Sunscreen -- The Latest Word

I know you love lying on the beach listening to the sound of waves and feeling the sun’s warm rays massage you — I do too. Unfortunately, the evidence of the sun’s damage to skin (cancer and wrinkles) is overwhelming. Still, life can’t just be lived indoors so you’ve got to have a good sunscreen.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, a recent report by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group says that “more than half of the sunscreens on the market do not provide adequate UVA protection, and many of them actually contain hazardous ingredients…” The EWG advise avoiding sunscreens with ultra-high SPF’s because they give you a false sense of security. The high SPF sunscreens may keep the UVB rays that burn you at bay, but not the UVA rays that cause melanoma and wrinkling.

A sunscreen should contain either zinc oxide or titanium dioxide for best protection. However, it’s also important to note what to avoid in a sunscreen: retinyl palmitate, a form of vitamin A; and oxybenzone, a hormone disruptor. These two ingredients are in a lot of sunscreens and may cause skin irritation or even skin tumors.

I’ve perused the EWG’s list of sunscreens and made my own list of the ones that have the best ratings. These first three sunscreens get an “Excellent” rating in UVB protection, UBA protection, and sunscreen stability. They all have a “Good” rating in A/B balance and a “Low” rating for health concerns:

1. Mexitan Products Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50

2.Tropical Sands All Natural Sunscreen SPF 50

3. Coola Baby Unscented Natural Mineral Sunblock SPF45

I like these two sunscreens as well:

4. Green Beaver Company Certified Organic Kids Non-whitening Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30 –Good UVB rating (probably because it’s just SPF 30), excellent UVA, good A/B balance, excellent stability and low health concerns. That it’s non-whitening makes this one a winner!

5. UV Natural Sunscreen and Lip Sunscreen 30+ — Good UVB rating but excellent in all other categories as well as low in health concerns.

If you have trouble finding these sunscreens at your pharmacy, try Amazon. Also, sunscreens expire so throw the old out and don’t overbuy. Apply sunscreen generously and often. (Girls: If you think the sunscreen in your makeup will protect you, you are either wearing too much makeup or you are wrong!)

Be smart: try to stay out of the mid-day sun (10-2 standard time), wear a hat and sunglasses, and if you have to be out for long periods of time wear protective clothing.

For more information and  to see the complete list of “Best Sunscreens” click on the link below.  You will also find a search feature that let’s you plug in the name of your favorite brand to see how it rates.