Keeping Your Skin Safe: Your Guide to Sunscreen

As we kick off the summer, we would like to share a guide to sunscreen safety. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the U.S., so taking preventative steps, like wearing sunscreen, is vital. However, making an informed choice about the kind of sunscreen you are using is also important.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a consumer advocacy organization, has released its annual sunscreen guide. According to their findings, only 1 in 4 sunscreens on store shelves are both safe and effective. This year, the EWG evaluated over 2,200 sunscreens that are currently available for purchase and only 498 products met their strict safety and efficacy standards.

David Andrews, Chief Science Officer at EWG, explained that their evaluation criteria include factors such as: “the ability of the sunscreen’s active ingredients to provide balanced protection against both UVA and UVB rays, as well as any hazardous chemical ingredients in the product.”

This guide is quite comprehensive and categorizes approved sunscreen brands in groups such as “Top Rated Baby and Kid’s Sunscreens” and “Top Rated Recreational Sunscreens.” By organizing the sunscreens in this manner, the EWG recognizes that different consumers and situations need different kinds of sunscreen. Their guide allows individuals to choose the product that best meets their needs and keeps their skin safe!

While EWG has verified a number of sunscreens, they also share a variety of tips to keep in mind when choosing and using sunscreen:

• Don’t fall for high SPF labels
• Remember to reapply often
• Choose lotions and sticks over sprays
• Avoid ingredients of concern and look for mineral products with zinc oxide
• Sunscreen should not be your only line of protection
  • Cover up with clothing
  • Find or make shade
  • Plan activities to help avoid peak hours of the day (10am-4pm), when the sun’s rays are most intense

Check out the EWG's full guide here

Protecting yourself from the sun is important, and EWG’s sunscreen guide can help you choose sunscreens that actually protect and nourish your skin. As massage therapists, you have the opportunity to play an active role in encouraging your clients to protect their skin and choose products that keep their skin safe. As the EWG emphasizes:

“The best sunscreen is the one you use daily and reapply often. Until stronger regulations arrive, staying informed and choosing broad-spectrum protection remains key to sun safety.”

Learn more about how massage therapists can help increase skin cancer awareness and promote sun safety this summer