Sunscreen - Yes, But Choose The Right One

You work hard, you do what you're supposed to, you take all the right precautions and still - you get burned - sunburned, that is. A new U.S. study says only 8 per cent of sunscreens currently on the market make the cut for safety and most of the rest are the modern equivalent of snake oil. What's more, more than half contain dangerous additives and chemicals that are particularly risky for children, the non-profit Environmental Working Group, a U.S. lobby group said in its 2010 Sunscreen Guide. Exaggerated SPF claims top the list of reasons sunscreens failed to make the cut. Many contain a form of Vitamin A, retinyl palmitate, that may increase skin damage when exposed to sunlight, according to 2009 testing by the FDA. More than 40 per cent of sunscreens include Vitamin A. The best sunscreens use mineral formulations using zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, which don’t seem to penetrate through the skin into the bloodstream, the guide said. But the majority of sunscreens are non-mineral: 60 per cent contain oxybenzone, which several studies have shown should not be applied on children because of allergic reactions and the possible disruption of hormones. Does that mean I'll have to tell my daughter she can't have babies because of the sunscreen I used on her as a child, but don't worry honey, look how beautiful your skin is!? From a field of 500 sunscreens it tested, the EWG picked out only 39 it could recommend. 39!!! Check the labels - go for the mineral formulations this summer. Check their website: www.ewg.org