Popular suncreens not all created equal: report
In the spirit of keeping us safe and burn-free this summer, the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention designated last Friday as Don’t Fry Day.
But, before you pile on your favourite goop, have a look at the Environmental Working Group's shrill but well meaning site.
The EWG has just released its annual list of sunscreen rankings, warning again about the bulk of sunscreens “filled with problematic ingredients, unsubstantiated marketing claims and lackluster protection.’’
According to the EWG, only a small number of the hundreds of sunscreens on the market actually protect us like they should. The group claims that only about one in five sunscreens passes muster for safety and efficacy.
And, for the worst of the worst, check out the EWG’s Hall of Shame.
When choosing a sunscreen, the group suggests stearing clear of of oxybenzone and retinyl palmitate (sometimes listed as vitamin A), choosing creams over sprays, and for sun protection, wearing sunglasses, hats, and protective clothing. Duh ....
The EWG also found that most people don’t apply enough sunscreen, thereby lessening the effectiveness greatly. They recommend buying a lower SPF to avoid the chemical load and making sure you slop on a lot of it.
Do you have a favourite brand? Did it make the list? Or are you more inclined to pick up whatever you can find on sale?
By Gordon Powers, MSN Money
* Follow Gordon on Twitter here.
Posted by: 10Cents | Jun 2, 2021 7:19:07 AM
Normally I'd value this kind of information but it's a little disconcerting that with a couple of exceptions, their top picks have a Data availability rating (the scope of ingredient safety data contained in PRODUCT NAME and the number of studies available in the open scientific literature) ratings are all LIMITED which is the second lowest rating to NONE.
And it's a US organization rating US products - or so it would seem? Further - most of their top picks - I've never heard of!
Posted by: Roskay | Jun 4, 2021 5:37:37 PM
For someone who has chemical sensitivities, the EWG is a Godsend for me. Those drugstore brand sunscreens make me break out horribly! I love Badger brand face stick in SPF 30 with 22.5% zinc oxide as I don't break out from it. Downside is that you need to take a bit more time applying it as spreads abit like peanut butter. When that runs out though I will be trying the Loving Naturals brand with 24.8% zinc oxide as it has received excellent reviews, apparently it is a very good product.