June 9th, 2011

If you want to protect your skin from the sun this summer, get ready to squint at the fine print on those sunscreens lined up at the local drug store — according to an analysis by a consumer advocacy group only one in five are both safe and effective.

The Environmental Working Group’s 5^th annual Sunscreen Report reviewed 600 sport and beach sunscreens, and found that just 129 of them could be counted on to exclude toxic compounds and also provide reliable broad spectrum sun protection.

Among the products that failed to make the cut are many familiar brands, like Neutrogena, Hawaiian Tropics, Revlon, Panama Jack and even some brands billed as being more eco-friendly, like Nature’s Gate Organics.

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