Toxic skincare (sunscreen) thursday!

It’s finally summer!

If you’re like me, you may still be nursing a sunburn from the long Memorial Weekend. 

​Now, I talk about how important Vitamin D is BUT you need Vitamin D in a healthy way. This means we must protect ourselves with sunscreen.

 (And remember to reapply why you’re kayaking for four hours.)

I get constant questions about safe sunscreen options because, let’s be real, there are  a lot of sunscreens.

​It’s Toxic Skincare Thursday and I’m covering...
L’Bri!!

I speak a lot about greenwashing. Greenwashing is considered an unsubstantiated claim to deceive consumers into believing that a company's products are environmentally friendly and therefore ‘better’.
​
L’Bri is a prime example of greenwashing. I did a quick Google search to get to their homepage and immediately saw “PURE n’ NATURAL” further down “NATURAL & SAFE”. Which left me shocked as I looked over their ingredient list…

In their cosmetics they typically use the following blacklisted ingredients:
• EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid)
• GSE (Grapefruit Seed Extract)
• Phenoxyethanol
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In their skincare they typically use the following blacklisted ingredients:
• Fragrance (“essence”)
• PEGs ((Polyethylene Glycol)
• Phenoxyethanol
• Retinyl Palmitate

In addition:
- It is unspecified if minerals used are non-nano.
(I’m still waiting for an email response to this question.)
- Not Leaping Bunny Certified cruelty free.

As women, we're a constant target for skincare companies. Did you know that it can take just 26 seconds for certain harmful chemicals to enter your bloodstream after penetrating your skin? We've all noticed the- try this it’s natural, it’s safe, it’s clean… We don’t know better until we know better. And trust me, reading ingredients is a full time job.
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Before I knew better, I dabbled in some of these 'make me glamorous like Beyoncé concoctions.' Especially when it came to sunscreen to ‘prevent wrinkles, diminish sunspots, reduce crow’s-feet, blah blah.’ My skin would break out, my eyes would water, my face and/or body would itch- you know the drill. 

Go grab your sunscreen and check for:

• Oxybenzone
  • Oxybenzone is found in about 80% of all chemical sunscreens and is used as a UV light absorber and filter.
• Octinoxate
• Octocrylene
• Homosalate
• Common chemical preservatives like: Parabens, and Phenoxyethanol.
  • These are all blacklisted, sneaky, no good, toxic ingredients typically found in sunscreens.

Phenoxyethanol is found in L'Bri's sunscreen.
I also do not recommend spray-on SPF (to avoid inhalation of chemicals).

Mineral > Chemical!

​First and foremost you want a Zinc Oxide (my preference) or a Titanium Dioxide Mineral sunscreen. Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide are natural minerals that physically block the sun’s radiation by forming a barrier that sits on top of the skin and reflects the sun’s rays. This causes them to scatter versus being absorbed into the skin through the use of chemical sunscreens.

​They also need to be non-nanoparticles or non-nano. Non-nano means the particles do not enter the bloodstream- with nano, they do. 

It is unspecified if L'Bri's minerals used are non-nano.

Secondly, choosing a ‘Reef Friendly’ or ‘Reef Safe’ certified product means it doesn’t contain ingredients that would harm the coral.
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Lastly, be sure to still check your labels for unsafe preservatives.

​If you're wondering what brand I personally use and suggest- head over to my 'products we love page'! 

I use Badger on myself, Derek, and my kiddos.
(There's a discount through Wellevate!)
I use Crunchi’s Sunlight on my face!

​As always, limiting toxin exposure is an excellent idea.
Let’s get back to health,
Dr. Taryn