Chart Comparing the Toxicant Profiles of Popular Sunscreen Products

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Each product image in the grid below is a link to an article with the full original lab report for the product pictured (or to the fundraising campaign to cover the costs of testing and reporting for that product if it is noted as “Pending” but not “funded”).

For more information about the Lead Safe Mama, LLC Community Collaborative Laboratory Testing Initiative, & to see our full chart comparing the lab test results for all of the sunscreen products we have tested to date please continue reading below this grid

Please join us on Patreon to be among the first to see new articles with product lab reports as soon as they are published (including those noted in the grid below as both “Pending” and “Funded”). You can join us on Patreon for FREE or with a small monthly contribution in support of the work of Lead Safe Mama, LLC. Thank you. To join us on Patreon, click the PATREON button in the grid below.

To nominate a product for community-funded laboratory testing, click the NOMINATE button in the grid below and follow the instructions on that page.



A “Qualified” Safer Choice, Read More Below.

All of the sunscreens we have tested to date (through the Lead Safe Mama, LLC community-collaborative laboratory testing initiative) have tested positive for Lead — with one exception. The following link is to the only sunscreen we have found (to date, with independent, third party, community-funded laboratory testing) that has tested “non-detect” for Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, & Arsenic (the first item listed on the chart below – scroll down for details, including the low thresholds of detection for each element we tested this product for): https://amzn.to/3TsLgLb


Background on Lead Safe Mama, LLC’s Community Collaborative Laboratory Testing Initiative

 

The Lead Safe Mama, LLC (LSM) team has been conducting independent, community-funded, scientific testing of consumer goods since 2009. Prior to 2024 our work primarily focused on testing consumer goods (including dishes, toys, household items, furniture, jewelry, etc.) using XRF technology.

In March of 2024, LSM began coordinating independent, third-party, community-collaborative laboratory testing of foods, supplements, cosmetics, and personal-care items. Since then we have sent more than 400 community-nominated products to laboratories, testing for Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, and Arsenic. You can find all of our published lab reports for products we have tested through this initiative to date on this link — sunscreen products are just a small subset of the products we have tested.


How are products chosen for testing?
How is this third-party, independent testing and reporting paid for?

This laboratory testing initiative is driven by the interests and priorities of the greater Lead Safe Mama community (we had nearly 2.3 million unique individual readers here on this website in the 2024 calendar year alone and also have a strong social media presence  — with over 100,000 followers each on both Instagram and Facebook).

Lead Safe Mama online community members nominate products for laboratory testing and then the LSM community uses crowd-funding (including through GoFundMe) to raise the money needed and cover the costs related to testing and reporting for these nominated products. This is how the products listed in the chart below were chosen for testing, and how the testing and reporting was paid for.

This unique model of community-directed (and community-funded) testing and reporting helps ensure that this initiative is truly free of corporate influence, and instead strongly rooted in science (without bias).


Pending Sunscreen Campaigns

In addition to the lab test results for the FOURTEEN sunscreen products we have published to date (scroll down to see a summary chart with those test results – links to each of the published reports are also in the grid at the top of this page), through the LSM Laboratory Testing Initiative  (in our search for a safer sunscreen product) the additional sunscreen products listed below have also been nominated for testing and reporting.

Each line item below is a link to a campaign on GoFundMe for which we have not yet raised all the funds to cover the costs of testing and reporting (if you would like to help us get the reports for any of these products published more quickly, please click the link and make a contribution in support of helping to cover the costs for laboratory testing and reporting for the product you are curious about  — even $10 or $15 would be helpful in getting us closer to getting all of these products tested and getting their lab reports published and  shared! Thank you!) Here also is the link to our budget (the budget detailing how we spend the funs raised through each of these campaigns).

Some of the sunscreens for which we have already published the lab reports did not fully fund (we did not raise enough to cover the costs of testing and reporting for that product, but chose to send it off to the lab early as we felt it would be an important data point to collect). Those still-open (not-yet-funded) campaigns are also listed below.

