What’s this new thing on sunscreen labels? PA level explained.

IT’S SUMMER!  Although sun is out all year long, here in WV we are finally enjoying the sunshine.  With that, there are a few additional things to think about with lip care.  Unfortunately our lips can take a beating throughout the year, so to learn more check our our winter counterpart article at the end. 

My teenage girls would have a long list of suggestions and tips for you in this blog post that include brands like “Laneige” and “Summer Fridays”.  Flavors, colors and scents galore.  This post is much more practical, and I’ll explain why?  

Dermatologists are boring.  LOL.  And maybe a little smart.

Damage to the lips from the sun is a real thing.  This one seems to be much more common in men because women tend to have their lips covered with something.  Even plain old lipstick and lip stain seems to offer some bit of sun protection.  Combine a salty breeze or time on the water and lips start really feeling the elements.  

Today we’ll review what to look for in summer lip balms and some that I like myself.  Here we go!

Mineral UV SPF Protection – When looking for UV SPF protection from the sun, try to avoid putting chemical sunscreens on your lips.  As always, we love ZINC oxide and TITANIUM oxide as the ONLY active ingredients.  This step alone eliminates A LOT of choices.  Most of the SPF lip balms contain chemical sunscreens.  Two girly choice we sell at the Spring Boutique and recommend are COOLA LipLux Trio and Colorescience Lip Shine.  Other unisex options are Blue Lizard Lip Balm, Dr Dan’s SPF Mineral Lip Balm,  Raw Elements Mineral Lip Rescue, Badger Mineral Lip Balm, Raw Love Mineral Lip Balm and SunBum Mineral Lip Balm. Most of these are available on Amazon.

Water Resistance – While this is important, unfortunately, water resistance does not equal “friction resistance”.  Lip balms wipe off easily and will need to be reapplied.  Some of the products listed above also claim water resistance.

Fragrance Free- One of the biggest issues with lip products is that we can develop an irritant or allergic contact dermatitis to the fragrance and scents in them.  Of the products above, Sun Bum, Dr Dan’s and Badger are listed as fragrance free or unscented. 

As Always READ THE LABEL.  I always care more about the characteristics above than the actual SPF and REAPPLY!  From my own experience, it is VERY HARD to find these at regular stores so order online or stop in the Spring Boutique.  Happy Summer!

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