SunClear Natural Sunscreen SPF 30

Waterproof Sunburn Protection. Provides high protection against sunburn, and non-toxic ingredients make it safe for children and infants.

Sunshine is very important for our health since it allows our bodies to make Vitamin D. Our country (adults and children) has an epidemic levels Vitamin D deficiency, so reducing sun exposure is NOT necessarily a good idea. However, too much sun and sunburn is dangerous, especially for babies and young children.

If you are planning long boat rids or a long day in the sun, keep yourself and your children well protected with safe sunblock/sunscreen, clothing, and under some shade. But FIRST, it's a good idea to get 15-30 minutes of sunshine exposure per day on your body without sunscreen/sunblock and without clothing on at least 50% of your body (cover your face since it has the most delicate skin and most prone to damage).

Don't forget that Sunblock/Suncreen BLOCKS the body's ability to make Vitamin D. So that's why you need to get a little unprotected sun each day (or a couple times a week) to allow your body to get a good dose of Vitamin D - a vitamin critical for your health. Vitamin D deficiency is responsible for far more cancers and illness than damage and cancers from sunshine exposure. So don't miss out on sunshine! But do protect your skin with safe ingredients.

-Annika Rockwell, CN

Active Ingredients:
25.9% Zinc Oxide

Inactive Ingredients: Capric/Caprylic Triglycerides, Rose Hip Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Sesame Seed Oil, Shea Butter, Vegetable Oil, Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Coconut

Recommended Usage:
Apply to affected as needed or as directed by a doctor.

Warnings: For external use only.
Store below 30C.

Sunscreens are a preventive health practice that is safe, economical and which can greatly reduce your chances of developing skin cancer. Sunscreens will lower your risk of skin cancer and protect your skin from looking weathered and aged before its time.

Recent studies show that UV light causes DNA mutations to occur in the skin. These mutations lead to cancer. Exposure to the sun thickens the skin and a tan is a sign of sun-injury. Sunscreen can protect the skin from these harmful effects.

Sunscreens are designed to aid the body's natural defense mechanisms in protecting against harmful UV radiation from the sun. They work by absorbing, reflecting or scattering the sun's rays on the skin. The SPF of a sunscreen is calculated by comparing the amount of time needed to produce a sunburn on sunscreen-protected skin to the amount of time needed to cause a sunburn on unprotected skin. Higher SPF sunscreens offer greater protection from sunburn, which is caused mostly by UVB rays.

Individuals who have light complexions should use a sunscreen with a protection of at least 30. Other individuals should use a sunscreen with at least a protection level of 15. All sunscreens should protect against UVA and UVB rays. No matter the degree of protection you are using, if you do not apply it correctly it will not protect your skin adequately. Sunscreen should be applied at least one-half hour before sun exposure.

Thousands of individuals die each year from skin cancer. Education about the sun and its harmful effects on the skin is being taught to children so they can protect their health and not repeat the mistakes of earlier generations. Attitudes are slowly changing as society realizes that the sun is something we should protect our skin from, and we should no longer be trying to soak it up.

New research has the potential to develop sunscreen that can offer immune system protection and that can greatly enhance the ability to deflect the sun's rays. However, sunscreens are only one part of a comprehensive sun protection regimen and should be used in conjunction with other protective measures. In addition to wearing sunscreen, and reapplying it every 2 hours, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends that everyone be sun smart by following these sun protection guidelines:

• Seek shade whenever possible.
• Avoid outdoor activities between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the sun's rays are the strongest
• Follow the "Shadow Rule" - if your shadow is shorter than you are, the sun's damaging rays are at their strongest and you are likely to sunburn.
• Avoid tanning beds.

References:

1. Nassau County Health Department Jacksonville online.
2. "Preventing melanoma". Cancer Research UK. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
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4. [1] What You Need To Know About Skin Cancer.
5. a b "Re: Tentative Final Monograph for OTC Sunscreen". Food and Drug Administration (United States). 1998-09-11. Retrieved 2009-09-25.
6. Diffey B (2001). "When should sunscreen be reapplied?". J Am Acad Dermatol 45 (6): 882?5. doi:10.1067/mjd.2001.117385. PMID 11712033.
7. a b c d Hanson, KM; Gratton, E; Bardeen, CJ (2006). "Sunscreen enhancement of UV-induced reactive oxygen species in the skin". Free Radical Biology and Medicine 11 (8): 1205. doi:10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2006.06.011. PMID 17015167.
8. Faurschou A, Wulf HC (April 2007). "The relation between sun protection factor and amount of sunscreen applied in vivo". Br. J. Dermatol. 156 (4): 716?9. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2133.2006.07684.x. PMID 17493070.
9. "Sunburn Protection Factor (SPF)". Food and Drug Administration (United States). 2009-04-30. Retrieved 2009-09-25.
10. Stege, H; Budde; Grether-Beck; Richard; Rougier; Ruzicka; Krutmann (2002). "Sunscreens with high SPF values are not equivalent in protection from UVA induced polymorphous light eruption". European journal of dermatology : EJD 12 (4): IV?VI. PMID 12118426.
11. Haywood, R.; Wardman, P.; Sanders, R.; Linge, C. (2003). "Sunscreens inadequately protect against ultraviolet-A-induced free radicals in skin: implications for skin aging and melanoma?". The Journal of investigative dermatology 121 (4): 862?868. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1747.2003.12498.x. PMID 14632206.
12. Moyal, D.; Fourtanier, A. (2008). "Broad-spectrum sunscreens provide better protection from solar ultraviolet-simulated radiation and natural sunlight-induced immunosuppression in human beings". Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 58 (5 Suppl 2): S149?S154. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2007.04.035. PMID 18410801.
13. Berneburg M, Plettenberg H, Medve-K”nig K, Pfahlberg A, Gers-Barlag H, Gefeller O, Krutmann J (2004). "Induction of the photoaging-associated mitochondrial common deletion in vivo in normal human skin". J Invest Dermatol 122 (5): 1277?83. doi:10.1111/j.0022-202X.2004.22502.x. PMID 15140232.
14. MSNBC.com : Sunscreen ? protection or 'snake oil?'
15. Pinnell SR, Fairhurst D, Gillies R, Mitchnick MA, Kollias N (April 2000). "Microfine zinc oxide is a superior sunscreen ingredient to microfine titanium dioxide". Dermatol Surg 26 (4): 309?14. doi:10.1046/j.1524-4725.2000.99237.x. PMID 10759815.