  1. Attitude Baby Oatmeal Sunscreen, SPF 30
  2. Attitude Sunly Face Sunscreen, SPF 30
  3. NEW – Attitude Sunly Kids Sunscreen Stick – SPF 30
  4. NEW – Aveeno Baby Continuous Protection – SPF 50
  5. NEW – Badger Baby Mineral Sunscreen Cream – SPF 40
  6. Badger Zinc Oxide Face Sunscreen, SPF 30
  7. Banana Boat Sport Ultra Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50
  8. Beef Tallow Sunscreen Face & Body, SPF 30
  9. Black Girl Sunscreen, SPF 30
  10. NEW – Bliss Baby Mineral Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50
  11. NEW – Botao Baby Mineral Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50
  12. NEW California Baby Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 30
  13. Coola Organic Face Sunscreen, SPF 50
  14. Coppertone Sport Sunscreen Spray, SPF 30
  15. Earthly Wellness Sun Shield
  16. Forah Everyday Mineral Face Sunscreen, SPF 30
  17. Hamilton Sun Sensitive Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50
  18. NEW – Happy Ocean Kids Mineral Sunscreen, SPF 45
  19. NEW – Hello Bello Baby Mineral Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 55+
  20. NEW – La Roche Posay Kids Sunscreen, SPF 50
  21. Kokua Sun Care Sunscreen, SPF 50
  22. Little Urchin Natural Sunscreen, SPF 50
  23. NEW – Mustela Baby Child Family Mineral Sunscreen, SPF 50
  24. NEW – Mustela Family Mineral Sunscreen Stick, SPF 50
  25. Naked Sundays Mineral Sunscreen, SPF 50+
  26. Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen Spray, SPF 70
  27. Organic Pharmacy Cellular Protection Sun Cream, SPF 50
  28. NEW – Rowe Casa Organics Sun Shield
  29. NEW – Solara Suncare Sunscreen Milk, SPF 50
  30. NEW – Stream2SEa Every Day Mineral Sunscreen for Kids, SPF 45
  31. NEW – ThinkBaby, SPF 30
  32. NEW ThinkSport, SPF 30
  33. NEW – ThinkSport, SPF 50
  34. NEW – Tubby Todd Mineral Sunscreen for Kids, SPF 50

Raw, Direct-to-Consumer Data that’s Never Behind a Paywall

Another unique aspect of Lead Safe Mama, LLC’s work is that all of our findings (including the raw data/ original lab reports) are always shared publicly (here on the Lead Safe Mama website and our social media), free of charge, and not behind a paywall of any kind. While contributions in support of our work are always welcome, they are not required.

The intention behind the Lead Safe Mama, LLC laboratory testing initiative is twofold:

  1.  To identify lab-tested safer products, helping consumers make science-informed choices regarding the products they use with their families, and
  2. To identify products with egregious levels of toxicants that we can then (collectively) report to public agencies (including the FDA) in an effort to get those products recalled.

A foundation of LSM’s work is the understanding (and agreement with scientific and medical consensus) that there is no safe level of Lead exposure for humans, and that we (as consumers) should demand companies be held accountable for manufacturing and selling Lead-contaminated product — especially products marketed and sold for use by children (or products marketed for general use that will likely be used or consumed by children). We also want to hold agencies (like EWG) accountable for giving their top ratings (like the “EWG Verified” badge) to Lead-contaminated products. In the chart below there are several “EWG Verified” products that have tested positive for concerning levels of Lead (and other toxicants), when consumers expect that the “EWG Verified” distinction means these products should be free of toxicants like Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, and Arsenic.


