Sunscreens

There's a great website from the Environmental Working Group that rates the safety with details of all beauty and body care products. You can search for products to see how they rate. I find it really helpful.

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php

Take care!

A good place to start would be here: http://www.squidoo.com/safe-sunscreen - Safe Sunscreens. There you will find info on the safest and most effective sunscreens available.

Interestingly, a "comprehensive scientific review indicates that 84% of 1,101 sunscreen products offer inadequate protection from the sun, or contain ingredients with significant safety concerns."

I use badger for the whole family, but the california babies is great for babies, too.

hope it helps, and have a fun safe summer!
:)
h

We recently took a trip to Puerto Rico - very sunny! I brought both California Baby and Neutrogena baby stick sunscreen for my 8 month old's face; and used CA Baby lotion for exposed body parts. I found that SPF gear also very helpful - he got very little sun!

For everyone recommending Blue Lizard, you should all go to the website listed in the last posting (sponsored by the Environmental Working Group) and plug in Blue Lizard. This product IS NOT RECOMMENDED, according to this non-profit research group. It contains parabens and a host of other chemicals. (Check the label!). It is a shame that parents who want to protect their children from the dangers of over-exposure to the sun, then have to worry about chemicals in their sunscreen. Please go to http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/browse.php?category=baby... for a listing of SAFE AND EFFECTIVE baby sunscreens.

Hi Jenn,
All Arbonne sunscreen products have what you need in them AND what you DON'T. There is a ABC sunscreen spf 30 $22 (20% less with preferred client account). We also have a fantastic anti-aging suncare line. The best part about being a preferred client...access to the website with product knowledge and ingredients list for every product.

Please contact me with any questions, I can also email you the product ingredient list if you like. http://www.kellymcinnis.myarbonne.com

Sincerely,
K.
###-###-####
____@____.com

I love the Arbonne sun screen. I used it on my daughter last year and she never burnt, even when we spent the week at the beach. I plan on using it again this summer. It's natural and I love the hint of citrus smell it has. Good luck choosing since you got soo many responses :)

Blue Lizard Sunscreen!!

Hi Jen,
I use California Baby SPF 30 on my daughter. You can find it at Target or Babies R Us. A little on the pricey side but worth the protection from the sun.

I like that it has NO FRAGRANCE and that it is dairy, soy, oat, nut and gluten free. No PABA and Antioxidant FREE.

I LOVE this product and I am sure you will too!

Happy Spring!
T.

California Baby is a wonderful brand

Hi Jenn,

I love Blue Lizard sunscreen. It is chemical/PABA free and contains zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. You can get it online as well as in some stores. I had to really look around for it but eventually found it in the supermarket Price Chopper. Works really well and is great for sensitive skin.

Good luck!

J.

My son has eczema and the only sunscreen I found that he doesn't get a reation from is Aveeno (like the regular lotion only with sunscreen)It's also 55 SPF- Good Luck!

All of these suggestions are lovely.
But please just go to http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/special/sunscreens2008/f...
They test all products, and do a great job with sunscreens. They will give you a definition of all ingredients, what each is used for and how safe it is. They can really help translate those chemical names.
They rate each product according to the safety of it's ingredients and rate them on a safety scale to make it super easy to find the safest sunscreen product for your child.
They are truly an amazing organization!
And just for information's sake... The Arbonne Save Face and Body SPF 15 is rated a 7 out of 10- with a 1 being the safest. It contains Oxybenzone which is a pretty nasty chemical and should never be applied to a child. It also contains several other dangerous ingredients.
Check out the list and you'll feel better about your decision. I check it each spring and buy several of whatever they rate as the safest product.
-S.

skindeep.com gives you the low-down! check it out.
E.:-)

I like Dr Haushka-all natural

i use jason/earth's best sunscreen or you could try california baby

Hi Jenn,

I use California Baby® No Fragrance SPF 30+ Sunscreen Lotion on my daughter. It's pricey, but organic and the peace of mind alone is worth it. She's very fair skinned and has never burned. I love it! Good luck!

I love using Sun Shades from Melaleuca. It contains zinc oxide which is proven in studies to be the best protection from the sun. Also, Melaleuca's sunscreen does not contain PABA or Quanterium-15, which is formaldehyde.

Also, sunscreen and deet do not mix. It's very dangerous. I also have some great and safe recipes for repellents using other safe household products that they offer.

Hi, my daughter is 2 years old now and has very sensitive skin (ezcema, etc..) and last year worked great Blue Lizard Baby. It is not waterproof but I love it. good luck

There are VERY few safe sunscreens. Badger is one of them. Check www.cosmeticsdatabase.com (or maybe .org?) to see the safety ratings for all of them!

