A friend of mine recently bought me a sunscreen/moisturizer from Jack Black. Not the actor, but the #1 selling brand of men’s skincare products. Heather and I complimented this friend about how great his skin looked. So he got me a bottle as a gift.

Nice gesture, but I am extremely critical of anything and everything that I put on my skin or in my body.

You see, my friend was misled into thinking Jack Black is all organic. Boy was he mistaken.

The following is a list of ingredients in the Jack Black Sunscreen moisturizer.

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: Octinoxate 7.50%, Avobenzone 2.20%.
OTHER INGREDIENTS: Flower Oil, Butylene Glycol, Calendula Officinalis Extract*, Carbomer, Cetearyl Glucoside, Citric Acid, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethcone, Disodium EDTA, Glycereth-26, Glycerin, Haslea Ostrearia Extract, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, lodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Lecithin, Leontopodium Alpinum Extract*, Linalool, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate, Palmaria Palmata Extract, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Phenethyl Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol, Plantago Lanceolata Potassium Sorbate, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Retinyl Palmitate, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Tocopheryl Acetate, Water (Aqua) *Certified Organic

So some of the ingredients ARE organic. That is good.

But some of the ingredients are endocrine disruptors, known allergens, and possibly mutagenic and carcinogenic.

Take the octinoxate for starters. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) states this chemical is a moderate/high health hazard. http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/704203/OCTINOXATE/

The other active ingredient, avobenzone, was found to cause DNA damage. Damiani, E., L. Greci, et al. (1999). “Nitroxide radicals protect dna from damage when illuminated in vitro in the presence of dibenzoylmethane and a common sunscreen ingredient.” Free Radical Biology and Medicine 26: 809-816.

Most of the chemicals in this brew are very difficult to pronounce. My rule of thumb is that if you can’t easily pronounce the ingredient, it is likely dangerous.

The long term effects of these ingredients are mostly unknown, but again, there are plenty of links to eventual cancer, allergies, organ damage, and hormone interference.

Your skin may look good in the short term, but is it worth the long term risk?

For a better quality product, check out Eminence Organics. They are handmade products from Hungary. Still, do your research. My personal preference is 100% organic coconut oil for my face and body.

Eat Paleo and watch your skin glow. Of utmost importance is good quality water, probiotics and minimal sugar intake. The truth is that healthy skin starts in your gut. Consume plenty of oils and healthy fats from grass-fed meats, wild seafood, organic nuts/seeds, pastured eggs, olives, and avocado.