I can't believe I haven't looked into this sooner, but after speaking with Micki the other night about sunscreens, I realized that I don't actually know if I'm using a good brand or not.
Thankfully, it turns out that I am. I checked with the Environmental Working Group (EWG), which puts out a new guide every year rating both the efficacy and the environmental health cred of more than 780 different sunscreens.
The Bad
Most people trust that the claims on the bottle will ensure that the product truly protects their health and their families', but nothing could be less certain.In a new investigation of 979 name-brand sunscreens, the EWG found that 4 out of 5 sunscreen products offer inadequate protection from the sun, or contain ingredients with significant safety concerns.
Leading brands were the worst offenders: None of market leader Coppertone's 39 sunscreen products met EWG's criteria for safety and effectiveness, and only 1 of 90 products from Banana Boat and Neutrogena (the second- and third-largest manufacturers) are recommended by EWG.
Many products on the market present obvious safety and effectiveness concerns, including one of every eight that does not protect from UVA radiation. Paradoxically, many sunscreen ingredients break down in the sun in a matter of minutes or hours, and then let UV radiation through to the skin.
The EWG says that 44% of products on the market contain ingredients that may be unstable alone or in combination. Of course, FDA has not proposed requirements for sunscreen stability, nor have they finalized comprehensive sunscreen safety standards they began drafting 30 years ago. Name-brands all have misleading or inaccurate claims on them, yet nothing is done about this.
Many sunscreens contain also nano-scale ingredients that raise potential concerns about their unique, toxic properties. FDA has failed to approve effective UVA filters available in Europe that, if approved here, could replace nano-scale ingredients. Some sunscreen ingredients even absorb into the blood and are linked to toxic effects. They release skin-damaging free radicals in sunlight, can disrupt hormone systems, can cause allergic reactions, and may build up in your body or in the environment.
FDA now stands in direct violation of a Congressional mandate requiring them to finalize sunscreen safety standards by May 2006, flouting not only Congress but also consumers, who are reliant on sunscreen to protect our health.
The Good
In the EWG's database, sunscreens are scored according to their effectiveness at blocking UVA and UVB rays, as well as by the amount of ingredients they include that have been linked to health concerns like cancers, developmental and reproductive toxicity, allergens, persistence, and bioaccumulation.
Here are common brands they recommend:
1. Blue Lizard: anything without oxybenzone (meaning, not the "water resistant" ones)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
The EWG actually breaks it down by the amount of each potentially hazardous substance, giving each product a score from 0-10 (zero being the best, 10 being the worst) in each category, as well as an overall score. The products below all received an overall "0":
1. Soleo Organics Sunscreen Organic: SPF 30+
3. California Baby Sunblock Stick: no fragrance, SPF 30+
4. Badger Sunscreen, SPF 30
The Ugly
Unfortunately, there are a few "organic" or "ethically produced" sunscreens that fall into the EWG's lowest ranking, meaning they are both ineffective at blocking the UVA and UVB and they contain nasty hazardous substances:
1. Avalon Organics: Vitamin C Skin Care: Moisture Plus Lotion, SPF 15
2. Nature's Gate Moisturizing Cream: SPF 15
3. Kiss My Face Everyday Moisturizer: SPF 15
That burns.
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