Sunscreen Found

The Environmental Working Group recently released its 2010 Sunscreen Guide. Being of the Boo Radley persuasion myself -- extremely fair-skinned and prone to sunburn -- I paid close attention.

I now have two new additions to my "Things I Never Knew Were Carcinogenic" list. Apparently two popular sunscreen ingredients, vitamin A (retinyl palmitate) and oxybenzone, are considered by some people to be hazardous. They are FDA-approved, but since I'm not a fan of cancer I'd like to be on the safe side.

The EWG has a database where you can look up various sunscreen brands and types. I entered mine and found that they were rated as a "7," which is in the "Avoid" category, so I resolved to find a better brand.

Turns out that this was easier said than done.

As my father, the chemist (really) and former farmer (also really), will tell you, they put those chemicals in your food and beauty products for a reason. Parabens, for example, make creams creamier. Sunscreens without parabens are often chalky and hard to rub in (looking at you, Burt's Bees!). Mineral-based sunscreens, the safest, may not disappear at all. Other chemicals help block UV and UB rays, and without them sunscreens can be less effective. Also, "natural" products can be incredibly expensive and oddly stinky.

With this in mind, I am thrilled to share with you the happy ending of my search: Beyond Coastal Active Sunscreen - SPF 30. It spreads well, blends in easily, and smells good. Most importantly, it works; when used in combination with face stick, none of my family has burned. For me, especially, that's saying something. With a "3" EWG rating, it's at the low end of the "Caution" category, and it's fragrance, oil, and paraben free. At $12/tube from Amazon.

Here are some other tips.

1. Don't make sunscreen your first line of defense. Whenever possible, use sunglasses, hats, swim shirts, etc.
2. Sprays are wonderfully convenient, but do not provide the same level of protection. If you disagree, then you must not be pigmentally challenged.
3. Face sticks are great. They provide excellent protection and don't contain many of the red-flag chemicals so they are easy and cheap to obtain.