Sun Safety 2013: Best Sunscreens and Those to Avoid

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Memorial Day Weekend is just around the corner, and that means backyard barbeques and trips to the beach. As you gear up to head outside, remember to take sunburn precautions. Nothing spoils the holiday fun like red, blistered, painful skin. 

 

A few tips from the EPA and FDA. Limit your time in the sun, especially from 10-2 when UV rays are strongest. Cover up whenever possible. Use water resistant sunscreen when swimming or exerting yourself. And this one is key: REAPPLY. Specifically, the :

 

Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF rating of 15 or higher. Apply sunscreen 20 minutes before going out into the sun (or as directed by the manufacturer) to give it time to absorb into your skin. Apply it generously and regularly鈥攁bout 1 ounce every 2 hours鈥攁nd more often if you are swimming or perspiring.

 

As for choosing a sunscreen, once again the folks at the Environmental Working Group have done the heavy lifting. Their 184 top-rated beach and sport sunscreens are below; on you鈥檒l find lots more info and ratings for many, many more products鈥攊ncluding , , and with SPF鈥攁s well as their free .  

 

Before the good stuff, here are from EWG:

  1. No spray sunscreens: It鈥檚 easy to miss spots, and there are concerns about inhaling the product.
  2. No super-high SPFs: They give a false sense of security, which can lead to fewer re-applications, which increases risk of exposure to damaging UVA rays. Avoid anything higher than SPF 50+.
  3. No oxybenzone: A UV-filter, this chemical is an that 鈥攎ore research is needed.
  4. No loose powder sunscreens: These often contain zinc or titanium, which can be harmful if inhaled.
  5. No retinyl palmitate: Studies show that on sun-exposed skin, this form of Vitamin A may speed development of skin tumors and lesions.
  6. No combined sunscreen/bug repellents: There鈥檚 some evidence that combining sunscreens and repellents leads to increased skin absorption of the repellent ingredients.
  7. No sunscreen towelettes: It鈥檚 questionable whether these products result in enough sunscreen on your skin to ensure protection.
  8. No tanning oils: EWG says, 鈥淭anning oils are simply a bad idea. They promote risky behavior, encouraging users seek out intense sunshine that results in skin damage and increased risk of developing skin cancer.鈥

 

Now, on to the . All earned a 鈥1鈥 or a 鈥2鈥 from EWG, which scores products on a on a scale of 1 to 10: 0-2 is low hazard; 3-6 is moderate hazard; 7-10 is high hazard.
 

Absolutely Natural

 

Alba Botanica

 

All Terrain

 

ARCONA

 

Aubrey Organics

 

Ava Anderson Non Toxic

 

Aveeno

 

Babo Botanicals

 

BabyGanics

 

Badger

 

BALM! Baby

 

Beauty Without Cruelty

 

Beyond Coastal

 

Blue Lizard

 

BurnOut

 

Burt鈥檚 Bees

 

Butterbean

 

California Baby

 

Celadon Road

 

Celtic Complexion

 

CeraVe

 

Climb On!

Consonant Skincare

 

COOLA

 

Coppertone

 

Coral Safe

 

CVS

 

Daisy Blue Naturals

 

Dolphin Organics

 

Dr. Robin for Kids

 

ECO Logical Skin Care

       

 

Elementary Herbs

 

EltaMD

 

Episencial

 

Fallene

 

Goddess Garden

 

Green Babies

 

Green Screen

 

HeadHunter

 

Healing-Scents

 

Jason Natural Cosmetics

 

Jersey Kids

 

Jersey Shore Sun

 

John Masters Organics

 

KINeSYS

 

Kiss My Face

 

La Roche-Posay

 

Lavanila Laboratories

 

Lemongrass Spa

 

Marie Veronique Organics