It's summer! Time for sunscreen (although you should wear it ALL year, whenever you go outside). Summer means more time outside, and more time outside means you should pay attention to your sun exposure. And if you time it right, you can find summer all around the world, the whole year around. From wandering the streets of Paris to hill walking in Scotland, from fishing in Alaska to penguin spotting on Antarctica, from surfing in Bali to snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, travelers NEED sun protection.

We received a sample of KINeSYS sunscreen and I have to say, I am very impressed. It's in an easy spray bottle, feels great, and WORKS. In addition, the company is impressive! KINeSYS is committed to sustainable practices, protecting the environment, and creating products that last, and do their job. It was originally formulated for athletes, but KINeSYS performance sunscreen works for our family every day - and we live on a lake, and are on the water all the time.

The bottles are easy to carry and we take them whenever we travel - it's difficult to find good sunscreen when we're on the road, or in a different country. This is one thing I make sure is always in my purse - I'm a redhead and burn easily! I'm grateful that we found KINeSYS, and are happy to share it with our wandering educators.

We caught up with creator and owner Jeff Kletter, and asked him about his company, how they formulated such incredible sunscreen, how to protect yourself from UVB rays, and more. Here's what he had to say...

WE: Please tell us about KINeSYS…

JK: KINeSYS was formulated to meet the needs of the worlds best athletes and gentle enough to use everyday for the entire active family. KINeSYS is easy to apply, feels like nothing going on, dries to a smooth silk like feeling on your skin, and simply WORKS!

WE: What was the genesis of your company?

JK: KINeSYS was created out of a need. As a person who didn't work out, when I started I got very sore and stiff and wasn't able to work out. A personal trainer got me to come in and try some topical products to relieve the pain. The first one stained my clothes, the next one stung my eyes and irritated my skin, and other one was under my finger nails before I went to the restroom and I would never forget that experience. The same trainer commented that I was high maintenance and we needed to make a product specially for me. KINeSYS started with our topical analgesic and after sitting around a table with one of our medical advisors, Dr. Doug Clement, he mentioned that athletes had a lower incidence of most diseases except one, Skin Cancer, which was higher in athletes, due to their exposure to the elements during training and competition. We found another need that had to be filled, so we created our unique sprays.

WE: What is performance sunscreen?

JK: We came up with "Performance Sunscreen" in 2001, as our new partner at the time said, KINeSYS is truly a performance line as it's the only one that can say it is: Oil, Alcohol, PABA, Preservative and Paraben Free spray with topical anti-oxident Vitamin E to scavenge free radicals, that is hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, very water and sweat resistant." He thought "that's performance and no other company can make the same statement."

WE: What are the basics of SPF and sun protection?

JK: SPF - Sun Protection Factor is based on UVB rays. To find out how much UVB protection you are receiving, take the SPF (30) - 1 divided by the SPF and you get your UVB protection: 96.7, so an SPF 50- 1 divided by 50 = 98%. Not much more than a 30 and it takes almost double the chemicals, so I personally believe in a good SPF 30 and reapply every 2 hours.

Here are our ABC’s of Protecting Your Children from the Sun:

A: AWAY 
Stay away from the sun in the middle of the day. The sun’s rays are most intense between 10am-4pm.

B: BLOCK
Use a water or sweat resistant sunscreen with an SPF 15 or higher that blocks out Broad Spectrum Ultraviolet (UV) A and B. 
SPF 15 blocks 95% of UVB rays and SPF 30 protects 98%, no sunscreen protects 100% .
Apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes before sun-exposure. Reapply every two to three hours, especially if you are engaging in active outdoor activities or water activities.

C: COVER-UP
Encourage your children to wear hats, sun-glasses, long pants, and long sleeve shirts when possible.

S: SPEAK-OUT
Advocate for sun protection in your community by encouraging organizations to provide shade in public parks and schools. Educate yourself and others about sun protection and skin cancer prevention.

Information from the American Academy of Dermatology and the American Cancer Society:

How to buy the best Sunscreen

•    Look for sunscreens to contain Avobenzone-Parsol1789, Mexoryl, Titanium Dioxide, or Zinc Oxide - these ingredients product you from UVA rays.

•    Spray sunscreens have become more popular for easy application but most use between 60% - 80% alcohol. Alcohol dries quickly but tends to dry the skin and feels cold when applied.

•    Younger children or children with sensitive skin, look for sunscreen that is fragrance free and hypoallergenic.

•    Remember never be caught off guard, 80% of the sun’s rays reach the earth on a cloudy day!
 
Stay Protected!

WE: Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?

JK: Since our inception in 1994, before anything went into a bottle, we made sure the bottles were recyclable, the sprayers were recyclable and any extra packaging was recyclable. When it became available to us, we purchase green energy off the grid and carbon offsets durning production, so KINeSYS is a carbon neutral manufacturer. This has always been important to us - it wasn't done for marketing, it was done because it was the right thing to do.

Thanks, Jeff!

To learn more, and get your own KINeSYS sunscreen, head to: http://kinesys.com/