Is my family the only one allergic to sunscreen?

[MELSMICE]

There are 5 in my family & 3 of us seem to be allergic to sunscreen. I believe it is the Oxybenzone/Avobenzone ingredient in the sunscreen. I'm guessing this only because I'm allergic to benzoyl peroxide (sp?).

I had found some Blue Lizard sunscreen without this ingredient at Rite Aid last summer. It was zinc oxide based. It worked great, no reactions on anyone. I went back in October & they didn't carry it any more so I ordered it on-line, but when I got it it was a liquid instead of cream & contained Oxybenzone - only 3% though so I didn't think much of it, as most sunscreens contain between 5% - 6% of it. We just used it on our trip last week & the 3 of us broke out in a rash again.

I checked on-line again & found something called Vita Cream that doesn't contain this ingredient. Anyone used this or have any suggestions on something else to use? Was in Rite-Aid again today & they don't carry anything without Oxybenzone/Avobenzone.

 

[SpecialK]

Burt's Bees sunscreen is chemical free. Neither of those ingredients appear on the ingred. list.

 

[MELSMICE]

Burt's Bees sunscreen is chemical free. Neither of those ingredients appear on the ingred. list.

Thank you. I didn't even know that Burt's Bees made a sunscreen. I'll see if I can find it at a drug store first before ordering on-line & pay for shipping.

 

[celerystalker]

Some sunscreens break me out, but I don't think it's the same ingredient. Banana boat works for me.
(Not much help, I know, I just didn't want you to feel alone!)

 

[JessicaR]

My son has allergies and this is also one of his however its tricky to know if they are reacting to the fragrance, active ingredient, or the preservative in the product. PABA (discontinued) was a big one and I know he is allergic to that for sure! zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are usually good choices for those that are allergic but again, everyone is different so trial and error. Chemical-free sunscreens also are available.

We also love Burt's Bees.
Chemical-Free Sunscreen SPF 30
http://www.burtsbees.com/webapp/wcs...14025&catalogId=10051&storeId=10001&langId=-1

 

[Tigger&Belle]

My 8yo has reacted to some ingredient in the spray sunscreens, especially on his torso. It's a pain being allergic to something that you really should be using. When my older kids were younger they reacted to various suncreens, but I never figured out which ingredient was a problem and they outgrew it.

 

[java]

Allergies here too(excema) the only one we can use is
Neutrogena free sunscreen.
(Not the spray either- for some reason the spray makes him break out in the rash)

Also Muestella but that is hard to find- right start used to carry it but then they went out of business in my mall.

 

[KyraS]

When my son was little he had an extreme allergic reaction to the Sunscreen that turns colors, wow I can't remember the name and never thought I would forget it. It was purple and geared towards kids. It caused the sunburn to actually be worse then with no protection. He ended up in the burn center with it. It was HORRIBLE!

 

[clori]

my dd's dermatogist recommended neutragena sensitive skin which has titanium oxide but not many chemicals otherwise.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

yep DS7 has a lot of allergies to synthetic fabrics and juice. Never thought about sunscreen. We were using Hawaiian Tropic Baby faces and DS turned into a bumpy lobster so we switched to Coppertone Water Babies.

I also like the Nutrogena one.

 

[jenwolgey]

My son and I also have problems with sunblock. (Rashes, eczema, etc)

I recommend the Baby Blanket Sunblock. http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog...tegoryId=100182&subCategoryId=100183#products

I think I've also gotten it at Drugstore.com in the past.

 

[Liberty Belle]

I'm allergic to one, I think it's called Sea n Ski or something like that. I've never had a problem with any other.

 

[MELSMICE]

I'm allergic to one, I think it's called Sea n Ski or something like that. I've never had a problem with any other.

That's the thing - for us it's not only one brand. I've tried numerous............

No Ad
Coppertone
Hawaiian Tropic
other generics
Water Babies

We've tried so many. I'm going to try to get some chemical free ones that have been mentioned.

Thanks everyone!

 

[HugsForEeyore]

Funny the OP mentioned being allergic to benzoyl peroxide. I never knew anyone else allergic to it! I am VERY allergic to that stuff - so bad that even one drop on my face will (within a day) cause my entire face to blister and break out in hives, even going into my scalp and down my neck. It took weeks for the blisters to heal. It was scary watching my skin react so badly. I don't want to think how bad the reaction would have been if I used a few drops instead of one.

But that being sad, fortunately I never had a problem with sunscreen. I usually use Banana Boat, and it's been fine. I used other brands over the years and all's been well.

 

[mom2rb]

My boys and I are allergic and we glow in the dark. We can use Banana Boat Kids Tear Free.

 

[Ampris]

I can't put sunscreen anywhere near my face or it'll burn like crazy. Not 'burn' as in a letting-the-sun-through burn, but a horrible, painful burning sensation. It feels like a bad rash or something, and that being so near my eyes is a little worrying, so I just wear hats in any sunny situation. (But maybe I'll look into that Burt's Bees stuff. Chemical free soundd good to me. )

 

[MELSMICE]

Wow, it looks like there many different reactions that people get to sunscreen.

I did a search for chemical free sunscreens & there are quite a few options, Burt's Bees being one of them. I wish there were more options that you could purchase OTC instead of having to search high & low for one.

 

[H&Hmommy]

One thing to remember: If you are wearing a different brand than your child, Put theirs on FIRST! It took us a while to figure out that our son was having a reaction to what little of ours that was left on our hands when we were applying his.