Chart Updated: June 17, 2025

  • The chart  below (comparing the toxicant profiles of laboratory-tested popular sunscreen products) is a work-in-progress.
  • We have found only ONE sunscreen product that has tested “non-detect” for Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, and Arsenic to date – as of  June 17, 2025  (this product: https://amzn.to/3G4xKub )  – and  will continue to test more products in this category looking for more safer choices — at the request and direction of the greater Lead Safe Mama community.
  • While finding a sunscreen that tests “non-detect” for Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, and Arsenic is a good place to start — we encourage all of you to further research the other ingredients in these products (especially the ingredients in the chemical sunscreens) to make an informed decision as to whether or not the product is truly safe for your family (and especially safe for your children, taking into account your personal sunscreen usage patterns).
    • Our work is specifically limited to determining safety considerations based on the presence of (or absence of) heavy metals, which we acknowledge is only one part of the equation.
  • Some articles and lab reports are pending/ will be published shortly and those are noted at the top of this page.
  • Please check back periodically for the latest updates.
  • You can click the chart image below for a downloadable PDF copy.
  • Continue reading below the chart for additional information (including the full list of lab-tested safer products identified to date through this initiative) — thank you!

This is an ad-free article.

Advertising and affiliate income help Lead Safe Mama, LLC cover the costs of the work we do here (independent consumer goods testing and childhood Lead poisoning prevention advocacy). We have removed ads from most of our more widely-read articles (like this one!) to make them easier for you to read. In addition to supporting this work by starting any shopping you might be doing with a click on our affiliate links, if you would like to support the independent consumer goods testing and childhood Lead poisoning prevention advocacy work of Lead Safe Mama, LLC by making a contribution (which will also help us keep our more widely-read articles ad-free), click here. Thank you!


For those new to the Lead Safe Mama website:

Tamara Rubin is a multiple-federal-award-winning independent advocate for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety, and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children (two of her four sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005).



Key points related to the data in the sunscreen chart below:

  1. 96.67% of the Sunscreen Products we have tested to date have tested positive for Lead.
  2. 83.33% of the Sunscreen Products we have tested to date have tested positive for Cadmium.
  3. 36.67% of the Sunscreen Products we have tested to date have tested positive for Arsenic.
  4. 16.67% of the Sunscreen Products we have tested to date have tested positive for Mercury.
  5. An “EWG Verified” product made for use by babies had the highest level of Arsenic
  6. Another “EWG Verified” product – also for made for use by babies – had the highest level of Cadmium
  7. At least one “EWG Verified” product is a possible violation of the Washington State Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act (TFCA)
  8. Four out of five of the Sunscreens that tested positive for Mercury are marketed and sold as products intended for use with Babies and Families (implying they are safe for children of all ages).
  9. Seven sunscreens listed below — 23.33% of the 30 sunscreen products tested to date — are possible violations of TFCA because the level of Lead in these products exceeds the 1,000 ppb (1 ppm) limit for Lead set with the TFCA as of January 1, 2025.

If you click the chart below you can see it full-sized. This chart is a Work in Progress and will be updated shortly. Please check back here periodically to see the latest updates. Thank you!


The  chart above compares the toxicant profiles of popular sunscreen products that we have tested through the community collaborative (community directed and funded), independent, third-party laboratory testing Lead Safe Mama, LLC is coordinating.

This link has all of our not-yet-funded testing campaigns.


Are you interested in seeing MORE safer choices?

Below is an expanding list of products (foods, supplements, cosmetics, and personal care items) that tested “non-detect” for Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, and Arsenic with independent, third-party, community-funded laboratory testing coordinated by Lead Safe Mama, LLC (an Oregon-based small business with a unique community-collaborative business model and a focus on consumer goods safety and childhood Lead poisoning prevention). The product examples below clearly demonstrate that companies can manufacture safer choices (at least from the perspective of a concern for heavy metals contamination).

The limits of detection (low-threshold of detection) for each of the metals tested are noted in the lab report for the specific product listed. To see the full original lab report for any of these products, type the brand name into the search bar at the top of any page on Lead Safe Mama dot com (and scroll down to the bottom of the related article). All our published lab reports are also linked here, on our lab testing landing page.

Flavors (or specific variations) tested are noted, and other flavors of the same product (or other products from the same brand) have either not been tested or have been tested but did not yield similar results. Test results only apply to the specific products linked below.

Products on our “safer choices” list are retested periodically (annually or more frequently, as funding permits). If a product no longer tests clean, it is removed from the list.


