean using a different sunscreen
Nancy Lapid
August 17, 2023

By Nancy Lapid

(Reuters) - With world temperatures reaching record highs this summer, you may want to reconsider which sunscreen you are using, experts say.

Sunscreens are not all the same. The two major types – mineral and chemical – handle the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays differently, and during extremely hot weather, those differences can matter.

HOW DO SUNSCREENS WORK?

Mineral sunscreens contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. They create a barrier that reflects UV light before it penetrates the skin. Because mineral sunscreens aren't absorbed, older formulations often had a greasy feel and a white appearance.

Newer formulations, made with mineral nanoparticles, "rub into the skin beautifully," said Dr. Jacqueline Watchmaker, a dermatologist in Scottsdale, Arizona and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).

People who do not like the thicker texture of mineral sunscreens often use chemical sunscreens in creams or sprays. The ingredients form a thin protective film that absorbs UV rays and changes their structure, converting them into heat before they penetrate the skin.

Ultimately, the chemicals themselves are absorbed into the bloodstream, and health officials say more research is needed to understand the safety impacts of long-term use.

WHEN DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

Ordinarily, "the best type of sunscreen is the one you will use again and again," the AAD advises on its website.

The group recommends use of any water-resistant sunscreen, with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 30 or higher, that offers broad-spectrum protection against UVA rays, which lead to suntan and signs of aging, and UVB rays, which lead to sunburn.

But during extreme heatwaves, when temperatures reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) or above, with high humidity, for at least a few days, mineral sunscreens are preferable, according to Watchmaker and Dr. Ross Radusky of the Dermatology Treatment & Research Center in Dallas, Texas.

Chemical sunscreens can lose their filtering abilities when exposed to extremely high temperatures, said Radusky, who is also an AAD spokesperson.

Extreme heat also means more sweating, and sweat can contribute to itchiness and rashes some people experience from ingredients in chemical sunscreens, Radusky added. Even in the absence of extreme heat, people with sensitive skin should opt for mineral sunscreens, the AAD advises.

APPLY MORE SUNSCREEN, MORE OFTEN

Habits matter too. Many individuals only apply about 20%–50% of the amount of sunscreen needed to achieve the amount of SPF on the label, the AAD says.

"An adult needs one ounce of sunscreen, which is about a shot glass full," Watchmaker said. "I recommend applying a double layer of sunscreen to areas of the body that are exposed to the most sun such as the face, chest and shoulders."

Radusky recommends carrying a shot-glass size measuring cup.

Sunscreens must be reapplied at least every two hours, and after swimming or sweating, but "during a heatwave you will be sweating more," so you will need to reapply more often, Watchmaker added.

KEEP SUNSCREEN BOTTLES OUT OF THE HEAT

Temperatures inside cars or beach bags may be much higher than outdoors, so consider how you store your sunscreen.

Eight hours of exposure to temperatures of 86 to 140 F (30 to 60 C) – common when sunscreens are left in the sun or in vehicles - can irreversibly alter a chemical sunscreen's physical characteristics, resulting in decreased efficacy, a 2012 study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found.

"Be sure to keep sunscreen in a cooler, darker environment and pack it near your cooler or ice pack if you're going to be without air conditioning for an extended period of time," Radusky said

RIP Redbox: DVD Kiosk-Rental Business Is Shutting Down With Parent’s Bankruptcy Liquidation
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment's 1,000-plus employees are now unemployed after company converts bankruptcy case to Chapter 7 liquidation


By Todd Spangler

Call it Deadbox.

In another nail in the coffin of physical media, Redbox is shutting down after more than two decades of serving up DVD rentals from thousands of kiosks across the U.S.

Redbox’s network of 24,000 DVD rental kiosks and its streaming services will be shut down after its parent company, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, converted its Chapter 11 bankruptcy case to a Chapter 7 liquidation proceeding on Wednesday. With the move to liquidate its assets, all of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment’s employees are now unemployed and will not receive severance or extended benefits. As of late June, the company said it had 1,033 employees

Redbox’s business had been in decline for more than a decade before Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment bought it in 2020. Its revenue peaked in 2013 at $1.97 billion, and the chain at once time had operated more than 43,000 kiosks in the U.S. and Canada stocked with movies, TV shows and games.

On June 28, CSSE filed for Chapter 11 reorganization, listing total debts of $970 million and consolidated assets of $414 million as of March 31, 2024. Creditors included Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate, BBC Studios Americas, Walgreens, Walmart and Vizio.

On Wednesday, Judge Thomas M. Horan of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, who is overseeing Chicken Soup for the Soul’s bankruptcy case, granted the company’s request to convert to a Chapter 7 liquidation. “There is no means to continue to pay employees, to pay any bills,” Horan said, per the Wall Street Journal. He added that a bankruptcy trustee will be appointed to investigate whether funds held in trust for employees were misappropriated. “1,000 people are about to lose their jobs and they’re not even going to be paid for work that they did,” the judge said.

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Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment had failed to pay employees and vendors for at least four weeks prior to its Chapter 11 filing. In court documents, HPS, the company’s top lender, had alleged gross mismanagement by the company. Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment chairman and CEO Bill Rouhana Jr., in a declaration supporting the bankruptcy petition, claimed that the company’s financial straits were in part due to “refusals” by its lenders “to live up to their obligations, resulting in asserted defaults and/or contractual terminations across critical content and service providers.”

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment closed the acquisition of the struggling Redbox business in August 2020, in a deal valued at $370 million. With the acquisition, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment assumed $359.9 million of Redbox’s debt. In his declaration, Rouhana said CSSE’s ability to service the Redbox debt was “predicated on a partial return to pre-COVID levels in the number and cadence of theatrical releases that were available to the company for its kiosk network, as well as cost synergies. The corresponding rebound in demand for physical kiosk rentals was expected to return to approximately one-third of 2019 levels.”


Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, which had been publicly traded, is a subsidiary of Chicken Soup for the Soul LLC, which publishes the famous book series and produces pet food under the Chicken Soup for the Soul brand name.

In addition to Redbox, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment operated Crackle and other streaming services and produced, acquired and distributed films and TV series through its Screen Media and Chicken Soup for the Soul TV Group subsidiaries.