Protecting Your Skin This Summer

by:Melissa S. Goldberg

Although summer is here, only in the past week or so has it really seemed like summer. After weeks of rain, the sun is out and we are beginning to spend much more time outside soaking up the rays. Since our kids are outside at camp and we need to protect their skin. According to the American Cancer Society “more than 1 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer diagnosed yearly in the United States are considered to be sun-related.”

While we all know that we should always use sunscreen and lip balm with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher and that we should apply a generous amount of sunscreen and reapply after swimming, toweling dry, or perspiring. How should we know which products we should use?

According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) the FDA still hasn't finalized its sunscreen standards—amazingly they were first announced 30 years ago-- so companies are free to claim but not actually provide broad-spectrum protection. Moreover, the EWG says that 3 of 5 brand-name sunscreens either don’t protect skin from sun damage or contain hazardous chemicals — or both.

To help us decide which sunscreen to purchase the EWG conducted an investigation of 1,592 sunscreens. Their rating system is based on a product-by-product analysis of safety and effectiveness (UVA protection, UVB protection, and the stability of active ingredient combinations). As for safety the EWG assessed the potential for skin absorption and health hazards for all active ingredients (FDA-approved sunscreens) and all inactive ingredients to derive a product safety (health hazard) rating.

The top selling brands were the worse offenders. According to the EWG, none of Coppertone's 43 sunscreen products met the EWG criteria for safety and effectiveness, and only 2 of 152 products from Banana Boat or Neutrogena, the second- and third-largest manufacturers, were recommended by EWG. In addition, they found that 1 in 9 do not protect from UVA radiation.

Ok, so what do we buy? The EWG identified 83 products that offer very good sun protection with ingredients that present minimal health risks to users. Number one and two on the list is Soleo Organics Sunscreen SPF 30 and Badger Sunscreen SPF 30.

To search the entire list and see where you screen rates. Check out the EWG 2009 Sunscreen Guide.