Top Rated Sunscreens: But Do They Leave You Looking Like a Ghost?

Here is a wildly incomplete list of sunscreens rated Best (ranking of 1) from the Environmental Working Group's 800+ product review APP, Sunscreens 2012. Visit us at facebook to give your review of one of the top rated sunscreens. Now that EWG has done the work on what's safe and effective, iwellville is desperate to find one from the list that doesn't have so much mineral block that it turns you white as a ghost. 

Among EWG's Top Rated Sunscreens

Aubrey Organics - Natural Sun Green Tea SPF 30+

Aubrey Organics - Natural Sun Sports Stick Unscented SPF 30+

Badger - Broad Spectrum Sport SPF 35

California Baby - Everyday Year-round Stick, SPF 30+

COOLA - Plant UV Body, Unscented, SPF 30

Kiss My Face - Natural Mineral with Hydresia, SPF 40

Marie Veronique - Organics, Kid Safe Screen, SPF 25+

Sunumbra - SPF 30+

Thinksport - Livestrong SPF 50+

UV Natural - SPF 30+

According to the EWG: "After reviewing the evidence, EWG determined that mineral sunscreens have the best safety profile of today’s choices. They are stable in sunlight and do not appear to penetrate the skin. They offer UVA protection, which is sorely lacking in most of today’s sunscreen products. Mexoryl SX (ecamsule) is another good option, but it’s available in very few formulations." (iwellville found Mexoryl SX in a La Roche-Posay Anthelios 40 Sunscreen Cream SPF 40, but the EWG APP marked the cream down for other ingredients of concern.)

What we love most about the EWG APP: It allows users to type in their own sunscreen brand, find the rating, and then scroll through the ingredient list and see what concerns the EWG and why. This way all of us can make informed decisions.

A word on SPF from the EWG: About 1 in 7 beach and sport sunscreens claim SPFs greater than 50+. The FDA has proposed barring SPF claims higher than 50 but has not issued regulations to make it mandatory.  Studies show that high-SPF users are exposed to as many or more ultraviolet rays as those who use lower-SPF products, probably because consumers get a false sense of security from those big numbers. They wait too long before reapplying sunscreen and stay out too long.

Read about the EWG's list of good and bad sunscreens, including more on a common ingredient that may promote breast cancer.

Are you getting the SPF that's on the label? It's all in how you apply.