With the recent sunscreen lawsuits and my children’s misfortune to have my skin, I’ve been doing a little research on sunscreens. I’ve learned much, but unfortunately am having a hard time applying my knowledge. Let me share what I’ve learned.
Basically not all sunscreen is created equal. While consumers may blame the companies for misleading them with their packaging labels, mostly it’s an issue of ignorance and misunderstanding what the labels represent. I was among the unaware who assumed that the higher the SPF(sunscreen protection factor) the better – people were constantly commenting on my SPF 50, cause well, you know that’s like double SPF 25 right? Wrong. According to ConsumerSearch, “SPF 15 blocks 93% of rays, while SPF 30 blocks 97%, only 4% more. SPF ratings higher than 30 don't offer any further UV protection, and let the same 3% of UV rays through as SPF 30. Further, SPF only blocks UVB rays. For that reason, it's just as important to look specifically for UVA protection.” Surprisingly, not very many sunscreens contain the necessary ingredients providing that UVA protection. Unless your product contains avobenzone, titanium dioxide, or zinc oxide, you're not protected from UVA – which is the light that causes much deeper damage than just your surface sunburn.
So now on to finding out which sunscreens will protect me and my fair-skinned children. CNN helped me out with the following info: “Sunscreen reviews also point out that most children's sunscreens are no different than those for adults, except for added fragrance that can actually irritate kids' more-sensitive skin. The only beneficial difference to look for is UVA protection with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, since these are less irritating than avobenzone to children's skin.” These are hard to come by. I have spent all morning dragging my kids from stores and pharmacies trying to find what my research shows me is the best. Sorry Moms, but those SpWipes and Sprays are no good…the SpWipes have no UVA-protecting ingredients, and most of the sprays say they offer UVA protection but don’t contain the right ingredients – don’t be fooled by oxybenzone, it is not the same as avobenzone. I stand to be corrected, if you find a spray that contains the right ingredients, let me know… however you do lose a lot of the spray into the air and you can’t use it on faces.
The best finds for kids are Blue Lizard Baby Sunscreen and No-Ad Sunscreen. For us Moms, it looks like Neutrogena’s UVA/UVB Sunblock Lotion is definitely worth a try (it has all the right ingredients and is sweat-proof, water resistant – since no product can be waterproof-, fragrance and oil-fee as well as being good for sensitive skin). I’m trying to go with No-Ad for the fam since it’s also very affordable and comes in super big bottles. Apparently an adult should use 4 oz of sunscreen to cover his/her whole body if the sunscreen is going to work properly. (So much for those 6 oz travel-friendly bottles!)
Do your research, read your labels and be sun-safe. But for heaven’s sake, let me know where to find the right stuff!
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Wondering what your research told you about 'paba' and looking for a paba-free brand to help with skin irritation...
Yes! Not sure about too many others, but for sure Avon's Sun brand of sunscreen is paba-free and has Parsol 1789 (avobenzone). Apparently it is only important to use paba-free sunscreen if you are allergic to paba. If you aren't it makes no difference. If you are allergic to paba and use a sunscreen containing this ingredient you will develop an itchy rash (which can be treated but is a huge pain - especially with young kids). Are your kids allergic to paba?
Here's a lingo guide:
http://www.rd.com/content/openContent.do?contentId=14913
So happy to report that we were using the No-Ad sunscreen with almost NO research! We just happened to choose that one. Lucky us!
You'll also need an extra oz. or so if you have a skinny dipper in the family!
Thanks for the info! My kids are soo pale and skin cancer runs in our family, so I'm on the hunt for No-Ad myself. Glad to know Camie found it in the U.S.!
I use Banana Boat Baby Magic. It works well and contains titanium dioxide. The only thing is it's super thick and is sometimes hard to rub in. Is there a difference between sunscreen and sunblock?
We found No-Ad at Wal-Mart in the US.
"Sunblock" is one of the terms that is being questioned in the legal suit...there's no possibly way to block the sun... so basically it's just a term, but they are all sunscreen.
I got the NO-AD and the ingredients don't include any of the three active ingredients you said to look for. What's up with that???
I bought the NO-AD and it doesn't have any of the three ingredients you mention. What's up with that?
That's strange... I don't know what to tell you. I have 2 bottles of different kinds of NO-AD in front of me and they both contain zinc oxide. Always check before you purchase, just in case.
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