EWG's 2010 Safer Sunscreen Guide (and easy widget)

This week has been one of the hottest in Vermont I've ever experienced!  And with two fair skinned little girls, we've had to pile on the sunscreen.  As I've written about here before, not all sunscreen is created equally.  There are chemicals in most mainstream sunscreens that contain known carcinogenics.  Since the chemical industry is highly unregulated, some sunscreens, even those created just for babies and children, have multiple chemicals in them that can potentially cause negative health affects.

So thankfully every spring the Environmental Working Group issues a safer sunscreen report.  This report explains clearly the problem with most sunscreens and what ingredients to avoid.  And every year they update their list of the safer options.  This year they even created this convenient widget. Quickly, you can type in what you want, and get a brand or two of sunscreen for your children that is a safer bet then just picking one out at the store.  I love that they are trying to make this easier for us, because half the battle for me is just remembering and finding the safer brands.

One of my favorite brands of safer sunscreen, lotion, and bug repellent is California Baby.  The mineral sunscreens don't spread all that well, especially Burt's Bees. California Baby's sunscreen spreads a bit better (but not nearly as well as the chemical laden brands).  It is just a tradeoff that we have to make to have safer sunscreens.  What is your favorite, safer brand of sunscreen?