Outdoors

Outdoor Product Recommendations

MADE SAFE^® Certified Products:

Annmarie Gianni Skin Care for Sun Love sunscreen
Kosmatology bug repellent balm
MamaEarth for mineral-based sunscreen and insect repellent
True Botanicals for mineral-based sunscreen

Tips:

• Common active ingredients in conventional insect repellent like DEET, cyfluthrin, and pyrethroids can harm our health and the environment. Knowing your area and if you are at risk for a mosquito-borne or tick-borne illness can help you make the right bug repellent choice for you and your family.
• Some plants have pharmacological and biological properties that make plant extracts effective insect repellent:
  • citronella
  • clove oil
  • geraniol
  • lemongrass
  • lemon eucalyptus
  • linalool
  • neem
  • thyme
  • chrysanthemum oil
• Avoid mixing chemical sunscreen and bug sprays: The sunscreen chemical oxybenzone has been shown to enhance the absorption rate of DEET.
• Learn more in our report Bug Repellent: What’s In It?
• Avoid sunscreens made with oxybenzone and octinoxate, which are linked to hormone disruption, organ system toxicity, and cancer. Also, avoid the chemical homosalate, which is linked to hormone disruption.
• Use clothing and hats to cover up so that sunscreen isn’t always necessary.
• For young children’s sensitive skin, avoid the strongest sun hours between 10am – 2pm.
• Look for sunscreens with non-nano zinc oxide or non-nano titanium dioxide, which are both UV resistant. These are the active ingredients in sunscreens used as common substitutes to the chemicals of known concern listed above.