The Environmental Working Group recently released their 10th Annual Sun Safety Report. This report highlights safer sunscreens that protect your skin from the sun, without using ingredients with harmful health impacts. As I have written about in the past, I grew up tanning on the dock and in the tanning salon and quickly noticed dark spots (melasma) on my face in my mid-twenties. Not only did I have noticeable skin damage at a very young age, I have had several pre-cancerous moles removed from my skin…
It’s safe to say I now slather on sunscreen every day before I walk out the door, when I’m at the beach, swimming or running outside. Sun protection is important, but many conventional sunscreens contain harmful ingredients such as oxybenzone and retinyl palmitate. But there are safer sunscreens that use minerals to block the sun rather than chemicals. And the good news is, companies have come a long way with their formulations (they aren’t all super white, sticky and greasy like they were in years past).
EWG’s Safer Sunscreen Choices (**my personal favorites)
**Beautycounter All Over Protect SPF 30 (Water resistant)
**Beautycounter SPF 30 Sun Stick (Water resistant)
Check out the full list of EWG’s Best Sport Sunscreens and Best Kids Sunscreens
EWG’s 10 Worst Sunscreens for Kids
- Banana Boat Kids Max Protect & Play Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 100
- Coppertone Water Babies Sunscreen Stick, SPF 55
- Coppertone Sunscreen Continuous Spray, Kids, SPF 70
- Coppertone Sunscreen Lotion Kids, SPF 70+
- Coppertone Foaming Lotion Sunscreen Kids Wacky Foam, SPF 70+
- Coppertone Water Babies Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 70+
- CVS Baby Sunstick Sunscreen, SPF 55
- CVS Kids Wet & Dry Sunscreen Spray, SPF 70+
- Equate Kids Sunscreen Stick, SPF 55
- Hampton Sun Continuous Mist Sunscreen For Kids, SPF 70
- Neutrogena Wet Skin Kids Sunscreen Spray, SPF 70+
- Neutrogena Wet Skin Kids Sunscreen Stick, SPF 70+
- Up & Up Kids Sunscreen Stick, SPF 55
Addressing Sun Damaged Skin
As they say, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” and so wearing SPF 20-30 sunscreen daily is your first best bet to address future sun damage (check out this amazing video showing how sunscreen actually works). But, if you’re like me, you may be looking for a skin care routine that can help address some of the bad decisions from your youth. I have found the following skin care routine has drastically helped reduce the dark spots cause from sun damage, and each of these products have ingredients that have been screen for safety:
- Restorative Night Cream
- Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 20 (I use #3)
- Lustro Face Oil #3
- Vibrant Eye Perfector
- Nourishing Cleansing Balm (For ten different uses for this one product, click here.)
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