wear sunscreen

Alex Liivet

You Really Shouldn’t Try Making Your Own Sunscreen

The promise of DIY sunscreen is similar to that of other products you make for yourself at home: for your time, you’ll get a product that’s gentler, not full of mysterious “chemicals,” and cheaper. While many things are fun and easy to make yourself at home, sunscreen shouldn’t be one of them: its effectiveness is lab-tested and quantified right on the bottle. [More]

Does A Reformulation Make Coppertone Sport Less Effective?

Does A Reformulation Make Coppertone Sport Less Effective?

Natalia noticed two bottles of sunscreen side by side at CVS. Initially, it appeared that one was a great deal because it offered 33% more volume at the same price: sort of a reverse Grocery Shrink Ray. Turning the bottle over, though, she read that the bottle had a little less of each of the effective ingredients: about 10% less by volume than the smaller bottle. Doesn’t that mean you have to use more sunblock to get the same effect? [More]

Holy Crap, Aerosol Sunscreen Can Set People On Fire

Holy Crap, Aerosol Sunscreen Can Set People On Fire

They’re two staples of a summer day in the Northeast: a backyard grill and a bottle of sunscreen. Why not reapply some sunscreen before you prepare for a long session cooking some meats? It’s not such a good idea if your sunscreen is the spray-on kind. Sure, the can says “flammable,” but it didn’t occur to a Massachusetts man that this statement is also true after the sunscreen is on your skin, for several minutes after application. He applied some Banana Boat Sport aerosol sunscreen, walked over to his charcoal grill, and was engulfed in flames. He ended up with second-degree burns on his upper body. Way more painful than a sunburn…but no excuse to skip putting on sunscreen. [More]

Skin Experts: Sunburns During Childhood Double Risk Of Skin Cancer

Skin Experts: Sunburns During Childhood Double Risk Of Skin Cancer

In case you needed any more reason to protect your kids from the sun, skin care experts say sunburns in childhood and adolescence double victims’ chances of suffering skin cancer later in life. [More]