Being the makers of a wide array of organic skin care products, we at Replenish Plus know exactly which sunscreen is best able to protect your skin from the summer sun – and from industrial chemicals! As with all other skin care products, there are a lot of industry tricksters, and deceptive labeling which turns picking the most effective sunscreen into a challenge. Fortunately, we are fully devoted to protecting you and your skin, which is why have created a comprehensive guide to determine the best sunscreen for you and your family during this vacation season.
First, a quick breakdown on ultraviolet (UV) rays (what you are protecting your skin against with the most effective sunscreens). There are two types of UV rays – Ultra Violent A (UVA), and Ultra Violet B (UVB). Both forms can give you skin cancer, so the FDA recommends a “broad spectrum” sunscreen that can protect against each. However, the FDA does not explain which sunscreen works best – so we will.
UVA is further divided into two types – UVA1 and UVA2. Here is where the sunscreen companies get sneaky and customers get fooled: UVA1 is more prevalent in the atmosphere than UVA2, but most sunscreen brands only protect against UVA2 because the ingredients cost less. This way, sunscreen companies can use the cheapest ingredients and still classify themselves as “broad spectrum”.
As for specific chemicals to watch out for, the most effective sunscreen will never list “oxybenzone” as an ingredient. Even though this chemical has been clinically proven to interfere with the skin’s ability to regulate temperature (and also contains damaging free radicals that makes skin age), it is nonetheless one of the most prevalent chemicals used in sunscreens. If your sunscreen has oxybenzone, it also has an acidic PH balance, which cancer cells thrive on – trust us, you do not want to create a hospitable environment for cancer cells while sunbathing, so don’t put this on!
To recap, the best sunscreen protects against both UVA types, is not acidic, and does not use oxybenzone. Instead, Zinc Oxide is the only natural ingredient proven to provide protection against the full UV spectrum by absorbing UVB and both forms of UVA, especially the dreaded UVA1. As such, Replenish Plus only uses Zinc Oxide for the best sunscreen possible!