Sunblock Controversy

Revisiting sunblock brands for the first time since 2006, when I experimented.

I swore off Banana Boat Sport Ultra Sweatproof UVA/UVB SPF 30, because, after running, it left "blotches of white on my skin where the sunblock has reappeared."For the most part, I have been using Safeway's Sport Sunblock SPF 30 since that time.

The Safeway Sunblock contains the active ingredient Oxybenzone (4.0%). In addition, it contains Homosalate (10%), Octinoxate (7.5%), and Octisalate (5.0%). Wikidpedia states Oxybenzone "may be linked to increased risks of malignant melanoma, a rarer but more deadly form of skin cancer." However, the article concludes, "Most health authorities and medical associations have concluded that on the whole, sunscreen use is beneficial, but there is not yet a thorough consensus."

The primary claim with ingredients like Oxybenzone seems to be (again, from Wikipedia) "free radical generation by sunscreen chemicals that have penetrated into the skin." According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control, 97% of Americans have it in our skin.

The Environmental Working Group lists a number of their concerns here: http://www.ewg.org/node/26212.

So, the obvious question is, what to replace it with? I do not have the answer, as of yet, but will be investigating alternatives.