Before we went on vacation in February we went to get a few supplies, one of which was sunblock for B. I insisted that we get Aveeno Baby SPF 55 because I thought that it was the best and safest option based on what was available. We don't seem to have the same organic or environmentally friendly options as the US does so things can be kind of limited.
It seems like every blog is talking about the EWG's Best Sunscreen List so I thought I would check it out. I am actually totally in shock that B's Aveeno sunblock is ranked at a 7 (meaning it should be avoided due to the harmful and toxic ingredients). 7!!!! a fucking 7. The No-Ad sunblock that Joe and I use I thought for sure would be a 15 even though it is only a scale to 9. Nope it is better than the crap I insisted we get for B.
Joe had wanted to get Coppertone Waterbabies because it was cheaper then Aveeno but I said no. Le sigh....I just had to admit that I was wrong. I am never going to live that one down am I? Coppertown Waterbabies is ranked as a 3. Not a 7....a 3.
Looks like I need to hit up the store to replace the toxic crap that I have been slathering onto him to protect him from the sun.
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I know the feeling, it is so hard to know what the best choice is, it feels like a "trust no one" kind of situation.
ReplyDeleteSo true Trish. I started looking at all of our hygiene products last month and it is just overwhelming. It is too bad that we don't have access to more environmental products up here! It seems like the one's we do are insanely priced.
ReplyDeletesafemama.com is a great resource. This website has several "cheat sheets" for common baby products purchased and she goes way beyond just looking up items in the EWG database. In fact, some sunscreens I was thinking of buying because they were rated favourably on EWG in fact contain several toxic ingredients. Safemama explains why she recommends certain products or not. She does most of the homework for you so you don't have to feel so overwhelmed.
ReplyDeleteI ordered "Loving Naturals" sunscreen off Ebay (they shipped to Canada!). It was rated 0 by EWG, and it is a recent ranking as well. A big part of the problem with EWG is that product formulations change so often, and as a non-profit organization that relies on donations to operate, they can't keep current on everything.
Isn't it only the Waterbabies Pure and Simple that is a 3? I thought the regular Waterbabies stuff was 6 or 7. Off to double-check.
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer - the 2010 EWG had it listed as a 3 last year. This year there are more varieties of water babies in the database it seems. It looks like some are a 2 and some are a 5.
ReplyDelete