ABOUT
Smart discussion of the latest science and news on toxins in your food, water, and air, and what government agencies should be doing to protect public health. Written by EWG staff.
DONATE TO EWG!
Help us protect your health and environment! Please donate $5 to EWG today.
GET EWG'S TIPS & ACTION ALERTS
Sign Up here to receive email updates and tips from EWG and stay informed on the issues that matter most to you.
ENVIROBLOG VIA EMAIL
Join EWG's live chat with Chef Ann Cooper
School lunch: More fruits & veggies, please!
Texas Schools are Drilling for Dollars
Why do blowouts take so long to fix?
SEARCH ENVIROBLOG
FEATURED
Support the 2010 Safe Cosmetics Act. It's Urgent.
Why, oh why is there plastic in my aluminum water bottle?
Cell phone radiation series - Part 2: 8 Ways to reduce your exposure
Test Your Knowledge of Cosmetics Safety: 8 Myths Debunked
EWG's Tips for Parents: The Series
EWG's Tips to avoid BPA exposure
EWG on TV
Cutting the Pork from U.S. Farm Bill
Sunscreen safety & DC drinking water
Perchlorate in people, kids' personal care products & plastics, and sunscreen
BPA in baby formula & safe cosmetics
What can I do about fluoride in my water?
What is new carpet treated with? What can I do?
Are stainless steel water bottles safe?
Is mineral-based makeup safer?
PEOPLE TALKING TOXICS
TALK TO US
Did we miss something? Email Enviroblog.
« Fracking: Live chat with EWG & 'Gasland' director Josh Fox | Main | You could (almost) eat this furniture »
Is your sunscreen in EWG's Sunscreen Hall of Shame?
When it comes to protecting yourself from the sun, it's easy to go wrong. To help you go right, instead, we whipped up a list of the really bad actors because sometimes, knowing what's on the "avoid" list is a good way to land a safer product.
To that end, here are some prime examples of products that typify what's wrong with the sun protection business - and remember, don't buy them - or their marketing claims:
1. Banana Boat Baby Max Protect, SPF = 100
Sky-high SPF protects against sunburn but leaves skin exposed to damaging UVA rays.
One of at least 79 sunscreens on the market this year with high SPFs (greater than "SPF 50+"), this product protects babies from UVB radiation and the sunburns it causes but leaves them exposed to UVA radiation that penetrates deep into the skin. UVA is known to accelerate skin aging and cause skin cancer (IARC 2009).
A standard industry sunscreen model estimates that the actual UVA protection factor for this sunscreen is only 9.3 - a far cry from 100 (BASF 2010). The best possible UVA protection in U.S. sunscreen lotions is currently about 20 (BASF 2010). Sunscreen makers are waiting for the FDA to decide whether to approve a wider selection of chemicals that could help boost UVA protection. In the meantime, high-SPF products may tempt people to stay in the sun too long, suppressing sunburns but upping the risks of other kinds of skin damage. EWG recommends that consumers avoid products labeled with anything higher than "SPF 50+" and reapply sunscreen often, regardless of SPF.
2. iS Clinical SPF 20 Powder & Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral Powder SPF 30
Loose powder sunscreens can enter the airways and may move from the lungs to the bloodstream. Health concerns include cancer and tissue damage.
These sunscreens are in a loose powder form. The particles of zinc and titanium they contain can offer strong UV protection for the skin, but they end up in the lungs, too, inhaled from a cloud of airborne particles with each use. There, they can cause damage. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies inhaled titanium dioxide as "possibly carcinogenic to humans," based on studies of rats and of people who work in dusty environments (IARC 2006).
Once in the lungs, the minerals may move into the bloodstream and throughout the body. In 2008 a research group based in China reported that nanoscale titanium dioxide like that used in many sunscreens can accumulate in the brain and cause lesions and other tissue damage (Wang 2008). Nano and micronized zinc oxide cause lung inflammation (Sayes 2007).
The bottom line? Sunscreen belongs on your skin, not in your lungs. EWG recommends that people stick to creams and avoid powders, pumps and sprays.
3. Hawaiian Tropic Baby Creme Lotion SPF 50
"Advanced UVA protection"? Not so much. Many U.S. sunscreens claim to provide "broad spectrum" protection that blocks both UVA and UVB rays, but the reality is that they don't. Hawaiian Tropic Baby Creme Lotion SPF 50 lists "Advanced UVA protection" on its website and "UVB/SPF with UVA" on its label. But it would earn only 1 star in FDA's proposed 4 star UVA labeling scheme, according to EWG analysis using a standard industry sunscreen model.
Hawaiian Tropic is not required to back up its claim of "advanced UVA protection," and the fact is that no currently available sunscreen chemical has been shown to block UVA rays effectively. Regulations in Japan and Australia prohibit making such claims altogether for products that provide such weak UVA protection (Diffey 2009), but there is no such restriction in the U.S.
Based on a review of partial label information published by online retailers, EWG researchers identified 218 beach sunscreens that claim "broad spectrum" or "full spectrum" protection for 2010. Many would garner only "low" or "medium" UVA protection in FDA's proposed labeling system.
4. Aveeno Baby Continuous Protection SPF 55
"Mild as water." Sure it is. Can a product be "mild as water to the skin" if the label warns to "Stop use and ask a doctor if rash or irritation develops and lasts"? And certainly when swallowed this product is nothing like water: "Keep out of reach of children" and "get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away," reads the warning label.
