05/26/2025
Are the chemicals in sunscreen safe? What should you be looking for in a product? Is higher SPF always better? 😎
Claims that traditional "chemical" sunscreen ingredients are toxic or hazardous to human health have not been proven. However, the FDA does acknowledge the fact that more safety data is needed for several sunscreen ingredients (such as oxybenzone and avobenzone) before they can be labeled as “generally recognized as safe and effective” (GRASE) due to questions about skin absorption and the effects on the human body.
For that reason, the MINERAL-based sunscreens are your best bet for now. 🧴 Rather than getting absorbed into the skin (like a traditional “chemical” sunscreen), mineral products contain titanium dioxide and zinc oxide molecules that stay on the skin’s surface and physically deflect the sun’s harmful rays. They tend to leave a white/silver residue behind – that is NORMAL. Mineral sunscreens are also much gentler on sensitive skin and less toxic to our ocean’s coral reefs. They have been declared GRASE by the FDA. 🌊
Select a water-resistant, broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF of 30 to 50. Make sure the product doesn't solely consist of titanium dioxide, as this ingredient alone does NOT filter out all UVA rays like zinc oxide does. A combination of the two (or zinc oxide alone) is preferable.
There's no need to go beyond an SPF of 50. While they do a good job blocking UVB rays to prevent sunburn, products with the highest SPF values actually offer less protection against UVA rays. This may contribute to greater long-term skin damage, immune system suppression, and formation of free radicals. A bit misleading, right? The FDA has actually proposed caps of 50 or 60 when it comes to SPF!
According to the AAD, sunscreen is not the preferred method of protection for babies younger than 6 months. 👶 Instead, dress them in lightweight long sleeves and pants, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses to protect them from head to toe. Seek out shade whenever possible. Push plenty of fluids and make sure they do not get overheated!
While sunscreen spray is convenient to apply, LOTIONS are more likely to be applied properly. Slather your little ones down with a thick layer every 2 hours (or more frequently if they are sweating or playing in the water). 💦 If you do use a spray, hold the nozzle about an inch from the skin and then use your hand to evenly distribute the liquid (do not mist from several inches away like you would a perfume).
As far as which specific sunscreens I recommend: While I haven’t personally tried all of these myself, they are frequently rated very high for safety, effectiveness, and/or consumer satisfaction among infants and children 6 months and up 🥇:
1. Neutrogena Pure and Free Baby Sunscreen SPF 50
2. Sun Bum Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50
3. Aveeno Baby Continuous Protection Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50
4. Blue Lizard Australian Baby Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30+
5. Baby Bum Mineral Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50
6. CeraVe Baby Mineral Sunscreen Lotion Broad Spectrum SPF 45
7. Babyganics Mineral-Based Baby Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50
8. Coppertone Pure & Simple Baby Mineral Lotion SPF 50
9. Thinkbaby Safe Sunscreen SPF 50+
10. Hello Bello Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50
There are LOTS of other great options out there, so please don’t think that this list is exhaustive. Here's a link to my Amazon favorites: https://amzn.to/3wtdGwm (affiliatelink)
Bottom line is that mineral-based with zinc oxide, water-resistant, SPF 30-50 sunscreen lotions are my top recommendation. Make sure to check your expiration dates!
Primary Sources:
-www.aad.org
-https://www.ewg.org/sun.../report/whats-wrong-with-high-spf/
