Most sunscreens are ineffective or harmful, report says. Here are the worst offenders
With sunny weather approaching Sacramento, sunscreen is a wise choice for anyone with outdoor activities planned this Memorial Day weekend.
But according to a nonprofit organization, more than 70 percent of sunscreens on the market either don’t work or contain harmful ingredients, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Friday.
The report by the Environmental Working Group looked at 880 sunscreens and found that 73 percent of them were ineffective or contained “worrisome” ingredients such as oxybenzone and retinyl palmitate. The former can cause hormone issues and the latter can potentially increase the risk of skin cancer.
Here are EWG’s 14 worst scoring sunscreens marketed specifically to children:
- Banana Boat Kids Continuous Spray Sunscreen, SPF 100
- Banana Boat Kids Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 100
- Coppertone Foaming Lotion Sunscreen Kids Wacky Foam, SPF 70
- Coppertone Sunscreen Continuous Spray Kids, SPF 70
- Coppertone Sunscreen Lotion Kids, SPF 70
- Coppertone Sunscreen Lotion Water Babies, SPF 70+
- Coppertone Sunscreen Stick Kids, SPF 55
- Coppertone Sunscreen Stick Water Babies, SPF 55
- Coppertone Sunscreen Water Babies Foaming Lotion, SPF 70
- CVS Health Children’s Sunstick Sunscreen, SPF 55
- Equate Baby Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 70
- Neutrogena Pure & Free Baby Sunscreen, SPF 60+
- Neutrogena Wet Skin Kids Sunscreen Spray, SPF 70+
- Up & Up Kids Sunscreen Sticks, SPF 55
This story was originally published May 26, 2017 at 3:47 PM with the headline "Most sunscreens are ineffective or harmful, report says. Here are the worst offenders."