Hi fellow travelers! I hope you all are exploring! It’s that time of the year when the sun is shining and the sunburns are blazing. I love the sun, but hate slathering sunscreen all over myself, it’s sticky and sometimes can smell funny. But, as a freckled individual I need it like crazy, it also means that as an avid advocate of using safe skin products without harsh chemicals, (mainly because I am allergic), I have to search and search for sun cream that isn’t going to just layer my largest organ, yes, the skin, in chemicals. Well, I hate to break it to you but the majority of mainstream sunscreens have some of these toxic chemicals in them. I have tried over 100 sunscreens in my life and have just used them because I need them to protect my skin, but lately I have found that there are alternatives to these chemical infused creams that I need to survive the sun. Here a few of the chemicals that are just toxic and not necessary for you or your children, and a few brands that I use.

Chemicals are like a foreign language to me, they are so complicated and compounded and no, I did not love chemistry. It seems that the more confusing chemicals in our products become, the less likely people are to actually investigate what they are consuming, it’s just too much work. I happen to have the kind of skin that erupts in anger the minute I put any chemical on it. I get itchy and bumpy and it doesn’t go away for a while. I have even had flaky, itchy red eyelids from makeup that has chemicals in it. It’s gross, so in my mission to stop buying these products I have researched some of the chemicals and why they are just not good for us. Some of the worst culprits are definitely in our sunscreen.

Most sunscreens contain a mixture of Avobenzene, Homosalate , Octisalate and Octocrylene. One of the best sunscreens on the market has these ingredients La Roche-Posay is a highly recommended brand and I have it sitting on my shelf. I use it on my kids because of how loved it is, however, the chemicals in it are not so great for the skin. Now, granted there is a small percentage of these chemicals in the cream, up to 10% and that is what chemists and companies will tell you. In a small amount you may not see the actual negative results of these compounds, but if I am using this product everyday for three months straight, that is a lot of cream going on my skin. I always check these chemicals through a database that provides some insight into how harmful they can be. The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database gives you a number on a scale of 1-10 of how harmful using these products daily can be. They give you an explanation of the chemical and then tell you how it could affect your body when used. http://www.ewg.org

For example, Homosalate is used as a chemical UV filter and gets a score of 4 on the scale, which doesn’t sound like much, but as you read on it defines that it is not used in Japan or Canada and is considered toxic. So, if you combine that with Octisalate which is also classified as a 4 on the scale and considered to be an allergen, plus, add all the other alcohols, chemicals and preservatives that are put into these products to give it shelf life and fragrance, then we are talking about a lot of stuff that shouldn’t go onto our skin, especially on our face. Some other sunscreens that follow suit are Alba Botanica, which is supposed to be an organic and safe brand, I even tried Trader Joe’s Sunscreen because it was given rave reviews. But, Trader Joe’s has Oxybenzone as a main ingredient, at 16% and it gets an 8 on the scale as being very toxic. It’s just so frustrating! How can I put these chemicals all over my children and myself if they are bad for us?

So, the question becomes what sunscreen can I use then? The truth is I am still searching myself. I have used Babyganics sunscreen lotion 30 because it has received a 3 on the EWG scale and a 91% Top allergen Free rating from SkinSAFE which is another database I check for allergens in products http://www.skinsafeproducts.com but it still contains 5% Octisalate. I have been told to use products with Zinc Oxide, which makes the cream thicker and whiter, but my skin still burns. Badger makes a great kids sunscreen without a lot of the chemicals found in other brands, they use mainly Zinc Oxide and it works great on my kids, but I still get burned with it. CeraVe is a 100% Top Allergen Free brand, which is a mineral sunscreen. It’s also recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation which makes it a great buy.

I know it can be shocking to think that our sun protection is mainly chemicals and for the most part they do a good job at preventing burns. But in an effort to protect our skin and our kids from getting extra chemicals, when there are already so many in our food, air and other consumer products like shampoo and lotion, it’s important to realize that you have less toxic options. Check the labels and stay away from these chemical infused sunscreens, there are many great brands out there that won’t hurt your skin and will let you enjoy the sun and surf safely.