Top Five Sun Care Picks From EWG

We’ve established the importance of sun care, for your baby, and the entire family. At this time there aren’t any safety standards set by the FDA for sunscreens. So it is important for parents to know what they are truly rubbing into their baby’s bodies. A good example of the standards set for our sunscreens is the use of PABA (”a skin damaging chemical”, EWG) that was more widely used in the past. It still is, however, since there was an outcry from consumers with allergic reactions, companies use it less.

The bottom line is that we parents need to be aware that some sunscreens may be potentially more harmful than good. “Studies show that some traditional sunscreens like oxybenzone and octinoxate definitely absorb into healthy skin – in large amounts according to some studies – and act like estrogens in the body, raising risks for breast cancer, and showing effects like hormone-driven uterine damage in other studies”. 1

Take a look at your current sunscreen and you will probably find one of these ingredients, if not both. There is also some controversial concern with the micro sized (nanosize) titanium and zinc. Are these particles so small that they can absorb through the skin and into our blood stream? For now it is considered safe (as long as the particles aren’t too small) on healthy skin. A good way to test is this, if the sunscreen rubs clear onto your baby’s skin, it is nanosized. If it rubs on with some white, the particles are not too small.

Below we’ve listed the top five choices according to the Environmental Working Group. We always suggest, however, to do your own homework and then you can make an educated decision as to what is right for your family.

Environmental Working Groups Safest Sunscreen Picks

1. Keys Soap Solar Rx Therapeutic Sunblock
2. Trukid Sunny Days Facestick Mineral Sunscreen UVA/UVB Broad Spectrum
3. California Baby Sunblock Stick No Fragrance
4. Badger Sunscreen
5. Marie Veronique Skin Therapy Sun Serum

New Findings About Sun Care Products for Children

We purchase a sunscreen specially labelled for children and liberally slather it on them before heading outdoors. After two hours you reapply, then relax, knowing your child is safe from the harmful rays that can cause premature aging and skin cancer.

The bad news is your child may not be as protected as you think. Beyond not providing real protection there is the potential toxicity of many of the ingredients.

“I’m primarily concerned with the lack of safety testing,” says Dr. Rebecca Sutton, a staff scientist with the EWG. There is a long list of ingredients that are potentially harmful, or even cancer causing, that we just don’t know enough about.

This is especially of concern when it comes to children. The surface area of a child’s skin relative to their body weight is much greater than adults. Any chemical applied to their skin is about 1.4 times more significant than it would be when applied to an adult. Add that to the fact that children are less able to detoxify and excrete chemicals, they have a developing organ system that is more vulnerable to damage from chemical exposures, and children are more sensitive to low levels of hormonally active compounds and you have a potentially large problem.

As parents, we can’t do anything about the unknowns, but there is one common sunscreen ingredient that has been linked with a host of problems including allergies, hormone disruption and cell damage.

“Parents should also avoid powder and spray sun care,” Sutton says of airborne chemicals potentially dangerous to breathe in. Avoid 2-in-1 combos, like sunscreen mixed with insect repellents.

“You need to apply sunscreen every few hours to be effective and you don’t want to put bug repellent on that often,” says Gray.

Then of course, there are the basic sun safety tips.

“People rely too heavily on sunscreen alone,” Cohen says.

Make sure your child wears a hat and UV-protective clothing and, if possible, avoid direct sunlight during the hours of 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.