I used Blue Lizard Sensitive on my then six month old son when we went to FL. It worked just fine. I found it at CVS. They also make a formula for Baby, but I only found that online and I needed it asap. Good luck in your search.

Hi Jenn,

I run a business out of my home selling an AMAZING line of Arbonne skincare and health and wellness products. The products are Swiss based and have no chemicals, fragrances or dyes used. That being said, we have a baby sunscreen that is spf 30+ and its great! I have two boys (4 1/2 and almost 2 year old). I use the sunscreen on them and it works really well. It's not greasy, but it's thick enough that it stays on even when they sweat or get wet. There are no parabens in it either--which is huge, because most suncsreens have them (a lot of kids are allergic to them). Please let me know if you'd like to get some and/or have any other questions on it. You can contact me at: ###-###-#### or email: ____@____.com. There is also a 45 day money back guarantee if you're not satisfied! I look forward to hearing from you :) Best, L.

I use the website http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/index.php a lot to determine what to purchase for sunscreen, bugspray, skin care, etc. Last year I bought the Blue Lizard sunscreen online for my son, but now it seems to be very expensive, so I may look into getting something else that isn't as expensive but the same lower number on the scale on the website. I hope you find what works for you.

Neutrogena Kids formula or Sensitive Skin formula (same product, different packaging). Both are SPF 60 and contain zinc oxide and titanium dioxide and work very well. Our entire family uses this because it is a healthier sunscreen.

I also recommend blue lizard. Made in Australia where they are much better about sun protection, also recommended by my dermatologist. It's the only thing that keeps me from getting sun poisoning. It's a little more expensive, but not as pricey as the organic lines. I do find it a little greasy, so in my mind it's worth the investment to also get a tube of the special "face" stuff which is much lighter. I use it on my kids faces too.

As long as it is tear free you should be fine. Waterproof can have a really gross feel to it - I prefer to just put it on again after water exposure. If you are looking for something really nice you might look for Arbonne - they have good products - I noticed there is an ad for it on this website...

Blue Lizard works great and they make one for kids. It has zinc and titanium and it is what we recommend for parents to use on their kids as well as themselves. I work in dermatology and love it!

My daughter is very sensitive to the chemicals in sunscreens and we too spent a lot of money trying to find one that offered good protection and didn't not cause her to get a painful, itchy rash. The best we found was Neutrogena Sensitive Skin. The only protectants in it are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. The one downside is that it is not waterproof. However, I found that as long as I applied it at least 20 minutes or so before she went in the water, it did not seem to wash off. If we apply it right before going in, you could see the white streaks runnig down your legs and arms where it was coming off!

I asked my dermatologist for some recommendations for this summer because she is going off to day camp and will be outside and in the pool a lot and I wanted to get a waterproof version. Unfortunately, there are none available that are waterproof and only contain the zinc and titanium.

california baby, jason(earths best), weleda, alba...These are some of the cleanest lines. check out whole foods for more ideas.

I agree: Blue Lizard Chemical-Free. We went around and around with my daughter who has sensitive skin; I think I spent hundreds of dollars on different sunscreens, trying to find one that works. You may also like Mustela SPF 50, but it is rather expensive and very creamy, so it was not a good choice for my daughter's brown skin as it created a dry white residue on her...and was detrimental to our wallet. :)

Hello Jenn
im not sure how old your kids are but if you do have younger kids
I really love Banana Boat its the only sunscreen I will buy for my 19 month old son they have all kinds of sunscreen products for all ages plus they
are tear-free hypoallergenic protection for babies
it also contains titanium dioxide, also its recommended for babys sensitive skin for a broad spectrum UVa and UVB protection
its frangerence free
PABA free
pediatrician tested and is a mild water to babys skin so
it is alos spf 50 and works wonders on my son who us really pale and has sensitive skinlike me and he doesnt really burn he tans but I wont take that chance so
there are all the ingredients and recommendations for a safe sunscreen for your kids
good luck and I hope that you find a good sunscreen for your kids....

I love the "No Ad" products - usually available at WalMart and often other places (sometimes CVS, sometimes Market Basket)and reasonably priced compared to most - BUT you have to read the label - only certain ones have the zinc oxide or titanium dioxide (the No Ads that have Disney characters on the labels are usually good). For sprays - the Coppertone ones usually have the right ingredients - but again, read the labels because some do and some don't. But I find the sprays are very expensive if you'll be using it every day.