My master’s team practices outdoors all summer (noon on Saturdays!) and I am trying to find a spray sunscreen that will stay on the whole workout and isn’t full of harmful ingredients. I saw the sunscreen thread from 6/19 and this site was super helpful for lotions: breakingnews.ewg.org/2012sunscreen/best-sunscreens/best-beach-sport-sunscreens/ but I can’t reach my own back and I don’t always have someone to put sunscreen on my back before practice. I know sprays are not ideal, but burning my back is less ideal. All the sprays I have looked at have Oxybenzone in them.
Anyone know if a spray that works well during a water work out that does NOT have oxybenzone or other less than ideal chemicals?
If not, I guess the question is: is cancer causing sun exposure better or worse than cancer causing sun screen ingredients?
sorry-harmful ingredients that you don’t want to put on your body. Forgot what a tough crowd this is. my bad.
I am not being snarky here, I swear it, but the alternative is the potential for melanoma. So, avobenzene it is for me.
Zinc oxide has been implicated in some recent study for causing cellular changes that can lead to some skin cancers, but I don’t recall the full findings and whether or not they were legit.
Please be aware that the Environmental Working Group is considered by many to be little more than an alarmist group with an agenda. Think PETA of the sunscreen world. Yes, we should be aware of chemicals and understand the impacts of using them, but please don’t take everything the EWG says as gospel.
For example, the zinc oxide they so dearly love doesn’t provide much protection against UVA rays (the dangerous, cancer causing ones).
Editing to add - I highly recommend. Neutrogena Wet spray for good, stable UVA and UVB protection.
as someone else said, you need to decide if you’d rather put (potentially) dangerous chemicals on your skin or (potentially) get skin cancer. That is a choice for you. I guess you should also consider if really want to hurt the environment with an aerosol spray Which might mean more of the suns rays get to you, but if you’re covered with dangerous chemicals that are preventing the damaging rays to get to you, then you should be okay
Please be aware that the Environmental Working Group is considered by many to be little more than an alarmist group with an agenda. Think PETA of the sunscreen world. Yes, we should be aware of chemicals and understand the impacts of using them, but please don’t take everything the EWG says as gospel.
Neotrogena Wet Skin is what I’m using, atm. 3/GO magazine had a favorable review of it, and, happy coincidence, the local pharmacy had an overstock & coupon, so I picked p a couple of cans. So far, so good, and no complaints from the missus.
My master’s team practices outdoors all summer (noon on Saturdays!) and I am trying to find a spray sunscreen that will stay on the whole workout and isn’t full of harmful ingredients. I saw the sunscreen thread from 6/19 and this site was super helpful for lotions: breakingnews.ewg.org/2012sunscreen/best-sunscreens/best-beach-sport-sunscreens/ but I can’t reach my own back and I don’t always have someone to put sunscreen on my back before practice. I know sprays are not ideal, but burning my back is less ideal. All the sprays I have looked at have Oxybenzone in them.
Anyone know if a spray that works well during a water work out that does NOT have oxybenzone or other less than ideal chemicals?
If not, I guess the question is: is cancer causing sun exposure better or worse than cancer causing sun screen ingredients?
Go to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and buy the lotion applicator back brush. It’s basically like a back scrub brush with spongy material on the end. Works okay and you can use lotion rather than spray.
Oh that is a cool idea. Thanks all for the responses. No I am not the only person on the team, but I’d rather not put lotion on my back and jump in the pool 2 seconds later. Many folks do that, but from what I’ve read, most lotions aren’t formulated to work that quickly.
We live in AZ- land of the blazing sun and I have had melanoma. I’d recommend the cream style sunscreen over the spray when you can but for the purpose of your masters class, why not just use a high quality SPF spray (my family uses Banana Boat)? Yes, it has chemicals but I’m guessing you are in the water for 1-1.5 hours? Just scrub it off in the shower after class. I commend you for worrying about the chemicals, we are exposed to way too many but I think that spraying on some high SPF sunscreen a few times per week is just a drop in the bucket. Other alternative, which is what I do, is to put the sunscreen (cream) on at home, it sinks into my skin on the 5 min drive to the pool and I can hop right in.
Which might mean more of the suns rays get to you, but if you’re covered with dangerous chemicals that are preventing the damaging rays to get to you, then you should be okay