Summer is officially over - I know it's sad. But don't worry fall is here and that means the return of pumpkin scones at Starbucks (a personal favorite of mine), football, beautiful foliage and some cooler temps. The transition from one season to another also brings about some changes in skin care. Of course some things should always remain consistent year-round (like wearing sunscreen). Below are five fall skin care tips [More]

Recently there's been a bunch of news about the hashtag #sunburnart popping up on social media. The hashtag is exactly what it sounds like - people creating artwork on their skin by selective applying sunscreen and getting sunburned elsewhere. I'm not going to sugar coat it; sunburn art is not art - it's dangerous, unhealthy and extremely painful. [More]

Yes sunscreen shaming is actually a thing that happens today and it's unfortunate. The whole idea of shaming - be it for shape, size, color or something else - is sad. With the growth of social media it's only made shaming more prevalent. Now we can add sunscreen to the list. I didn't think it was real until I saw an entire Reddit forum around it. Additionally, Allure did a recent article on this very subject. [More]

Hope you are all enjoying the summer and getting in some fun at the beach and in the sun. Of course I also hope you are wearing sunscreen. I'm sure you are because you all are frequent readers of our suncare smarts education series! Lately a number of people have asked me how sunscreens work and specifically the difference between mineral and chemical sunscreens. I'm here to answer this question for you all and add to our suncare smarts series... [More]

Yes it pained me to write that title especially as it's Skin Cancer Awareness month, skin cancer is on the rise and even more so because it has been proven that there is a direct connection between sunscreen and the prevention of skin damage and premature skin aging. But it's sadly the truth that most Americans don't wear sunscreen. There's even a discussion lately on the internet about sunscreen shaming. I was so surprised that people were actually being criticized for wearing sunscreen. [More]

With Memorial Day around the corner and our great sale (ok I had to plug it) the official start of summer is here. Summer means warm weather, vacation, beaches and lots of sunshine. Of course at Block Island Organics summer also means sunblock (really it's year-round for us) and playing safe and smart in the sun. The National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention seems to agree. They've designated Friday, May 22nd as "Don't Fry Day" to encourage sun safety awareness as we head into summer. [More]

It's Earth Day today, April 22nd, 2015. Today is also the 45th anniversary of Earth Day. At Block Island Organics we are passionate about the outdoors so we care about the state of our environment. So in celebration we'd like to highlight some history, fun news and special offers around this important day. Additionally, we have our own special offer for Earth Day - use the code "earthday2015" from April 22-28th, 2015 to save 20% on our new Purifying Facial Cleanser and Revitalizing Night Cream. [More]

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]

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]

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]