brianmcg123

Get the Coppertone Water Babies SPF 50.

SPF 50 is the highest rating that companies are allowed to use even if they put more active ingredients in it. FDA rules.

The Water Babies is water repellent and stays on a long time even after swimming. But its like spreading toothpaste on yourself, its that thick.


When I go on vacation I use it all over and my wife makes fun of me because she says I look like this:

gsa103

This ^.

Look for sunscreens with Titanium Dioxide or Zinc Oxide as the active ingredient. These work significantly better than the chemicals. The drawback is that they're expensive.

Use Ti/Zn sunscreen on your face, and then you can use the cheaper stuff on your arms and legs. The Neutrogena stuff isn't bad, but is significantly less effective than Ti/Zn creams.

adamhenry

Consumer Reports results reported by WebMD:

bobwysiwyg

I read that a couple of weeks ago. Had been using Coppertone Spray SPF 30 then switched to the Trader Joe's SPF 50.

KonaRider125

Don't use chemical sunscreen, all the crap in it absorbs through your skin and into your bloodstream. Your better off letting the sun fry your skin than using that junk.

Thinksport is a very good brand of chemical free sunscreen that works great for long rides, doesn't smell bad either. Get it on Amazon.

bobwysiwyg

znomit

Another vote for Neutrogena. Spray it on in the morning and it lasts all day. Mid afternoon I usually top up the legs where then elastic can rub the sunscreen off.

Marcus_Ti

Lemme guess, you don't believe in vaccines either.

"chemical free sunscreens"...uh huh. Hoss. They're all chemicals. That is the point. And the ones you're speaking of (and not describing correctly) are demonstrated to not be as effective at sun blocking.

Samuraidog

This! Please check the toxicity of your sunscreen before you use it.

https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/

SpeshulEd 

Woohoo, mine's not toxic!

https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/about-...ick%2C_SPF_30/

Marcus_Ti

Oh Lord.... Those woo peddlers. May as well get geological history from the Ark Experience museum, while you're at it.

KonaRider125

Zinc oxide is the main ingredient in natural sunscreen, works very good at stopping sun burns UV rays, and is non toxic to the human body.

Thinksport a great product for long hot sweaty rides, stays on, it works, and doesn't smell bad.

Thinksport Zinc Oxide Sunscreen 50 SPF 6 oz

Marcus_Ti

Arsenic is all natural too. So is Uranium. So is Radon. Before you go praising zinc...you might want to learn about zinc poisoning. Somehow your skin absorbs manmade chemicals...but doesn't absorb zinc? That is some magical non-scientific woo osmosis theory.

Zinc-based sunscreens are less effective. That is fact. They're "natural" though for all the anti-vaccination anti-GMO crowd.

The problem fundamentally with EWG is they're ultra-conservative and consider anything not studied "dangerous"...and products with even fringe disputable non-conclusive studies with negative verdicts to be worthy of "dangerous". There's lots of criticism from dermatologists and sunscreen studiers of them and their verdicts out there to be read.

Samuraidog

I don't intend for this thread to devolve into a pissing match, but (sorry if I'm misinterpreting) now it seems you are just being a jerk with some kind of agenda. Consumers can make choices based on information at hand. Feel free to use the sunscreen of your choice. No reason to jump in and criticize others trying to help. I prefer to at least know what EWG has to say about the different products and then make a decision on my own.

gsa103

That has not been my experience at all. With chemical based sunscreens I have to re-apply every 2 hours or I get sunburned. The Zn/Ti based sunscreens are consistently good for 4+ hrs.

The SPF rating of zinc/Ti is lower that chemical sunscreens. However, it's also well understood that SPF numbers above 30 do not provide appreciable extra protection. Zn/Ti provide protection against both UVA and UVB rays.

The Skin Cancer Foundation's Guide to Sunscreens - SkinCancer.org

GuitarBob

Wait a second. @KonaRider125 suggests that it's better to risk skin cancer than to apply 'chemical' sunscreen, which is an absurd statement. @Marcus_Ti replies to that by stating that all sunscreens are chemical compounds (along with all other substances on earth), and you call him a jerk? That I find that puzzling.

SpeshulEd 

Or maybe some people just have super sensitive skin. With sweat, cheap commercial sunscreen, and heat, my skin just can't breathe properly and I get funky looking rashes. I've tried just about every sunscreen under the sun (ha, pun) and find the ECO Stick stuff to not cause the same issues as the "less natural" kinds.

*shrug*

People are different, just because the coppertone you bought at the grocery store works for you, it might not work for someone else.

Dunbar

The newer generation of UV filters are photostable and do not break down from UV exposure. These are ingredients like Mexoryl, Tinosorb and Uvinul. They also offer much higher UVA protection than Zn/Ti. Only Mexoryl is FDA approved but the other ingredients are available in sunscreens sold on Amazon, ebay etc.

It's funny how the people who say "don't put chemicals on your skin" always seem to have the worst sun damage. It's funny how that works...

SpeshulEd 

I'm always amazed how many people have advanced chemistry degrees when we have these discussions on the internet, yet the vast majority of Americans still believe climate change is a myth.