Food Allergies and Sunscreen

School is out now and over the last few weeks, I've had to start applying sunscreen since the temps are warm enough to warrant shorts and short sleeve shirts. When my son was first diagnosed with his food allergies, I thoroughly investigated--and I mean thoroughly!--sunscreen. People often forget about skin contact with allergens. Unfortunately, non-food products are not required to label top 8 allergens on their list of ingredients, so you really have to do your homework when it comes to cosmetics and other non-food products (shampoos, sunscreen, etc). I always try to get allergen information in writing. It's hard enough to have faith in companies today, what with daily food recalls and frequent outbreaks of E. Coli and who-knows-what-else. If I cannot get a reassuring answer in writing, I won't buy it.

I'm a fan of Aveeno. Aveeno products are marketed as good for those with sensitive skin and our pediatrician has been recommending Aveeno products for my sons for years. I purchased Aveeno Baby Sunscreen because I thought it would be the most gentle for my son's sensitive skin. It is not labeled as being free of any of the top 8 food allergens, but it works well for him, is easy to apply, and is not particularly greasy.

I like California Baby because of its lack of certain ingredients--it is free of peanuts, oats, dairy and gluten. I did not see tree nuts (such as almonds, walnuts, etc) listed as ingredients, but coconut--classified as a tree nut by FDA--is an ingredient in some of the products. I have a tube of the SPF30+ no fragrance sunscreen. It seems to work well, is not especially greasy but is a bit thick to spread on the skin so it is not as easy to apply as my other sunscreens at home.

Another sunscreen has caught my attention the last couple years, but I haven't had the opportunity to try it yet: KINeSYS. It is free of "parabens, preservatives, nanoparticles, nuts, nut oil, gluten, dairy, egg, soy, sulphites..." 

What is your favorite food allergy friendly sunscreen?