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12 safe and effective sunscreens

Written by

Lori Bongiorno

in

woman using sunscreen

(Photo: Jupiter)

Looking for a sunscreen that effectively protects your skin
from the sun and doesn’t contain harmful chemicals? It’s not easy to find one,
according to Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) newly released 2010 sunscreen guide.

The research and advocacy group recommends only 39 (eight
percent) of the 500 beach and sport sunscreens it assessed. Why? EWG says many
sunscreens do not adequately protect your skin from both UVA (which causes
premature aging, skin cancer, and other skin damage) and UVB (which causes
sunburn) rays. Plus, several products contain questionable chemicals.

Unfortunately, some of the healthiest sunscreens on the
store shelves can be expensive so it’s worth it to shop around for deals. Below
are the most affordable products that earned the EWG stamp
of approval (calculated based on price per ounce):

The easiest way to find sunscreens that are safe and
effective is to use EWG’s
database, which has ratings on over 1,400 products from lotions and sprays
to lip balms, moisturizers, and makeup with sun protection.

Here are some shopping tips for those who prefer to do their
own homework:

  • Higher SPF (sun protection factor) products are not
    necessarily best. In fact, the FDA says these
    numbers can be misleading    . It is important to remember that the SPF is based solely
    on UVB protection     so that indicates protection against sunburn-causing rays,
    but has nothing to do with skin-damaging (UVA) rays. There’s concern that high
    SPF products may give people a false sense of security and encourage people
    to stay out in the sun for too long without reapplying sunscreen. EWG recommends sticking to SPF 15 to
    50-plus.

  • Look for sunscreens with zinc, titanium dioxide,
    avobenzene, or Mexoryl SX for the best UVA protection available in the U.S.

  • EWG recommends avoiding oxybenzone
    and vitamin
    A     (retinyl palmitate) because of potential health concerns.

  • Choose lotions over sprays and powders, which fill the
    air with tiny chemicals that may not be safe to breathe in.

  • Avoid sunscreens that have added insect repellants.
    You’re supposed to apply sunscreen liberally and often because chemicals wash
    off and break down in the sun. In fact, many people do not use enough
    sunscreen to get adequate protection. Use one
    ounce (enough to fill a shot glass)     and reapply at least every two hours.
    Insect repellants, on the other hand, should be used sparingly.

Do not rely solely on sunscreen for sun protection. EWG
points out that there is “no
consensus that sunscreen use alone prevents skin cancer.” It should be used
as one part of your strategy.

What else should you do? Limit your time outside in the
middle of the day when the sun’s rays are most intense and spend as much time
in the shade as you can. Cover up with tightly woven clothing (you can even buy
sun-protective
apparel), a hat, and sunglasses.

It’s also important to remember that getting some sun has
health benefits. Sunshine is your body’s main source of vitamin D, an
essential nutrient that many of us don’t get enough of. Sunscreen can
inhibit your body’s ability to produce vitamin D. Talk to your doctor about testing your levels and about how
to get more if you need it.

Environmental journalist Lori Bongiorno shares green-living tips and product reviews with Yahoo! Green’s users. Send Lori a question or suggestion for potential use in a future column. Her book, Green Greener Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-smart Choices a Part of Your Life is available on Yahoo! Shopping and Amazon.com.

Check out Yahoo! Green on Twitter and Facebook.

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