5. Anthony Logistics for Men Sunstick SPF 15
Safe for eyes? Not really. This product's directions tell users to "Apply to eye area," but the warnings advise: "Keep out of eyes."
Since there are no regulations to ensure it, you would hope that common sense would lead sunscreen makers to formulate products for use around the eyes that are actually safe for the eyes. No such luck!
Tip for consumers: Wear sunglasses and keep sunscreen (including from sprays) out of your eyes.
6. Panama Jack Naturals Baby Sunblock SPF 50
Potential hormone disruptor in baby sunblock. Panama Jack advises users of this baby product to "apply liberally."
Scientists who have researched a key sunscreen chemical in this sunblock, the potential hormone disruptor oxybenzone, advise the opposite: "It would be prudent not to apply oxybenzone to large surface areas of skin for extended and repeated periods of time, unless no alternative protection is available. There may be an additional concern for young children who have less well developed processes of elimination, and have a larger surface area per body weight than adults, with respect to systemic availability of a topically applied dose" (Hayden 1997).
This Panama Jack sunscreen is one of at least 26 sunscreens offered in the 2010 season with the word "baby" in their name and the chemical oxybenzone on their ingredient list. EWG advises consumers to avoid sunscreens containing oxybenzone. Plenty of safer products are available.
Oxybenzone is readily absorbed through the skin; government studies have detected the compound in 97 percent of the population (Calafat 2008). In rodents, it mimics estrogen and increases the weight of the uterus (Schlumpf 2004). In people, higher maternal exposures to oxybenzone have been linked to decreased birth weight in girls (Wolff 2008).
One more thing: This so-called "natural" sunscreen contains at least ten compounds that do not occur in nature. Most are made from petroleum.
7. Banana Boat Ultra Defense Sunscreen Stick SPF 50
"It doesn't break down," says the manufacturer of the Banana Boat sunscreen stick. Maybe it doesn't break down, but it also doesn't last forever.
You might think one coat would do you for a whole day. Not so. Even though sunscreen makers like Banana Boat often use stabilizing additives to keep their ingredients from breaking down in sunlight, the product still doesn't last forever on the skin. Sunscreens wash off in water and rub off on clothes and towels.
Tip for sunscreen users: Some sunscreen chemicals break down in the sun. They also wash off in water and rub off on towels and clothes - reapply them as directed.
8. Baby Blanket Tender Scalps Scalp Sunscreen Spray for Babies SPF 45+
"Instantly provides 45 times your babies' natural protection," claims the manufacturer. More like: Instant protection from sunburn, instant exposure to UVA rays.
While that may be true for UVB rays and the red burns and blisters they cause, it's not the case for UVA. This product would earn only one of four stars for UVA protection in FDA's proposed rating system, according to EWG's analysis. Your baby's scalp may not get burned, but UVA rays could instantly penetrate deeply and cause skin damage and trigger cancer later in life. At least 18 other products EWG assessed claim "instant" or "immediate" protection.
If your sunscreen made it into our 2010 Hall of Shame, go ahead and find a better one by searching our online database.
« Fracking: Live chat with EWG & 'Gasland' director Josh Fox |
Hmm.. this article seems interesting! I always thought that the higher the SPF, the more they will protect us safely from the harmful rays of the sun. But I'm proud in saying that no matter what, babies should not use any of this creams until a certain age. Thanks for the heads up.
How depressing that the prestigious American Academy of Dermatology Seal of Recognition (which only names 5 sunblocks) has a sunblock for BABIES listed in the hall of shame...=-(
For more info about SPF, and what it does and doesn't do, check out our blog post about it: http://bit.ly/bKsnS2. In short, SPF tells you how much UVB protection you're getting - so your skin doesn't burn. What it doesn't tell you is how much UVA protection you're getting, which prevents other types of skin damage. People need both kinds of protection to be safe in the sun.
I would be interested in having Arbonne's sunblocks reviewed.
The products are all botanically based and there is full disclosure on the ingredients. They are dermatologist tested NOT just recommended and are also all tested to zero irritation which is beyond the hypoallergenic requirements.
I just ordered some Neutrogena pure&free baby sunblock lotion. So far I don't have a rash, most sunblocks really irritate my skin. I did a bit of research before I picked it but now I'll have to dig a little deeper to make sure it's ok. Dies anyone else know about this product?
Coppertone has just topped the list of false advertisers with its blitz of media indicating that it is waterproof and over 55 SPF's.
A lawsuit is being filed by my firm to require Walmart to remove Coppertone from its California stores.
A blog will be set up to follow the progress of the case, and anyone with Schiering-Plough who knows about the decision to falsely advertise and pay off the lawsuits should send an anonymous email to my email above FordGil@gmail.com
Ford Gilbert
Attorney at Law
Cannot use any sunscreeners containing Avo-Benzene my body gets covered in hives, I use baby Neutrogena it's the only thing that works for me. I have been in the sun and to the beach without even getting red, which is so hard for me, even though I am a brunette my skin is very white and has been burnt many times despite always using sunscreeners.
Thank you for the valuable information. After reading about safe sunscreen, I must have thrown out $60 worth of products. I was shocked to find that the two Eucerin products I use on my face - Q10 Anti Wrinkle Sensitive Skin Lotion SPF15 and Sensitive Skin Everyday Protection Face Lotion SPF30 are rated a 5 and 6 both with high health concerns and one containing Oxybenzone. The kicker is that both bottles have a "Recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation" label!!! Yikes!!!
One never knows who to believe! Thanks again for all the detail on the subject. Much Appreciated.