Neutrogena Ultra-Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock SPF 45

Ah spring- out in the garden vigorously digging and planting, happily weeding and mulching. Despite wrestling with an eruption of mutant onion grass nothing short of epidemic I feel great. My muscles ache with a good kind of sore that signals hard work, but not too hard. And the garden is beautiful. Bursting with the buds of new life- the promise of beauty to come...

But I said this was going to be about Neutrogena sunscreen didn't I?

The back story- I try to follow the guidelines-  only work outside until 10:00 AM, stay out of the sun until after 4:00 PM. I cover up- wear the big ridiculous hat. But sometimes the overwhelming power of warm sun and cool breeze, the pleasure of hard uncomplicated physical labor and gardening's instant gratification mesmerize me and I stay out too long. In years past I'd just slather on layer after layer of sunscreen and feel confident I was being smart and proactive. A no-brainer, right?

Not exactly. I just read Skin Deep's expose' and learned how little anyone actually knows about the efficacy and the safety of sunscreen. The incongruities are shocking. From questions about its ability to adequately protect against UV rays to the inclusion of downright dangerous ingredients- it's all bad news. You want an example? Okay, how about the vitamin A used in sunscreen has been linked to skin tumors? (NIH Panel press release January 2011)

more after the jump...



So it's definitely a case of buyer beware.  And that brings us full circle to my previously old reliable, Neutrogena Ultra-Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock SPF 45 
It received a whopping 7 from Skin Deep. That's in the red zone - as in high hazard!  Here's the breakdown taken directly from EWG's Skin Deep database:


 Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock, SPF 45 (old formulation)

SCORE:	how to read the score
UVB Protection (SPF)	EXCELLENT
UVA Protection	MODERATE
UVA/UVB Balance	MODERATE
Sunscreen Stability	GOOD
Health Concern	HIGH
Product Type	sunscreen: SPF greater than 30
Made by	Neutrogena by Johnson & Johnson
Data last updated	August 2007

Hey...  WAIT!  Before you go here to read the results for yourselves I want to give you a link to find safer alternatives.  All of these sunscreens were assessed by EWGs Skin Deep  and received a low to no hazard risk ( 1- 2  ).  So what are you doing to protect yourself ? I'm about to order hara from Amazon.com.  I'd love to hear what you're doing!                                                                           NOW-  for those of you who just want to see the Neutrogena results here they are:                                                                                       Health concerns of ingredients
Overall Hazard
Cancer
Developmental & reproductive toxicity
Allergies & immunotoxicity
Use restrictions
Other HIGH concerns: Neurotoxicity, Endocrine disruption, Miscellaneous, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Contamination concerns, Occupational hazards, Biochemical or cellular level changes
Other MODERATE concerns: Persistence and bioaccumulation, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
Other LOW concerns: Ecotoxicology, Data gaps, Enhanced skin absorption

Sunscreen Ingredients: AVOBENZONE 2% HOMOSALATE 7% OCTINOXATE 7.5% OCTISALATE 5% OXYBENZONE 3%

Sunscreen UV Absorbance Absorbance is the capacity of the sunscreen to absorb UV radiation before it reaches your skin.

Label Information Ingredients from packaging

:

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: AVOBENZONE 2.0%, HOMOSALATE 7.0%, OCTINOXATE 7.5%, OCTISALATE 5.0%, OXYBENZONE 3.0%. INACTIVE INGREDIENTS: WATER, SILICA, ADIPIC ACID/DIETHYLENE GLYCOL/GLYCERIN CROSSPOLYMER, VP-HEXADECENE COPOLYMER, DIMETHICONE, HYDROXYETHYL ACRYLATE/SODIUM ACRYLOYLDIMETHYLTAURATE COPOLYMER, GLYCERIN, OAT (AVEENA SATIVA) KERNEL EXTRACT, SQUALANE, ASCORBYL PALMITATE, RETINYL PALMITATE, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, BHT, CETYL DIMETHICONE, DISABOLOL, DIPOTASSIUM GLYCYRRHIZATE, GLYCERYL STEARATE, PEG-100 STEARATE, POLYSORBATE 60, TETRASODIUM EDTA, BUTYLENE GLYCOL, TRIMETHYLSILOXYSILICATE, XANTHAN GUM, BENZYL ALCOHOL, ISOPROPYLPARABEN, ISOBUTYLPARABEN, BUTYLPARABEN, PHENOXYETHANOL, FRAGRANCE.