Ok I'm going to answer part of the question I pose in our title upfront. It's probably going to be difficult to avoid phthalates all together. Nevertheless there are ways to reduce your exposure to phthalates and we can help you with tips to do so. We want to present you with information on this topic so that you can make informed decisions. Finally we want to note that here at Block Island Organics our products do not contain phthalates. [More]

Wow, we think this is pretty cool. Miami Beach is putting in free sunblock dispensers throughout the city. 50 of the sunscreen stations will go in at public schools, parks and beach access points and the effort is sponsored by Mount Sinai Medical Center. Now, while we wish it was our sunscreen going into these dispensers, that would be huge for us, were just happy to see sun protection taken so seriously. [More]

Back in November Congress passed the Sunscreen Innovation Act. Its aim is to speed up the approval process for new sunscreen ingredients. In particular, it's been 25 years since any new ingredient was approved and eight ingredients have been waiting over 12 years for approval. Many of these eight ingredients are already in use in Europe, Asia and elsewhere. Slam dunk for these new sunblock ingredients, right? [More]

It's March and it's still so cold! Last year was brutal and the winter extended way beyond it's welcome. Now I don't hate winter and I do love snow but I'm definitely ready for the season to turn. I can't wait for spring to come along. Because I just need to indulge and dream of warmer temps, I decided to put a list together of five things I'm looking forward to [More]

Last week Will and I took a romantic Valentine's trip to Maui, Hawaii with Will's sister and his dad. Hahaha! Ok so it was more like a family vacation that happened to cross over on Valentine's Day. It actually was a great time - filled with sun, sand, surf and of course sunblock! And I must say it timed perfectly against the zero degree temps on the East Coast. Check out some of the highlights from our trip. [More]

A few weeks ago we began our "Ingredient Truths" series and talked about parabens. In my post on parabens I mentioned that parabens could be hidden within the ingredient "fragrance" (aka "parfum"). This week I wanted to provide more information on this ingredient for you - what is Fragrance, should you be concerned and how do you look out for it. [More]

A while back we brought you the story of PGA Golf Pro Stewart Cink's crazy head tan. Well, turns out he's not the only one who could use a bit more sunscreen in his life. It seems Miami Heat radio announcer Joseph Zagacki forgot to slather up too. Check out those raccoon eyes! [More]

Let's just say off the bat that we were a little skeptical. How does a smartphone app improve sun protection? This must be a joke I thought...but no, two studies actually bear this out according to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMMA). [More]

We believe ingredients matter at Block Island Organics and we want to be open and honest about what goes into our products. We also believe in educating consumers about suncare, sun protection and healthy living in general. As part of our commitment to building a safe brand that you can trust we'll be doing an on-going series on ingredients. We'll break down what these ingredients do, what they mean for you and any concerns. This week we'll be talking about parabens. [More]

Here's some exciting news in the world of sunscreen and a small win for sun protection! Recently President Obama signed the Sunscreen Innovation Act into law after it was approved by the Senate and House of Representatives. The law will allow the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to approve new sunscreen ingredients more quickly. [More]