It seems like there’s a headline every week about sunscreen – what to use, how much, what to avoid. With summer here, that means more outdoors time, swimming….and (for those of us with small children), LOTS of time spent wrestling them to put on sunscreen.
Here’s all you need to know:
- What’s a “Chemical” sunscreen, vs “Mineral”?
- “Chemical”sunscreens – Avobenzone, Oxybenzone, Octinoxate, Homosalate, etc. These are the chemicals that have been found in the bloodstream after regular use
- “Mineral” sunscreens – Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide. These sit on the skin and aren’t absorbed into the body.
- What’s “Non-Nano”? Should you look for it?
- You can get mineral sunscreens in newer nanoparticle formulations (which are created to be smoother and less chalky-white), or in non-nanoparticle. Some studies suggest that the nanoparticles are more likely to be absorbed into the skin, while others have shown no absorption beyond the deeper skin layers. Again, I err on the cautious side here and opt for non-nano, even if it’s maybe just a teensy bit less smooth, because I’ve been satisfied with the non-nano options.
- How often do you need to re-apply?
- It’s easy to “set it and forget it”- but sunscreen loses its efficacy around 80-90 minutes (for the water and sweat-resistant ones).
- What do I use – for myself and my family?
- Physical blockers:
- As much as possible, opt for physical blockers (clothing, etc), which mean less sunscreen (and also less re-application of sunscreen). That can include a hat, swim shirts with UPF, full arm and leg coverage for the baby, and even a small shade / umbrella for the baby.
- Look for clothing with UPF, which denotes how much protection it offers against UV rays.
- Sunscreens:
- In general, as much as possible – especially for my children – I opt for sunscreen where the active ingredients are zinc oxide and Titanium Dioxide, which are the two noted by the FDA as “generally recognized as safe and effective”.
- Sunscreens For Me – (again, I have no relation with any of these brands – just ones that I like / approve of their ingredients)
- Sunscreens For Kiddos
- Babo botanicals Baby Face Mineral Stick
- Thinkbaby SPF 50 (zinc oxide 20%)
- Blue Lizard Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen
- For more great options for babies and kids, check out the EWG guide.
- Physical blockers:
CAUTION – Careful buying on Amazon/Ebay/3rd-party sellers – While it’s *really* easy to purchase from Amazon or Ebay, I avoid it Ebay, and only purchase on Amazon from the verifed brand’s “store”. I’ve done segments on CNN on discoveries that some sellers are selling counterfeit or expired products .
