06/29/2025
Sunscreen Safety Update ☀️🧴
July 4th is right around the corner, and many of us will be spending extra time outdoors. With the sun, fun, and celebrations ahead, it’s a good time to talk about sunscreen safety.
Sunscreen has been a hot topic lately after a new Valisure report revealed that over 78 sunscreens contain benzene, a known carcinogen. Valisure has even petitioned the FDA to recall these products.
When choosing sunscreen for my kids, I always check ewg.org. They publish yearly guides rating sunscreens from 1 (best) to 10, and they review common ingredients like oxybenzone, octinoxate, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate, and avobenzone. Many of these ingredients are absorbed into the body and show up in urine and breast milk. According to the FDA’s 2019 report, only zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are classified as safe and effective.
I’ve put together a list of sunscreens that meet the safest criteria, using data from both Valisure and EWG. All of these contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, have zero benzene contamination, and score 1-2 on EWG’s scale.
Important: You don’t need to rush out and replace your sunscreen immediately. Check the reports and see where yours stands. Many products are still good but weren’t tested for benzene, so I didn’t include them here. And if you’re curious, you can even send your sunscreen to Valisure for free testing.
My Recommended Benzene-Free Mineral Sunscreens:
✅ Badger Baby Active Sunscreen Cream, Chamomile & Calendula, SPF 30
✅ Badger Kids Active Sunscreen Cream, Tangerine & Vanilla SPF 30 (try unscented for sensitive skin)
✅ thinksport Kids Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50+
✅ thinkbaby Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50
✅ Baby Bum Mineral Sunscreen Lotion Fragrance Free SPF 50
✅ Blue Lizard Baby Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30
Let’s keep our families safe while enjoying the holiday sunshine. Full reports are linked in the comments. Happy 4th of July, everyone!
