All You Need to Know About Safe Sunscreens

Disclosure: I received sample sunscreen from Block Island Organics. All opinions are my own.

Each year, at the end of May and beginning of June, I start thinking about sunscreens. Particularly safe sunscreens.

My family doesn’t use sunscreen often – but when we do, I want it to be safe.

For some reason, it’s easy for me to remember the two ingredients I need to avoid in sunscreen:

• Oxybenzone, and
• Retinyl Palmitate.

(It’s not always so easy for me to remember what’s dangerous in other personal care products.)

If I notice that a sunscreen contains oxybenzone  or retinyl palmitate, I keep looking for a different variety. And when I’m given free lip balm samples that contain sunscreen – and those products – I toss them in the trash.

Favorite brands

In the past, my favorite brand of sunscreen has been Badger. I love the effectiveness, the scent and the safe ingredients.

This year I’m trying out Block Island Sunscreen.

You can too! For the next week, Accidentally Green readers can get 20% off all products purchased through their Block Island Organics website. Simply add the code hilaryb.

Block Island Sunscreen is organic – it doesn’t contain parabens, phthalates, or nano-particles.

Like other organic sunscreens, it’s thick and very white when you apply it. I happen to like to see the thick white sunscreen so I know where I’ve applied it on my children. Once I know their bare skin is covered, then I rub the sunscreen in and the whiteness disappears.

2014 Guide to Sunscreens

Block Island Organics and Badger sunscreens are two of the safe, recommended brands listed on the Environmental Working Group’s 2014 Guide to Sunscreens.

I love this list. Only 149 sunscreens made the cut this year – I’m always certain to base my sunscreen purchases based on these recommendations.

Sunscreen help

If you’re confused about sunscreens – What do they do? What don’t they do? Why should you apply them? Why shouldn’t you apply them? – check out my past posts:

• What Do Sunscreens Do?
• Sunscreen Surprises
•  Two Ingredients Make Sunscreen Dangerous
•  Avoid Two Ingredients in Sunscreen
• My Own Sunscreen Story

How do you decide which safe sunscreens to use?

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Hilary Kimes Bernstein

Hilary Kimes Bernstein is a Christ follower, wife, mama, and journalist. She writes about making healthy decisions that honor God and happen to help the environment at Accidentally Green. Short and sweet - like her writing - Hilary is the author of several healthy living eBooks.

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