At this point, everyone knows how important it is to protect ourselves from the sun. And because it is so vital, we have wanted to offer sunscreen at Garden Girl since day one. However, as a small company it is pretty much impossible to produce your own that is certified – it has to go through a very extensive process with the FDA. So we have been testing many (many many) types of natural sunscreen in the hopes of finding one that we liked enough to sell. And we finally found it – Caribbean Sol. Not only is this a natural sunscreen – using non-nano zinc oxide and titanium dioxide to provide full spectrum UVA/UVB coverage – but it is also biodegradable. That means that it is safe for coral reefs and marine life. Not bad!

But the big test is how much the kids complain when they use it. And this is the first one that we have tried that has been accepted by the boys. It is still thicker than Coppertone or Banana Boat, but it is much easier to apply than some of the other all natural sunblocks. ( The key is to apply it to small areas at a time. )

Caribbean Sol is so safe and natural that it made it to the EWG 2011 list of best sunscreens.  So we are thrilled to be able to now offer our customers a safe, reliable and effective sunblock – both Sol Care SPF 25 for adults and Kid Care SPF 25 for kids. Both are free of parabens, sulfates, petroleum products and phthalates – just like Garden Girl products!

And while we were on our quest for sunblock, we found that there was one other product that we wanted to offer as well. The sunless self-tanner - a great all-natural self tanner that bronzes your skin naturally -but without the sun. So you can protect yourself from the damaging (and dangerous) sun, but still get a nice bit of color.

Ok – I don’t know about you, but I for one would really like it if we could just feel safe and good about using sunscreen. But it seems that every few months there’s something new to worry about. And now there’s the newest – there are concerns about retinyl palmitate (RP) – a common additive in sunscreens.

Retinyl palmitate is a type of Vitamin A that is used in many skin creams. (Note: it is not in any Garden Girl products). It is somewhat similar to Retinol but it is weaker.  And according to a report on Reuters this week:

“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been reviewing data from several studies on a potential link between retinyl palmitate (RP), a common sunscreen additive and cases of skin cancer, since July 2009, but has yet to issue any rulings or guidelines, Senator Charles Schumer said.”

The study they refer to found that “tumors and lesions developed up to 21 percent faster in lab animals coated in retinyl palmitate-laced cream than animals treated with a cream that did not contain RP.”

So again, could be hype. But sounds like something that even the FDA is taking note of and investigating. So my advice is try to avoid it. And yes, I find it frustrating and depressing.  Making it even worse is that my favorite of the “not so bad” sunscreens (Trader Joe’s Face & Body Sunscreen) has the dreaded Retinyl Palmitate. Sigh.

Now my best recommendation is the sunscreen I discovered via a suggestion from a Garden Girl customer – Caribbean Sol. Check it out. It’s natural, biodegradable, eco-safe and reef-friendly! There aren’t any parabens, and they use Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide. Still takes a little effort to get it rubbed in, but it’s better than Blue Lizard Baby. Plus the ingredients are MUCH better than the Blue Lizard products. And not only that, they do say it’s water resistant as well. You can but it online at www.caribbean-sol.com and it’s also sold in most Whole Foods markets. Let me know if you like it – I’m thinking of selling it next year!

This week the Environmental Working Group announced its findings, after an 18 month study and assessment of sunblocks. It rated sunscreens on a scale for both effectiveness and safety. It’s a really interesting study – you can check it out at http://www.ewg.org/node/21719.

According to their press release: “The analysis found that 84 percent of 785 sunscreen products with an SPF rating of 15 or higher offer inadequate protection from the sun’s harmful rays, or contain ingredients with safety concerns. Ironically, some popular sunscreen chemicals break down when exposed to sunlight and must be formulated with stabilizing chemicals. Others penetrate the skin and present significant health concerns.”

It also shows that SPF ratings are for UVB rays only – and there really isn’t a rating system for UVA, which can be as harmful or even more so than UVB rays. They recommend sunblocks with “physical blocks” such as titanium

So definitely check it out – it’s amazing the trust we put in many of the most popular names and how it turns out we might not be getting what we thought we were. Throw out those bottles of Coppertone and head back to the pharmacy for something that will really do the job!