Photo by Evil Erin
Environmental Work Group has released its 2011 sunscreen guide. This is EWG’s fifth annual guide, and includes ratings for 1700 sunscreen products.
I’m old enough to remember a time when slathering oneself with baby oil was the “proper” response to a sunny day. Suntan lotions lined the shelves of drug stores, boasting their abilities to attract the sun, not shield from it. But deep-frying dermis to a toasted golden brown eventually fell out of favor like so many other things from my childhood (riding bikes without helmets, driving cars without seat belts) and protecting our skin from overactive cell growth became the thing to do. The era of sunscreen was upon us.
Unfortunately, as it turns out, the chemical cocktail inside those plastic bottles may be doing more harm than good. Check out EWG’s Sunscreen Exposed: 9 Surprising Truths article, which includes this gem: “The common sunscreen ingredient, Vitamin A, may speed the development of cancer.” You can also check EWG’s lists of best beach and sport sunscreens, best lip balms with SPF, best moisturizers with SPF, and best makeups with SPF, or use the search feature to find out how your favorite sunscreen rates (the lower the rating, the better).
And then put on a hat and find a spot in the shade, mkay?
Green Legume 