Some of the chemicals are harmful when ingested but deemed safe for external use.
And no chemical sunblock bests a physical one (a long sleeve gauze shirt and hat are the best protection ever). But being that we live in So Cal and enjoy the sun...we have to uncover sometime. So this week at Consumer Reports, they unveiled the tests of 22 SPF sprays, creams, and lotions; finding nine that provided excellent protection against UVB radiation (which causes sunburn) even after immersion in water, along with very good protection against UVA radiation (which penetrates deeper than UVB, tanning and aging skin).
No one type—spray, cream, or lotion—protected best.
The three Best Buys:
Up & Up Sport SPF 30 (Target),
No-Ad with Aloe and Vitamin E SPF 45, and
Equate Baby SPF 50.
The Up & Up is a spray while the other two products are lotions.
The article was so good, I've included the main body of it here below. Hope it's helpful.
Although most products were excellent against UVB rays before water immersion, three were just OK, and some lost effectiveness after dunking. Most were very good against UVA rays, but Avon was merely fair. (It's a sunscreen and bug spray in one, not the best idea: In reapplying it for sun protection, you might overdo bug protection.)
Some sprays took more than 30 seconds to dry, but Coppertone SPF 30, a top pick, dried especially fast. Many products had the familiar scent associated with summer, but Soleo smelled a bit like plastic plus stale cooking oil. All of the more effective sunscreens tended to stain cloth.
What's inside
Almost every tested sunscreen contains some ingredients associated with adverse health risks in animal studies. Oxybenzone and other endocrine disruptors may interfere with hormones in the body, and nanoscale zinc and titanium oxides are linked to problems such as potential reproductive and developmental effects.
Retinyl palmitate (look for it among inactive ingredients), a type of topical vitamin A, is an antioxidant that animal studies have linked to an increased risk of skin cancers. In skin, it converts readily to retinoids, associated with a risk of birth defects in people using acne medications containing them. As a precaution, pregnant women may want to avoid sunscreens with retinyl palmitate.
More research is needed, but as of now, the proven benefits of sunscreen outweigh any potential risks.
Bottom line
Don't rely on sunscreen alone. Wear protective clothing and limit time in the sun. Your sunscreen should be water resistant, with an SPF of at least 30. Above 30, there's not much more protection. You need to reapply any sunscreen every 2 hours or so anyway and after swimming or sweating. Use 2 to 3 tablespoons of a lotion on most of your body, or "spray as much as can be evenly rubbed in," says Jessica Krant, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist, "then go back over every area and spray them all completely again."
Don't pay too much. La Roche-Posay, $18.82 per ounce (yes, you read that right), scored lower overall than No-Ad, 59 cents.
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