The Almost Green Mom

For many of us, it seems that summer has come early – I know we here in the Denver area started hitting the 80s a while back.  While I believe sunscreen is critical year round, it is especially important during these hotter and sunnier months of spring and summer.  And especially for our children.  It’s not always easy getting a child all lathered up in sunscreen when they’re fidgeting, but study after study has shown that sunscreen is the most effective way to ward off skin cancer (see studies by The Skin Cancer Foundation, citing medical evidence that over 90% of skin cancers are linked directly to radiation from the sun; and significant data and information from the American Academy of Dermatology).

A quick science background – UVA vs. UVB rays. UVA rays are the ones that can penetrate deep below the skin’s surface.  They may not always cause a noticeable burn to the skin, but they are responsible for premature aging, wrinkling and suppression of the immune systems.  UVB rays are the ones that cause sunburn and are the key instigator of cancer.  While both rays can be extremely harmful, SPF actually only measures UVB rays.  So that 50+ SPF lotion you are using may block upwards of 98% of UVB rays but be minimally effective against UVA rays.  You need a sunscreen that protects against both.  The Environmental Working Group (see below for more information) does a great job of providing information on a product’s ability to combat both UVA and UVB rays.

This blog will focus on sunscreen for children (which can also be used for adults actually – I use the same sunscreen as my daughter).  Since she was born, I have tried countless brands of sunscreens – all labeled as natural / organic, and with varying success.  We have found one brand that is stellar – I’ll get to that one in a second.  But before, I’ll highlight a few others we tried and issues with.  We do NOT use any of the traditional off the shelf sunscreens you’d find at an everyday grocery store as I believe many of the chemicals included in them (namely oxybenzone, which has been linked to hormone disruption and and cell damage, potentially a precursor to cancer) are extremely dangerous and potentially cancer causing.  So, we don’t use brands like Coppertone, Neutrogena, Banana Boat, etc.  Instead, I look for sunscreens that include minerals such as zinc oxide (get non nano size particles, if possible – label will say this) and titanium dioxide.  The biggest issue I’ve found with the natural versions is that many are a chalky white which are hard to rub into the skin.

One more thing before I get to the specific brand reviews.  I always refer to the  Environmental Working Group (this is a link to the “skin deep” part of the website to search for any product) to check the “score” of a sunscreen (I do the same for all household cleaning supplies, personal beauty products, etc.).  They have an app which you can download for free so you can check on specific products while out shopping.  This resource is invaluable and summarizes how toxic / harmful a product is based on its ingredient list.  It’s quick and easy to search for specific items.

Ok, here we go – here is my honest take on a handful of the sunscreens we’ve used over the years along with the EWG rating (note that EWG rates on a scale of 1 – 10, with 1 being the safest / best.  Typically 1 – 3 are “green”; 3 – 6 are “yellow”; 7 – 10 are “red”.

• Honest Co. Honest Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50+ (EWG 1):  This was way too chalky for us – very white and thick in consistency that was nearly impossible to rub into our skin.  While the SPF looks good, we actually still burned using this.  Time to move on.
• Honest Co. SPF 30 Sunscreen Spray (EWG 3):  I’m highlighting this one mainly because it is a spray which seems to be fairly popular.  We used this at the pool one day – I ran out of our favorite, and a neighbor had this in her bag.  I hate sprays, so I sprayed it in my hands and then applied it.  Why do I hate sprays?  There have been many studies / articles, including one from Consumer Reports which state that the ingredients sprayed enter the air and we inhale them, which is extremely unsafe.  Regardless, this product didn’t work at all – burned again. And stay away from the sprays.
• Babyganics Mineral-Based Baby Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50 (EWG 2):  Now this one I kind of liked, but the only issue is that it separated very easily in the bottle.  So many times when I squeezed it, a lot of watery liquid came out before the thicker sunscreen.  There’s an easy enough solution – shake up the bottle and knead it with your hands.  We didn’t burn, and it was relatively easy to apply.  They also have a stick that we have used on my daughter’s nose as well as hands (I’ve found sticks are the best for the hands as it doesn’t rub off as easily)
• Kiss My Face Baby’s First Kiss Mineral Lotion Sunscreen SPF 50 (EWG 6 – eek).  I was drawn to this one initially because it provided very good UVA and UVB ray protection.  In addition to the EWG score of 6 which is very concerning, the product is very oily.  It applies very easily (to be expected because it’s like an oil slicks), but then has an oily sheen on the skin which rubs off on everything it comes in contact with.  I say avoid this one.

So which sunscreen do we ADORE?????

• Blue Lizard Australian Suncream, Baby SPF 30+ (EWG 1):  This stuff rocks.  It’s more of a lotion consistency (like traditional sunscreens), absorbs very well, leaves no white residue and works very well.  I also use this sunscreen (to note – the company has told me that the baby version is essentially the same as the sensitive version, so I just buy whichever one is cheaper at the time).  We’ve never burned, and it doesn’t seem to rub off on anything.  Also, it has an EWG score of 1 which is reassuring that the ingredients are as good as they can get.  Buy this now – oh, and another cool feature, the bottle will actually start turning a dark pink when exposed to sun’s rays as a fun reminder to put this on even when it’s cloudy (and your kids will think it’s cool).

So, there you have it – Blue Lizard is our top choice.  I actually have a bottle in my bag and another at home – you never know when an impromptu visit to the park may happen.  In addition to sunscreen, we are huge fans of the UV clothing line Coolibar (offers sun protection clothing for the whole family, and it actually looks like normal / cool clothes) as well as great sunhats and polarized sunglasses.

Summer is a great time of year with so many amazing memories – the pool, picnics, BBQs, boating, skiing, etc.  Have a wonderful summer and use that sunscreen!

“Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s all right