LIST UPDATED — June 4, 2025
Now at 68 products + 6 “bonus” options. Scroll down to see all 74 Lab-tested Safer Choices:
  1. Baby Food — 1 — Little Spoon Kale, Carrot + Pear BabyBlends
  2. Baby Food — 2 —Little Spoon Butternut Squash + Blueberry BabyBlends
  3. Baby Food — 3 — Little Spoon Sweet Potato BabyBlends
  4. Baby Food — 4 — Little Spoon Sweet Potato + Carrot BabyBlends
  5. Baby Food — 5 — Little Spoon Banana + Pitaya BabyBlends
  6. Beverage — 1 — Honest Kids Organic Appley Ever After Apple Juice Drink: https://amzn.to/4fjGhov
  7. Beverage — 2 —  Olipop Grape Tonic: https://amzn.to/4cjFYZu
  8. Breakfast Cereal — 1 — Nature’s Path Envirokidz Organic Panda Puffs: https://amzn.to/4fo1crf
  9. Breakfast Cereal — 2 — Nature’s Path Envirokidz Organic Corn Puffs Gorilla Munch: https://amzn.to/3FHZCDO
  10. Candy — 1 — Cavendish & Harvey Wild Berry Drops, not organic (Germany): https://amzn.to/3Z1Jxjr
  11. NEW! Candy — 2 — Haribo Gummy Bears** (Made in Germany, Not USA Produced): https://amzn.to/3FCGVlu
  12. Candy — 3 — Lindt White Chocolate Bar (Made in USA, New Hampshire): https://amzn.to/3OXkyIm
  13. Coffee & Tea — 1 — Chameleon Handcrafted Organic Cold Brew Concentrate: https://amzn.to/3OcrH77
  14. Coffee & Tea — 2 —Tao of Tea Organic Genmaicha (Tamara’s favorite, from Japan, sold by a Portland, Oregon-based company!): https://amzn.to/3Dp8Fsd
  15. Coffee & Tea — 3 — Califia Farms Almond Latte Cold Brew (XX Espresso): https://amzn.to/4gTTGoJ
  16. Coffee & Tea — 4 — Death Wish Organic Espresso Roast Ground Coffee (Multi-country origin, non-USA): https://amzn.to/3yo1eiL
  17. Cosmetic— 1 — Babo Botanicals Sensitive Baby Lotion: https://amzn.to/3YmKxy1
  18. Cosmetic — 2 — Kora Organics Noni Face Oil: https://amzn.to/43hy2XO
  19. Dairy — 1 — (cheese) — Babybel Mini Original Snack Cheese: https://amzn.to/3ZY5noO
  20. Dairy — 2 — (coffee creamer) —  Organic Valley Grassmilk Half and Half: https://amzn.to/4fHJIWT
  21. Fruit Snack — 1 — (bar) — Pure Organic Layered Fruit Bars in Raspberry Lemonade Flavor: https://amzn.to/3XcFsIp
  22. Fruit Snack — 2 — (bar) —Pure Organic Layered Fruit Bars in Strawberry Banana Flavor: https://amzn.to/3WQEekA
  23. Fruit Snack — 3 — (pouch) — Costco’s Kirkland Organic Apple Sauce Pouch: https://amzn.to/4gOYpZ9
  24. Fruit Snack — 4 — (pouch) — GoGo Squeez Organic Apple Sauce Pouch: https://amzn.to/3XhWYLe
  25. Fruit Snack — 5 — (pouch) — Once Upon A Farm Dairy Free Fruit Smoothie Pouch in Strawberry Banana Swirl Flavor: https://amzn.to/3CPMbAw
  26. Infant Formula — 1 — Bobbie Organic Gentle Infant Formula Milk-Based Powder with Iron (pink and white can): https://amzn.to/3YYb849 
  27. Infant Formula — 2 — Bobbie Organic Infant Formula Milk-Based Powder with Iron (green and white can): https://amzn.to/3VOr4Vy
  28. Infant Formula — 3 — Bobbie Grass-Fed Milk-Based Powder with Iron (green can): https://amzn.to/3ZlAaeJ
  29. Infant Formula — 4 — ByHeart Infant Formula (USA-made, not organic): https://amzn.to/48DJjTb
  30. Infant Formula — 5 — HiPP Bio Combiotik Infant Formula Powder, Stage 1 (imported)
  31. Infant Formula — 6 — HiPP HA Stage PRE (0+ Months) Combiotic Formula  (imported)
  32. Infant Formula — 7 — Holle Bio Goat Stage 2 Infant Formula (for 6-10 months, organic, European — Swiss/ German/ Austrian) is not available on Amazon, but the Stage 3 version of this product is (not yet tested, but will likely test similarly): https://amzn.to/3BVU7zI
  33. Infant Formula — 8 — Kendamil Goat Infant Formula (not organic): This product may be available at Target (it is not available on Amazon)
  34. Infant Formula — 9 — Kendamil Organic Follow-On Milk (European/ British Toddler Formula, for 6-12 months, Cow Milk): Not available on Amazon 
