In June we discussed the dangers of sunscreens. The list below is a guide to purchasing the best possible sunscreen products (EWG and Nat’l Geogr. Green Guide). Take it with you to the store.
Top 10 Best Sunscreens:
1. Keys Soap Solar Rx Therapeutic Sunblock, SPF 30
2. Trukid Sunny Days Facestick Mineral Sunscreen UVA/UVB Broad Spectrum, SPF 30+
3. California Baby Sunblock Stick No Fragrance, SPF 30+
4. Badger Sunscreen, SPF 30
5. Marie Veronique Skin Therapy Sun Serum
6. Lavera Sunscreen Neutral, SPF 40
7. Vanicream Sunscreen, SPF 35
8. UV Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+
9. Sun Science Sport Formula, SPF 30
10. Soleo Organics Sunscreen all natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+
Top 10 Best Common Brands Recommended by the EWG:
1. Blue Lizard – anything without oxybenzone
2. California Baby – anything with SPF 30+
3. CVS with zinc oxide
4. Jason Natural Cosmetics Sunbrellas Mineral Based Sunblock
5. Kiss My Face “Paraben Free” series
6. Neutrogena Sensitive Skin Sunblock
7. Olay Defense Daily UV Moisturizer with zinc
8. SkinCeuticals Physical UV Defense
9. Solar Sense Clear Zinc for Face
10. Walgreens Zinc Oxide for Face, Nose, & Ears
When possible, avoid the following ingredients:
• PABA: Though rarely used now in sunscreens, beware of products that contain the ingredient. Forty percent of the population is sensitive to it, experiencing red, itchy skin.
• Benzophenone (benzophenone-3), homosalate, and octy-methoxycinnamate (octinoxate): These chemicals have shown estrogenic activity in lab tests. Dr. Margret Schlumpf of the Univ. of Zurich’s Inst. of Pharmacology & Toxicology says they disrupt hormones, affecting development of the brain and reproductive organs in laboratory rats. Because people are already exposed to these chemicals by eating fish (where benzophenone accumulates in the fat), using sunscreen containing these chemicals unduly increases the exposure. Based on her studies, Dr. Schlumpf advises people to avoid products containing benzophenone and the related chemicals above.
• Parabens (butyl-, ethyl-, methyl-, and propyl-): Parabens may also mimic estrogen, but because they are very common in sunscreens, avoiding them may prove difficult.
• Padimate-O and Parsol 1789 (2-ethylhexyl-4-dimethylaminobenzoic acid and avobenzone): These two chemicals have the potential to damage DNA when illuminated with sunlight. On the skin’s surface, they do protect from UV damage; however, once absorbed into the skin, these same chemicals can prove destructive. Dr. Knowland’s research indicates that Padimate-O and Parsol 1789 “are excited by the UV energy which they absorb and become reactive, acquiring the potential to attack cellular components, including DNA.” Knowland cautions that “DNA damage inflicted by an excited sunscreen is much less capable of being repaired by naturally occurring repair mechanisms than the DNA damage inflicted by UV alone.”
References:
1. www.thegreenguide.com/doc/103/sunscreens
2. www.ewg.org
