While there are a few sunscreen ingredients that are perfectly healthy for the body, there are many more that are harmful and should be avoided. Four ingredients that you should immediately check for are octinoxate, avobenzone, retinyl palmitate, and oxybenzone (va Byrdie). These ingredients can cause skin irritation, counteract antioxidants in the case of retinyl palmitate, and can even be bad for the environment (as is the case with oxybenzone).

Other harmful ingredients you want to watch out for include parabens, phthalates, microbeads, homosalates, octocrylene, quaternium-15, sodium laurel, laureth sulfate, cyclopentasiloxane, nano particles, and Methylisothiazolinone (via Stream2Sea). Interestingly, Stream2Sea's list includes zinc oxide, which EWG noted has been classified as safe by the United States Food and Drug Administration. We'll leave this one up to you to decide. While this may be a lot to consider at one time, once you find a sunscreen free of these ingredients, you'll always know which brand you can trust. It's a one-time process, and one that could save your life.

There's simply no denying that sunscreen is important to wear. We just hope this helps you choose the safest product for you!