As the sun finally shows itself here in Portland, the season for sunscreen begins! To maintain vitamin D levels it is important to get some sun on bare skin for 15-30 minutes everyday, but any extra exposure warrants the use of sunscreen.
When it comes to sun protection, did you know that most sunscreen on the market is ineffective and harmful to your health?
This is because sunscreen in the US is basically unregulated. There were “voluntary” regulations for companies created in 1999 and proposed rules for UVA protection announced in 2007 but never enacted. In other words, that SPF rating on your drugstore sunscreen is likely a lot less than what it boasts.
The most harmful rays when it comes to skin cancer and aging are UVA rays and unfortunately the SPF you’re choosing only applies to your glop’s protection from UVB rays. Many of them don’t even touch UVA rays, leaving you uncovered and still exposed to the most dangerous part of sunshine.
With the hormone disruptors and other toxic compounds found in chemical sunscreens plus the risk for accumulative toxicity associated with nano-particals, picking a sunscreen can become a daunting task! You want to protect your health, hence you’re buying sunscreen, but you may be damaging your health in the process. What is the average person to do?!
Well there’s good news! There are brands out there that are free of hormone disruptors while still providing high levels of UVA protection. So when you slather up, stick to these top 5 lines:
1. UV Natural (the absolute best for efficacy and safety)
2. Kabana
3. Soleo Organics
4. Purple Prairie Botanicals
5. Badger
In addition to these brands, The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has independently tested sunscreens for chemicals and efficacy, coming out with a list of the least toxic and most effective. For the complete list of all the best individual sunscreens, check out EWG’s website link above!
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