You have been told to wear sunscreen to protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun. You have been told that if you don’t where sunscreen you are increasing your risk of sun damage and the most deadly form of skin cancer, melanoma.
Did you know that the sunscreen you are using may actually be full of toxins?
As you head out for fun in the sun this summer stop and look at what ingredients your sunscreen actually contains. Every year the Environmental Working Group (EWG) puts out an annual guide on sunscreen. They usually release this guide in early July.
Last year the EWG published a report on the 11 worst sunscreens for children. There are several top brands on this list that may shock you. The EWG pointed out that it is important to avoid products that contain Oxybenzone, a hormone disrupting ingredient and Retinyl palmitate that can actually trigger skin damage on sun-exposed skin.
The EWG also advises against using spray on sunscreens, and those with a SPFs above 50. As far back as 2011 the EWG warned that many of the popular sunscreen products available may actually be speeding up the rates of malignant cells develop and spread skin cancer due to the Retinyl palmitate they contain! In fact, as far back as the year 2000, the FDA that this ingredient is toxic and carcinogenic. Do you really want to be putting this on you or your family’s skin? I know I don’t.
Should you not where sunscreen then?
There are benefits to exposing your skin to the sun. The most important of which is getting vitamin D exposure from the sun. Vitamin D is very important to your overall health. There are numerous studies that back this up. Vitamin D is actually a pro-hormone that can affect thousands of genes and how cells function. Exposing your skin to the sun as little as 15 minutes three days a week will offer your body a good amount of Vitamin D. Getting more than 15 minutes of sun exposure and you likely need to then put on a safe all natural sunscreen in order to avoid sunburn damage to the skin.
So where can you find a safe sunscreen that does not contain the harmful toxic ingredients the EWG warns about? I would high recommend Beautycounter’s sunscreen. Is is not only safe, but received the highest safety rating by EWG. Beautycounter is committed to getting safe non-toxic skincare products into the hands of everyone. Full disclosure, I am a consultant for Beautycounter. They are committed to your safety and are on a mission to increase awareness of the hundreds of toxic, hormone disrupting chemicals in your skincare and provide you with a safer alternative.
Start off your summer with a safe sunscreen that is not putting you or your family’s health at risk.
Resources:
http://www.beautycounter.com/lauradankof
Seeds 4 Change: A Path to Health and Healing
http://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2015/05/11-worst-sunscreens-kids
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