Slap it on
Filed Under Stuff, Tips & Tricks | May 21, 2008
As this past weekend has shown us, we need to be ready with pretty much everything from sunscreen to slickers weather-wise. And just like lead paint on toys and BPA in baby bottles, it now turns out that not all sunscreens are created equal. Some are safer than others.
While protection from the sun is important for kids, many sunscreens contain a lot of chemicals that don’t do great things when they’re absorbed into children’s (or adult’s) bodies. Rather than focus on all of the potentially scary things in sunscreen, we’ve done some research on what you do want your sunscreen to contain and we have some recommendations for safer sunscreen (and sun safety) options.
As a rule, sunscreens containing zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are better choices as they reflect the sun’s rays, rather than absorbing them. The Environmental Working Group’s Sunscreen Summary has cross-referenced hazardous products with sunscreen efficacy to come up with a recommended list of sunscreens. Of those on their recommended list, not all are available in Canada, but these are the top three than rank highest on their list and are (relatively) easy to find locally:
Badger SPF 30 Sunscreen: So far this highly-rated product is only available locally at Capers on Cambie.
Lavera Sun Block Neutral SPF 40: You’ll find Lavera Sunscreen at Capers and Whole Foods locations.
KINeSYS Kids Sunscreen Spray with Parasol 1789, SPF 30+: Widely available at drugstores and grocery stores, Costco is the place to snap up this sunscreen for a great price.
While safety’s important, so is picking a sunscreen you’ll actually use. If you prefer creamy formulations then you’ll like the Badger or Lavera products, but if you prefer a spray, then KINeSYS is great.
Of course, sunscreen’s not your only sun safe option. Wearing sunglasses and wide-brimmed hats is important, as is keeping kids out of direct sunlight between 11 am and 4 pm – which can be easier said than done, and donning sun protective clothing like products from NOZONE. It’s important to remember than babies younger than six months should not wear sunscreen and they should also be kept out of direct sunlight.
For all the details of the Environmental Working Group’s study click here. For more sun saftey info visit The Canadian Pediatric Society’s handy overview on Sun Safety for Kids and the Canadian Cancer Society’s extensive sun safety info for the whole family, and we love the Children’s Hospital Safety Station for both the info and products they provide.
And, of course, the best thing you can do is lead by example and slap on the sunscreen and slip on a hat and sunglasses yourself.
13 Responses to “Slap it on”
Leave a Comment
Let us know what you think or share your great finds with us so we can share them with other Vancouver mothers!
And here’s just one reason we love our readers so…not only have some of you made your own sunscreen suggestions in our Facebook Group, but reader Elizabeth Nider (of Fit For Two in Richmond fame) heard from us that Badger was only available in 15 SPF at Capers, so rather than languish without, she had her husband, a pharmacist, order some for his pharmacy. So now Marks Pharmacy on Oak has 5 Badger SPF 30s & 2 Badger SPF 15s. And if they sell out it’s easy & fast for them to get more. Yeah!
Marks Pharmacy
3750 Oak Street
(604) 731-8535
http://mpphealth.com/locationoak.cfm (note the sunscreen isn’t on their website yet)
thank you for sharing this piece. I’m in hunt of safe sunscreen for my baby.
just give you a tip: I found Lavera Sun Block Neutral SPF 40 is available by Rexall drug store in Downtown Vancouver Royal centre.
Organically Hatched carries Badger and KINeSYS SPF 30 sunscreen as well. Shipping is free in North America for orders $100 and more.
http://www.organicallyhatched.com
[...] Daisy! products are available locally online through Organically Hatched – also a great source of Badger Sunscreen – and in person at Beautymark. Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites [...]
[...] stars. They also often seem to take us to places where bugs are more plentiful. But bug spray, like sunscreen, isn’t always full of good [...]
[...] TruKid all natural skin care for kids made it onto our radar when we were researching our safer sunscreen column because their SunnyDays Face & Body Stick was highly ranked for safety and efficacy by the [...]
Thanks AnneMarie. It’s approaching summer ’09 now and I was looking all over for Badger. No-one carries this- not even Capers anymore. I stumbled upon your recommendation and called Mark’s Pharmacy. Because I live in Burnaby and dread commuting into Vancouver- I asked them if I could order this. I placed my order for two bottles of the SPF 30 over the phone and for a minimal charge extra in shipping, should get it in a few days. I am very happy that I have finally tracked this product down locally, but I have to ask a bigger question: Why is it so hard to find healthy options for our families? I went to Choices and bought a sunscreen, which turned out to be rated a hazard of 7. I returned it, but got even more frustrated as I had hoped Choices would have done their homework. Anyway- lesson learned. Thanks for the great recommendation!
[...] tops our gotta have list. Last year we covered some of the safer brands, and this year we were excited to find that Australian-made Soléo Sunscreen, which gets the [...]
FYI…the last time I was in Drive Organics (on Commercial Drive) I noticed they carried Badger Sunscreen.
KINeSYS is at MEC as well. We have used it for the last few years and find that it is the only sunscreen that doesn’t stay greasy.
I agree with Miriam – Drive Organics is excellent. The owner swears he will not carry anything he has not researched and that he would not use on his own family. btw, I took the leap and their organic home hair color is awesome (I’m a dishwater blond who uses the lightest formula to go more gold) and has saved me so much money on highlights so I can afford these sunscreens and other organic food products for the kids!
I just spoke with Drive Organics store on Commercial Drive and they carry Soleo Organics and Badger sunscreen brands!! This is great news indeed.
I found out that http://www.greenbumbum.com carries Badger SPF 30 sunscreen and they offer free shipping as well.
So if you don’t live in Vancouver or don’t want to drive to a store to buy the Badger sunscreen, you can simply order it on line and get it shipped to your home. In my case, it arrived the next day!