����APP

Photo:

Memorial Day Weekend is just around the corner, and that means backyard barbeques and trips to the beach. As you gear up to head outside, remember to take sunburn precautions. Nothing spoils the holiday fun like red, blistered, painful skin. 

A few tips from the EPA and FDA. Limit your time in the sun, especially from 10-2 when UV rays are strongest. Cover up whenever possible. Use water resistant sunscreen when swimming or exerting yourself. And this one is key: REAPPLY. Specifically, the :

Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF rating of 15 or higher. Apply sunscreen 20 minutes before going out into the sun (or as directed by the manufacturer) to give it time to absorb into your skin. Apply it generously and regularly—about 1 ounce every 2 hours—and more often if you are swimming or perspiring.

As for choosing a sunscreen, once again the folks at the Environmental Working Group have done the heavy lifting. Their 184 top-rated beach and sport sunscreens are below; on you’ll find lots more info and ratings for many, many more products—including , , and with SPF—as well as their free .  

Before the good stuff, here are from EWG:

1. No spray sunscreens: It’s easy to miss spots, and there are concerns about inhaling the product.
2. No super-high SPFs: They give a false sense of security, which can lead to fewer re-applications, which increases risk of exposure to damaging UVA rays. Avoid anything higher than SPF 50+.
3. No oxybenzone: A UV-filter, this chemical is an that —more research is needed.
4. No loose powder sunscreens: These often contain zinc or titanium, which can be harmful if inhaled.
5. No retinyl palmitate: Studies show that on sun-exposed skin, this form of Vitamin A may speed development of skin tumors and lesions.
6. No combined sunscreen/bug repellents: There’s some evidence that combining sunscreens and repellents leads to increased skin absorption of the repellent ingredients.
7. No sunscreen towelettes: It’s questionable whether these products result in enough sunscreen on your skin to ensure protection.
8. No tanning oils: EWG says, “Tanning oils are simply a bad idea. They promote risky behavior, encouraging users seek out intense sunshine that results in skin damage and increased risk of developing skin cancer.”

Now, on to the . All earned a ‘1’ or a ‘2’ from EWG, which scores products on a on a scale of 1 to 10: 0-2 is low hazard; 3-6 is moderate hazard; 7-10 is high hazard.
 

Absolutely Natural

Alba Botanica

All Terrain

ARCONA

Aubrey Organics

Ava Anderson Non Toxic

Aveeno

Babo Botanicals

BabyGanics

Badger

BALM! Baby

Beauty Without Cruelty

Beyond Coastal

Blue Lizard

BurnOut

Burt’s Bees

Butterbean

California Baby

Celadon Road

Celtic Complexion

CeraVe

Climb On!

Consonant Skincare

COOLA

Coppertone

Coral Safe

CVS

Daisy Blue Naturals

Dolphin Organics

Dr. Robin for Kids

ECO Logical Skin Care

Elementary Herbs

EltaMD

Episencial

Fallene

Goddess Garden

Green Babies

Green Screen

HeadHunter

Healing-Scents

Jason Natural Cosmetics

Jersey Kids

Jersey Shore Sun

John Masters Organics

KINeSYS

Kiss My Face

La Roche-Posay

Lavanila Laboratories

Lemongrass Spa

Marie Veronique Organics