Each year we eagerly await the Environmental Working Group's list of the safest sunscreens for kids (and grownups too) and we're so glad to see the 2013 list is ready, just in time for the unofficial start of summer.
Click over to the list of the safest sunscreens and you'll find not only more than 180 beach and sport sunscreens--the ones we're most interested in for our own kids--but SPF moisturizers, lip balms and makeup that all meet their criteria.
We've culled it down to their top picks all scoring a "1" that are made especially for babies and children. In no particular order, here are the 20 winners:
Eco logical skin care Baby All-natural Sunscreen SPF 30+
All Terrain KidSport Face Stick, SPF28
California Baby Super Sensitive Broad Spectrum Sunscreen Stick, SPF 30
Badger Kids Sunscreen Cream SPF 30
Seventh Generation Wee Generation Baby Sunscreen SPF 30
Burt's Bees Baby Bee Sunscreen Stick SPF 30
TruBaby Water + Play Mineral Sunscreen, SPF 30+
(Also TruKid Sunscreens)
Kiss My Face Kids White Sunstick, SPF 30
Green Babies Zinc Oxide Sunscreen, Unscented, SPF 30
UV Natural Baby Sunscreen, SPF 30
Goddess Garden Sunny Baby Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30
Sunology Natural Sunscreen Creme for Kids, SPF 50
Elemental Herbs Kids Sunscreen, SPF 30
Aubrey Organics Natural Sun Sunscreen, Sensitive Skin/Children Unscented, SPF 30+
thinkSport thinkBaby Sunscreen, SPF 30+
(Also thinkSport Kids Sunscreen )
BabyGanics Cover-Up Baby Pure Mineral Sunscreen Stick, SPF 30
COOLA Baby Suncare Moisturizer Mineral Sunscreen, Unscented, SPF 50
Marie Veronique Organics Kid Safe Screen, SPF 30
Jersey Kids All-Natural All Green Sunscreen, SPF 30
While you're there, take a look at their roster of informative articles about sunscreen, like why SPF over 50 is bad.
And of course as always, we suggest you take the rating system with a wee grain of salt; EWG is amazing but some of the products have limited testing info, and the organization itself is overly cautious for sure. That means otherwise excellent products get dinged for having ingredients like fragrance of any kind, or something like natural lemon oil because its usage is restricted in large quantities. (i.e. don't bathe in pure lemon juice.)
So just because a product doesn't score a 1 doesn't make it bad--and in fact there are tons of great choices ranked 2 and 3 as well. Which only means lots of good sunscreen news for more parents. And of course, for more kids. -Liz
Visit the the EWG safe suncreen list 2013 and if you love their work, consider making a donation to Environmental Working Group and you'll even get a wallet-sized guide to safer sunscreens, free.
