As the summer months draw closer and the kids wrap up the school year, one thing is for sure: Everyone will be spending a lot more time outside. And you want to avoid any harmful sunscreen.
But before packing up and heading out to the beach, mothers everywhere are warning about the harmful effects of—not the sun—but some harmful SUNSCREENS that have caused more than just a scare with their young kids.
Last week, Faithit reported about a mother named Rebecca Cannon, whose 14-month-old daughter suffered 2nd-degree burns from Banana Boat Kids SPF 50. The little girl endured weeks of painful swelling and blisters on her face which doctors believed to be a chemical burn, caused by the harmful sunscreen.
Rebecca Cannon
It turns out, Rebecca is not alone.
One mother from Queensland, Australia is sharing disturbing pictures of her 3-month old son who was hospitalized from the burning effects of harmful sunscreen–not the sun.
Jessie Swan purchased the Cancer Counsel’s Peppa Pig Kids Sunscreen SPF 50+. Though her infant son was not exposed to the sun, she decided to lather him up anyway, because the whole family was outdoors and she wanted to be safe.
“He has not been in the sun, he was simply outdoors, so I put screen on him just in case,” she said in a Facebook post.
“We’ve been in hospital for 3 days 2 nights so far trying to treat this horrible rash/burn caused by your 50+Peppa pig sunscreen,” Swan added before strongly urging parents, “DO NOT BUY THIS SUNSCREEN.”
Jessie never expected that erring on the side of caution would have actually done more harm than good.
Doctors say that outbreaks similar to this have happened in some babies, and are often caused by severe allergic reactions.
Expert List to Avoid Harmful Sunscreen
Experts suggest doing some research and self-testing before relying on a particular sunscreen.
The Environmental Working Group’s “Skin Deep” sunscreen guide is an excellent place to start. After examining each of the more than 239 beach and sport sunscreens with a green rating from the EWG’s 2017 Sunscreen Guide, the group narrowed down the 19 best-scoring pr
The Best Beach and Sport sunscreens for kids
- All Good Sunscreen and Sunstick, SPF 30 and 50
- All Terrain Aqua and TerraSport Sunscreens, SPF 30
- Babo Botanicals Clear Zinc Sunscreen, SPF 30
- Badger Sunscreen Cream and Lotion, SPF 25, 30, and 35
- Bare Belly Organics, SPF 34
- Beauty Without Cruelty, SPF 30
- Kiss My Face Organics Mineral Sunscreen, SPF 30
- Nature’s Gate Face Sunscreen, SPF 25
- Tropical Sands Sunscreen and Facestick, SPF 30
- Releve Organic Skincare, SPF 20
- Star Naturals Sunscreen Stick, SPF 25
The Best Sunscreens for Kids
- Adorable Baby Sunscreen lotion, SPF 30
- All Good Kid’s Sunscreen, SPF 33
- All Terrain KidSport Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30
- ATTITUDE Little Ones 100% Mineral Sunscreen, SPF 30
- BabyHampton Beach Bum Sunscreen, SPF 30
- COOLA Suncare Baby Mineral Sunscreen, unscented moisturizer, SPF 50.
- Belly Button & Babies Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30
- Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen, SPF 35
- BurnOut Kids Physical Sunscreen, SPF 35
- California Baby Super Sensitive Sunscreen, SPF 30
- Goddess Garden Kids Sport Natural Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30
- Jersey Kids Mineral Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30
- Kiss My Face Organics Kids Mineral Sunscreen, SPF 30
- Nurture My Body Baby Organic Sunscreen, SPF 32
- Substance Baby Natural Sun Care Creme, SPF 30
- Sunology Natural Sunscreen, Kids, SPF 50
- Sunumbra Sunkids Natural Sunscreen, SPF 40
- Thinksport for Kids Sunscreen, SPF 50
- TruKid Sunny Days Sport Sunscreen, SPF 30
The EWG also found 46 harmful sunscreen products marketed to children that don’t fit the bill for their quality and safety standards. They narrowed down the quick guide to list just 14:
- 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
The EWG also notes that one in every three sunscreens on the shelves this year are “spray-ons,” which often prove to be more convenient in the application battle against squirmy, wet kids, but cause serious concern about coating and coverage.
In addition to research, experts recommend spot-testing the sunscreen before putting it to use.
This shouldn’t be a last-minute experiment as you’re running out the door to the beach. Do it after school or in the evening, by simply dabbing the sunscreen onto a small area of your child’s skin and watching to see if they have an allergic reaction.
Everyone’s skin is different. It’s no secret that babies and young children often have more sensitive skin, which could cause a painful reaction to the sunscreen itself.
We know the sun will burn you. The test is to make sure that the sunscreen won’t.
We all want to protect our families from the sun’s harmful rays. But not every sunscreen fits the bill. Be proactive and set your summer up for success with a sunscreen that works for your family.
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