Oxybenzone: Worse than Parabens?
You may remember that back in June I begged for moisturizer recommendations. After six months of trial and error I still haven’t found anything ideal. I may have to revise my expectations. Even the moisturizers advertised as paraben free generally contained oxybenzone, a chemical that’s classified by the Environmental Working Group as worse than parabens. Of course, most sunscreens with parabens also contain oxybenzone, so it’s probably best to steer away from chemical sunscreens entirely. (Although they are better for you than skin cancer.)
Mineral sunscreens containing titanium dioxide or zinc oxide are the way to go, but I generally find them too thick and greasy.
For what it’s worth, here are the moisturizers I’ve tried, in descending order of preference. None of them are tested on animals, so they’re at least better than Oil of Olay.
- Kiss My Face Everyday SPF 15. Octinoxate. Oxybenzone. Not tested on animals, contains no animal ingredients or parabens. No greasy residue. Smells faintly of honey. 11 ounces, $13.
- Alba Sea Moss Moisturizer SPF 15 – Octinoxate. Oxybenzone. Avabenzone. Similar to Kiss My Face , but more expensive. Smells kind of like green tea. 2 ounces, $15.
- Aveda Botanical Kinetics Hydrating Lotion – No sunscreen, so it doesn’t fit my initial criteria. But it goes on so smooth, almost like water, and smells vaguely citrusy, so I’d be happy to use it at night. (And I love Aveda stores.) 5 ounces, $32.
- Juice Beauty SPF 30 Mineral Light Moisturizer – Titanium Dioxide. Fits all my criteria and smells lightly citrusy, but thicker, harder to rub in, and a little greasy. 2 ounces, $29.
- Aveda Inner Light Mineral Tinted Moisturize SPF 15 – Titanium Dioxide. Similar to the Juice Beauty, but tinted. Kind of like a thick liquid makeup. Smells like makeup, too. 1.7 ounces, $28.
- Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Moisturizer SPF 15 – Parabens. Oxybenzone. Octinoxate. Octocrylene. A decent moisturizer (a little greasy). Fragrence free. 8.4 ounces, $34.
- Trader Joe’s Enrich Moisturizing Face Lotion with SPF 15 – Octinoxate. Zinc Dioxide. Fragrance free, but stings my face and tarnishes my jewelry. 4 ounces, $4.49.
Any more suggestions? It may be a while before I try them. I admit to being more than a little cheap, so I’m going to finish off the bottles I have (even if I hate them) before getting more.
More from my site
Posted: February 10th, 2011 under Health/Beauty.
Tags: moisturizers, oxybenzone, parabens, sunscreen, This is exhausting., titanium dioxide, zinc oxide
Comment from Jenn
Time February 17, 2011 at 7:48 pm
Hi there!–
Sorry I missed this before–I don’t know if it helps at all, but just yesterday I did my own “favorite moisturizer” post (http://greenmomintheburbs.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/my-favorite-wintertime-moisturizer/)–and believe it or not, NOTHING for me works as well as a tiny bit of grapeseed or almond oil, maybe with a little essential oil to give it a nice scent, rubbed into just-barely-still-damp skin after washing hands or taking a shower. Seriously, it works GREAT. And is scary-cheap, with no scary ingredients.
Seriously worth a try!
–Jenn