Every year the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit consumer advocacy group, puts out a new sunscreen guide. This is the guide's 8th year and we are named one of the best sunscreens out there! What is the EWG guide? It contains hundreds of sunscreens / sunblocks the EWG examines and rates. They painstakingly look through sunscreens ingredient by ingredient to determine what works and what is safe. In their own words it "gives shoppers an easy-to-use, searchable online database to the safest, most effective sun protection products." [More]

I wish I started using sunscreen as a child. I didn't become a daily sunscreen user until my 30s and the effects of sun damage are cumulative. So parents, it's really important to start protecting your kids from the sun from day one. Yes - day one. Trust me, they will thank you later on in life when they have no fine lines, wrinkles or skin damage in their 40s! [More]

A bipartisan effort by Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA), and Congressmen John Dingell (D-MI) and Ed Whitfield (R-KY), the Sunscreen Innovation Act aims to streamline the approval process for new UV filters / sunblock active ingredients. It is a long time coming... [More]

Even though I'm 35, sometimes I'm asked for ID when I go out. I pretend to be insulted but it kind of feels good when someone says it. Ha! I think I'm asked is because I've kept my skin in good shape over the years. Once in a while my friends even ask how I keep my skin looking young. It's probably a testament to my mom's nagging, okay, loving advice for 35 years! She taught me a few key things that I think help everyday. [More]

I wish I knew about the importance of sunscreen back in my teens and the role the sun plays in aging and skin cancer. Sometimes I wish that I could go back in time and impart all the knowledge and information I have today on my younger self. Of course this dream would go beyond just imparting sunscreen knowledge! Nevertheless, the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund shot this awesome video featuring Melanoma survivors giving advice to their 16 year old selves. [More]

Getting teenagers to use sunscreen can be a daunting task. It's not something they (or even most people) come to daily. Plus things like tanning beds and that "healthy glow" are a part of many teen lives. Yet daily sunblock use beginning early in life is the best thing they can do for their skin. It protects against both premature skin aging and skin cancer. So what motivates teens to use sunscreen? A recent study thought to answer just that... [More]

Ok let me give you the answer right off the bat. Experts agree makeup with SPF is not enough to protect your skin. I made this mistake for so long, up until I started working on Block Island Organics actually. I used to believe my SPF 15 cream foundation was enough everyday protection against the sun. [More]

I can't remember the number of times I've put on sunscreen only to realize I have a burn in some strange spot by the end of the day. After happening often enough I'm now pretty good at covering all the various places on my body. That said, here are the spots I (as well as the other folks a Block Island Organics) sometimes forget to cover. [More]

So this week we have something fun to share. Specifically, Stewart Cink's crazy bald headed tan line. Twitter user Ben Taylor captured the image below. Take a look... [More]

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) took place last week in Las Vegas. If you're unfamiliar with CES, it's an annual electronics show where all the latest gadgets are debuted from small and large companies alike. It certainly doesn't sound like a place where anything to do with sun safety would come out of. This year, not so, as Netatmo announced their soon to be released JUNE bracelet. [More]