Sunscreens- The Good,The Bad & The Ugly

Sunscreen is still a sticky topic. It is very confusing when trying to buy and figure out what is good and what exactly is 'bad" for you. We touched on it in one of our previous posts "Screen you Sunscreen". You should know that sunscreen should be used sparingly and not needed for small amounts of time in the sun. All sunscreens can create some "free radicals", but when you are in the sun all day a sunscreen is the best choice.

Remember back in the day when the life guard wore the zinc on their noses!? Oh, how I remember those cool dudes! So what happened!? Someone decided one day it was not cool ,that they could make a chemical to make us more hip and cool. unfortunately what they didn't think about is what those chemicals were going to do to us or our children!


According to the Mayo Clinic sunscreens work like this:

"Sunscreen absorbs, reflects or scatters UV light. It's divided into three wavelength bands — ultraviolet A (UVA), ultraviolet B (UVB) and ultraviolet C (UVC). Only UVA and UVB rays reach the earth.

Sunscreens provide either "physical" or "chemical" protection from UV light.
"Chemical sunscreens"- absorb UV rays before they can cause any damage. They contain one or more ingredients, such as avobenzone or oxybenzone, which absorb UVA or UVB rays. For broad protection, chemical sunscreens often contain more than one ingredient to protect against both UVA and UVB rays. A newer over-the-counter sunscreen contains mexoryl (Anthelios SX) and offers protection against both UVA and UVB radiation. (Mayo Clinic)

"Physical sunscreens" - form an opaque film that reflects or scatters UV light before it can penetrate the skin. These sunscreens contain ingredients, such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which protect against both UVA and UVB rays. (this is the white stuff we used to wear on our nose!). Original formulations of physical sunscreens remained white when applied to the skin. Newer formulations blend more with your skin tone and are less noticeable. (source: Mayo Clinic; Sunscreens)

So the good the bad and the ugly look like this:

- No fragrance or scent masking agents
- UVA/UVB broad-spectrum protection
- Water Resistant
- Non-whitening micro-titanium dioxide
- No Octyl Methoxycinnamate
- PABA free # Scatters & reflects UV rays
- Free of parabens,phthalates, SLS , dioxanes or PEG
- No Oxybenzone
- No vitamin A
-Contains organic and sustainably grown ingredients


* Vitamin A-Recently available data from an FDA study indicate that vitamin A , a form of, retinyl palmitate, when applied to the skin in the presence of sunlight, may speed the development of skin tumors and lesions (NTP 2009). This evidence is troubling because the sunscreen industry adds vitamin A to 41% of all sunscreens. Read EWG's article here.

* Oxybenzone is an endocrine disruptor which can affect the nervous system, has been linked to cancer in some laboratory studies, and creates free-radicals when exposed to the sun which are harmful.

So before you head for the beach and the pools this summer check out your sunscreen and make sure it's safe! Get some new stock and keep safe from the sun and the chemicals . Little Green Booties and Family has done the research for you already. Check out the line of California Baby products including their safe sunscreens and deet free bug spray. littlegreenbooties.com.