How to Choose a Sunscreen

It's that time of year when the weather is nice and we start (hopefully!) spending a lot of time outdoors. That means needing to lather on the sunscreen, especially for the wee ones, who have such sensitive skin.
Unfortunately, many sunscreens have potentially harmful ingredients in them, so you need to read the ingredients and pay attention to what you are buying. Pain in the butt? Yes. Worth it? Definitely. Sadly, the sunscreens that are not full of the bad stuff are often much pricier than your average brands. Watch for sales (but don't stock up as sunscreen loses its effectiveness over time) and make sure to keep sunscreen out of baby's way. A bottle of sunscreen in the wrong little hands could be a messy and expensive experience. Also, babies under 6 months should NOT use sunscreen, and should be covered and under shade instead.

Here is what to look out for:

1. Parabens- these act as a preservative and lengthen the lifespan of the sunscreen. In addition to lengthening shelf life, they can also irritate the skin and can release traces of formaldehyde, which is a known carcinogen. Avoid products that contain:

• Bronopol (often listed as 2-brono-2-nitropropane-1, 3-diol)

• Diazolidinyl urea

• DMDM hydantion

• Imidazo lidinyl urea

• Quaternium 15

2. Glycols are used to lock in humidity. However, these chemicals can permeate the skin, and, in high doses, can lead to kidney, liver, and reproductive system damage, AND can cause birth defects, Avoid products that have "methyl" or EGPE, EGME, EGEE, DEGBE, PGME, DPGME.

3. Sodium Laurel Sulfate can actually chance the genetic information stored inside human cells, can break down proteins, and can lead to eye problems such as cataracts.

4. Petrolatum is a by-product of gasoline production. It clogs pores and can simulate sun damage. Not quite the additive you were hoping for in a sunscreen, right?

5. Artificial colors can contain heavy metals (think lead and arsenic) which are known carcinogens. Avoid sunscreen (and anything else for that matter!) that contains:

• FD&C Blue 1 (carcinogenic)

• FD&C Green 3 (carcinogenic)

• D&C Red 33 (shown to cause cancer)

• FD&C Yellow 5 (shown to cause cancer)

• FC&C Yellow 6 (shown to cause cancer)

Thanks to sustainlane.com for the great info!

If you want to check the safety of the products you already use, check out the cosmetics database that I talked about in my personal care products entry.