"Organic" Sunscreen and other heated debates

I don't worry too much about shampoo - hoping it gets rinsed out quickly and not absorbed, but lotions and sunscreen I do worry about. Does what the skin absorbs go directly into our blood stream? As opposed to what we eat passing through our liver for an opportunity of detox? Do lotions, sprays, sunscreen, etc. pose a greater risk to us than pesticides, etc. from foods? Everyone with a product to sell has their own opinion...

I don't worry too much about shampoo - hoping it gets rinsed out quickly and not absorbed, but lotions and sunscreen I do worry about. Does what the skin absorbs go directly into our blood stream? As opposed to what we eat passing through our liver for an opportunity of detox? Do lotions, sprays, sunscreen, etc. pose a greater risk to us than pesticides, man-made ingredients, etc. from foods?

Christi,
You're right. It's something I think about more and more. I've had several friends and acquaintances get cancer in recent years, which does make me wonder about toxins in the environment. Whether using organic lotion helps ... I'm not sure.

Have you checked out the Environmental Working Group's sunscreen list? Our pediatric dermatologist says, while not perfect, it is a good reference point for sunscreen and chemicals. Here is the link: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/splash.php?URI=%2Fspecial%2Fsunscreens2008%2Findex.php

The top-ranked sunscreen is Soleo, which is organic.

Personally, my family will stick with Blue Lizard, Coppertone or Neutrogena.

Have you checked out the Environmental Working Group's sunscreen list? Our pediatric dermatologist says, while not perfect, it is a good reference point for sunscreen and chemicals. Here is the link: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/splash.php?URI=%2Fspecial%2Fsunscreens2008%2Findex.php

The top-ranked sunscreen is Soleo, which is organic.

Personally, my family will stick with Blue Lizard, Coppertone or Neutrogena.

It truly is confusing and I have been talking sunscreen for almost 15 years.

Even "organic" is confusing since technically chemical sunscreen are considered organic. Inorganic ingredients zinc oxide and titanium dioxide reflect radiation (which are often marketed as “natural, organic or chemical free” use a chemical process to make the minerals small enough and a mechanical process- still using energy), they provide protection from all components of UV light. However, one of the issues with these ingredients is their opaqueness - they leave an unattractive white colored film on the skin. New technology has been developed that can eliminate this disadvantage. The processing of the zinc oxide and titanium dioxide into nanoparticles allows formulation of a product that is transparent, yet reflects all components of UV radiation. But, the jury is still out on the safety of nanoparticles. I have read numerous articles and I really don’t know what to believe, as we did make a sunscreen with Micronized Titanium Dioxide. We are now launching a new Micronized Titanium Dioxide and Zinc oxide cream, but it’s taking a little longer than expected because all the “natural” preservatives we tried break apart in less than a year. We just found a new one that seems to be holding up well, so we have our fingers crossed on a two year stability.

Just for your information, the product I make is KINeSYS Performance sunscreen. Our products are Dermatologist recommended and used. They are the only Oil, Alcohol, PABA, Preservative, and Paraben Free spray sunscreen products on the market (they don’t contain oxybenzone or BP3). They are hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic, water & sweat resistant, offer photo-stable broad- spectrum UVA/UVB protection and contain topical anti-oxidants.

KINeSYS technically is “organic”, using organic chemistry but doesn’t market it as “organic or natural” as NO sunscreens are both (we will never market our products as “organic or natural”). Just so you know, Sunscreen ingredients are regulated and are broken down into two groups: organic ingredients that tend to absorb UV light; and inorganic ingredients, which reflect UV light.

KINeSYS is the "greenest" product on the market. We take pride in our environmental stewardship since our inception in 1994 in Canada, we have always been aware of the environment, using recyclable packaging, non-pressurized aerosol pumps and when it became available to us, we used green power and Carbon neutral (purchasing carbon offsets towards clean sustainable wind energy). Unlike the continuous sprays that are aerosols and go straight into landfills, KINeSYS bottles are 100% recyclable.

Finally, the price. At first glance $18.99 for 4oz's seems expensive, but a 4oz KINeSYS get almost 750 sprays out of a bottle.

Thank you, I hope this give you another option.

Sincerely,
Jeff

Jeff--Not sure if I'll catch you, but is your Kinesys sunscreen product considered safe for babies/children? It's so hard to find something that is easy to use and safe (safe-er anyway.) The Alba I've been using is hard to spread on and it leaves baby all white all over and sticky. She pitches a fit about it. Would be much easier to just spray down her whole body then just deal with the face with lotion.