  35. Infant Formula — 10 — Kendamil Whole Milk Infant Formula (from Europe, pink can, not organic), available at Target
  36. Infant Formula — 11 — Kendamil Organic Infant Formula (Cow Milk): Not available on Amazon but may be available at Target
  37. Ingredient — 1 — (baking flour) — Jovial Organic Einkorn Flour (Italy): https://amzn.to/3LIqxix 
  38. Ingredient — 2 — (beans) — Jovial Organic Chickpeas, Product of Italy: https://amzn.to/4iRON1l
  39. Ingredient — 3 — (vinegar) — Napa Valley Naturals Organic Red Wine Vinegar (California): https://amzn.to/4jWhHOg
  40. Oil — 1 — (avocado) — Chosen Foods 100% Avocado Oil (not organic): https://amzn.to/3YDZSuv
  41. Oil — 2 — (coconut) — Dr. Bronner’s Regenerative Organic Coconut Oil: https://amzn.to/40xwBmv
  42. NEW! Oil — 3 —  (olive) — Bryan Johnson BluePrint Snake Oil Olive Oil** (not organic): https://amzn.to/4mMieUj
  43. Oil — 4 — (perilla seed) —  Dr. Adorable’s Organic Perilla Seed Oil (Korea): https://amzn.to/3NDt7Yc
  44. Plant-Based Milk — 1 — (coffee creamer) — Laird Superfood Coconut Creamer: https://amzn.to/4fItA7A
  45. Plant-Based Milk — 2 — (plant milk) — Kiki Milk Organic Plant-Based Milk (original flavor): https://amzn.to/3AA6Qrt
  46. Plant-Based Milk — 3 — (soy milk) — West Soy Unflavored Unsweetened Organic Soy Milk: https://amzn.to/4dwev8l
  47. Salt — 1 — Jacobsen’s Sea Salt (Oregon, USA): https://amzn.to/4dcbk5L
  48. NEW! Salt — 2 —Maldon Sea Salt Flakes**: https://amzn.to/4iTzWTE
  49. NEW! Salt — 3 — Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt** : https://amzn.to/4cVQMiy
  50. Seeds — 1 — (chia) —Navitas Organic, Gluten-Free Chia Seeds (Mexico): https://amzn.to/3YvE7xC
  51. Seeds — 2 —  (hemp) — Costco Kirkland Organic Hemp Seeds: https://amzn.to/4e05RP9
  52. Supplement — 1 — (adult) — Doctor’s Best Vitamin C with Q-C: https://amzn.to/4hlVvea
  53. Supplement — 2 — (adult) —Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Fish Oil: https://amzn.to/48q1j2V
  54. Supplement — 3 — (adult) — Pectasol Modified Citrus Pectin, Formulated in the USA: https://amzn.to/3QUmZfN
  55. Supplement — 4 — (adult) — Pendulum Metabolic Daily Dietary Supplement: https://amzn.to/4gY5wOm
  56. Supplement — 5 — (kids) —Baby Ddrops, Organic Vitamin D3 Supplement for Babies: https://amzn.to/49C3ktH
  57. Supplement — 6 — (kids) — Mary Ruth’s Organic Toddler Multivitamin Liquid Drops with Iron: https://amzn.to/3YPhcgx
  58. Supplement — 7 — (kids) —Mary Ruth’s Organic Toddler Elderberry Liquid Drops: https://amzn.to/42617TU
  59. Supplement — 8  — (kids) — Nordic Naturals Kids Vitamin D3 Gummies (Ages 3+): https://amzn.to/4l7117a
  60. Sweetener — 1 — (sugar) — Anthony’s Organic Granulated Cane Sugar: https://amzn.to/4jf6vLv
  61. Sweetener — 2— (xylitol) — Espure Organic Xylitol: https://amzn.to/3GsCSrU
  62. Sweetener — 3— (xylitol) —Now Real Food Granulated Xylitol: https://amzn.to/4cNWDpM
  63. Toothpaste — 1 — Fluoride-free Orajel Kids Training Toothpaste in Natural Berry Fruity Flavor with Elmo Sesame Street Packaging: https://amzn.to/41wxtrY
  64. Toothpaste — 2 — Fluoride-free Miessence Mint Toothpaste: https://amzn.to/4bJc4PO
  65. Toothpaste — 3 — Dr. Brown’s Fluoride-free Baby Toothpaste in Strawberry Flavor: https://amzn.to/3DCehzZ
  66. Toothpaste — 4 — Pegciz Kids Foam Toothpaste in Watermelon Flavor, Low Flouride (packaging varies, see report): https://amzn.to/3YzP68e
  67. Toothpaste — 5 — Kid’s Spry Fluoride-free Tooth Gel with Xylitol in Original Flavor: https://amzn.to/41GZb4e
  68. Toothpaste — 6 — Fluoride-free Essential Oxygen BR Certified Organic in Peppermint Flavor: https://amzn.to/4lARZ2J

