It’s that time of year again! The weather is getting nicer and people are spending more and more time outside. Memorial Day marked the official start of the summer, even though we technically have a few weeks to go.

It’s great to get out in the sun! Benefits of sunlight include boosting mood, circadian rhythms, and vitamin D.

But too much sun, unfortunately, can lead to skin damage, aging, and increased risk of skin cancer – one of the most preventable cancers.

Shade, hats, and clothing are always the best sun protection options.

AND, sunscreen helps too!

Do you use it? If so, what kind? Do you put it just on your face? How about the kids? The list of questions goes on and on.

All sunscreens are not created equal nor are all sunscreens safe. 

Chemical sunscreens (like oxybenzone) absorb UV rays but can disrupt hormones, so they’re okay to use if that is all you have at the moment, but definitely would not be ideal for everyday use.

Mineral options (zinc or titanium dioxide) are safer and don’t leave those awful white casts like they used to.

I gathered some safer sunscreen tips from a few resources that will surely keep you safe:

1. Avoid Spray & Loose Powder Sunscreens: Regardless of the ingredients, spray sunscreens pose serious inhalation risks and you can easily apply too little or miss a spot, leaving bare skin exposed to harmful rays. Loose powder sunscreens can end up in the lungs each time they’re applied. Stick to the old fashioned ‘squeeze out of the bottle and rub in’ kind.

2. Don’t be fooled by high SPFs: SPF (sun protection factor) only refers to protection from the sun’s UVB rays (these burn the skin) and not the sun’s UVA rays (the ones that penetrate deep into the skin, suppress the immune system, accelerate skin aging and may cause skin cancer). High-SPF products may tempt people to stay in the sun too long, increasing the risk of skin damage. Avoid products labeled with anything higher than SPF 50+ and lower than 15. Reapply sunscreen often, regardless of SPF. Also, products that contain zinc oxide seem to offer the best for UVA protection. Titanium dioxide seems to be a close second.

3. Avoid Oxybenzone: Oxybenzone penetrates the skin, gets into the bloodstream and acts like estrogen in the body. It can also trigger allergic reactions. One study has linked oxybenzone to endometriosis in older women and another has found that women with higher levels of oxybenzone during pregnancy had lower birth weight daughters.

4. Avoid Homosalate: Homosalate is a widely used chemical in sunscreens and skin care products with SPF. Homosalate is a potential endocrine disruptor and studies in cells suggest it may impact hormones. In addition to direct health concerns following homosalate exposure, the chemical may also enhance the absorption of pesticides in the body.

5. Avoid Avobenzone: Avobenzone has shown to disrupt the endocrine system. Cellular studies have shown that, at low doses, it blocks the effects of testosterone. Exposure to a mixture of homosalate and avobenzone reduced the levels of testosterone in male zebrafish. 

6. No Retinyl Palmitate: When used in a night cream, this form of vitamin A is supposed to have anti-aging effects. BUT on sun-exposed skin, retinyl palmitate may speed development of skin tumors and lesions, according to government studies. 

7. No Sunscreen/Bug Repellant Combo Products: Studies indicate that combining sunscreens and repellents lead to increased skin absorption of the repellent ingredients. Keep this in mind since most sunscreen products have to be reapplied after a certain time. If you buy a combo product you are also constantly reapplying the repellant. Plus, bugs are typically not a problem during the hours when UV exposure peaks anyway.

8. No Sunscreen Towelletes: These products are so small that the question remains if there’s enough product in them to ensure adequate sun protection.

9. No Tanning Oils: Tanning oils are just 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.

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RESOURCES

Campaign for Safer Cosmetics: Safer Sunscreens

Campaign for Safer Cosmetics: Sunscreens

Environmental Working Group: The trouble with sunscreen chemicals

Made Safe: Choosing a Safer Sunscreen

This post was originally published on June 5, 2014. This post was last updated May 31, 2025.

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