Safe Sunscreen
If you aren’t already using mineral sunscreens, you might want to consider making the switch this summer season. Mineral sunscreens protect from the sun by physically blocking UV rays from reaching your skin (hence the white tint that they leave on your skin). Chemical sunscreens, on the other hand, work by chemically absorbing UV rays once they reach your skin. Research has shown that several of these chemicals research have estrogenic effects, potentially disrupting users’ hormone systems. Chemical sunscreens also frequently contain a host of other potentially harmful ingredients, including parabens, phthalate laden chemical fragrances, and urea preservatives.
The Green Guide’s Sunscreen Buyers Guide offers more information about the problems with chemical sunscreens as well as product recommendations for mineral sunscreen (I personally use Alba Botanica Fragrance-Free Mineral Sunscreen, available at Whole Foods). Maybe the white tint that mineral sunscreens leave on your skin isn’t so bad after all…
Another good resource is the Environmental Working Group’s 2009 Safe Sunscreen Guide (updated 7/13/09).
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