**Lab reports pending/ Not yet published as of 6/4/2025


Here’s a link to our landing page featuring all the third-party lab reports for the foods, supplements, and cosmetic products we have published to date, including those listed above: https://tamararubin.com/2024/05/food-articles/


Stand by for more!

BONUS: Below are SIX additional products that each tested positive for trace (very low levels of) Arsenic  at levels considered safe by all standards (with the limits of detection noted in the lab report for the specific product listed).

  1. Infant Formula — Kendamil Goat Toddler Milk, not organic (positive for traces of Arsenic): May be available at Target or through other online retailers of European infant formulas
  2. Ingredient — Maseca Instant Corn Masa Flour, Product of Mexico (positive for traces of Arsenic)https://amzn.to/4iR8qWN
  3. Fruit Snack —  That’s It Apple Cherry Bars, not organic (positive for traces of Arsenic): https://amzn.to/4fHkSWV
  4. Oil — Chosen Foods 100% Pure Avocado oil, organic (postive for traces of Arsenic): https://amzn.to/3BVQYQa
  5. Supplement — (adult) —  Now Sunflower Lecithin, not organic (positive for traces of Arsenic): https://amzn.to/3AFdHzO
  6. Supplement — (adult) —  WishGarden Immune Boost Seasonal Rescue for Pregnancy: https://amzn.to/3Cd940N

Amazon links are affiliate links. 


Amazon links are affiliate links. If you purchase something after clicking on a Lead Safe Mama, LLC Amazon affiliate link, Lead Safe Mama, LLC may receive a percentage of what you spend at no extra cost to you.

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3 Comments

  1. What sunscreen do you use ? I bought the sport Badgers mineral SPF 40 and after seeing what you posted for the other Badgers I am returning it. With the results of all the chemicals, is that in each application or the entire bottle? I’m hoping you can find a safe mineral sunscreen. Thank you for all you are doing in testing.

  2. When will you publish the report for the organic sunscreen that took the #2 spot? We have an outdoor party this weekend and could use another option of sunscreen for our child.

    1. We are publishing the reports as the campaigns to cover the costs of testing and reporting fund. Please make a contribution in support of any of the open / pending GoFundMe campaigns linked near the top of the page – Thank you!

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