Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Sunscreen---choosing wisely

I have had great suggestions on posts. Keep them coming ladies!
Choosing a safe sunscreen for you and your family can get tricky. All claim to be safe, but which ones really are best? Can we buy without breaking our budgets?
Skin Deep, otherwise know as the Environmental Working Group, is a third party cosmetics safety database giving great information to help you make a good decision.
From the website:
"When we began our sunscreen investigation at the Environmental Working Group, our researchers thought we would ultimately recommend against micronized and nano-sized zinc oxide and titanium dioxide sunscreens. ...But many months and nearly 400 peer-reviewed studies later, we find ourselves drawing a different conclusion, and recommending some sunscreens that may contain nano-sized ingredients.
Our study shows that consumers who use sunscreens without zinc and titanium are likely exposed to more UV radiation and greater numbers of hazardous ingredients than consumers relying on zinc and titanium products for sun protection. We found that consumers using sunscreens without ZnO and TiO2 would be exposed to an average of 20% more UVA radiation — with increased risks for UVA-induced skin damage, premature aging, wrinkling, and UV-induced immune system damage — than consumers using zinc- and titanium-based products. Sunscreens without zinc or titanium contain an average of 4 times as many high hazard ingredients known or strongly suspected to cause cancer or birth defects, to disrupt human reproduction or damage the growing brain of a child. They also contain more toxins on average in every major category of health harm considered: cancer (10% more), birth defects and reproductive harm (40% more), neurotoxins (20% more), endocrine system disruptors (70% more), and chemicals that can damage the immune system (70% more) (EWG 2007)."
Here are my top three picks based on their ingredient safety as well as sun protection.

California Baby Sunblock Stick No Fragrance, SPF 30+ *

$13.99 at Target

Badger Sunscreen, SPF 30 *

$13.95 Found at Earthturns.com

Be safe in the sun this summer!

4 comments:

Christie said...

Great post on sunscreens!

Robbie said...

Thank You! I have been trying to find a good sunscreen for my son!

Emily Ruth said...

Glad you ladies enjoyed it: ) And thank you Christie for the positive feedback on Badger. I hadn't tried it myself, so it's good to hear positive things about it so I can feel good recommending it!

Jessica said...

I meant to leave a comment earlier and then forgot- so sorry! Thank you so much for this post, as you know I had been searching for a sunscreen for our family. I knew about Skin Deep but also forgot to look there in my quest for non-toxic sunscreen. I also appreciate that your "research" is of good scientific quality. This term is used a lot these days, meaning people google something and believe the first thing they see. You can tell you are very thorough in all that you do! I also switched to Badger, as the natural sunscreen I was previously using was exceptionally greasy and did not give enough coverage I felt (UV Natural was the brand). I have to say I am very happy with the switch. I love the way Badger smells and feel like it's doing the job without any harsh ingredients. Thanks again!