So last week, this happened:

[Brazilian supermodel] Gisele claims she refuses to use the product because of all the chemicals they contain to absorb UVA and UVB light.

‘I cannot put this poison on my skin,’ the 30-year-old said. ‘I do not use anything synthetic.’

As a compromise, Bundchen claims she only exposes herself to the sun before 8am when it is still too weak to do any damage.

Dermatologists and sunscreen manufacturers everywhere went wild and Gisele’s publicist scurried to do damage control.

Gisele would never say not to use sunscreen because she has had family members who have had skin cancer. She simply stated that her all-natural skin-care line does not have SPF because there is not an all natural SPF available.

But then, No More Dirty Looks noticed that over on Gisele’s blog, she’s still telling it like it is. Well, sorta.

I would like to clarify the misunderstanding about the use of sunblock. I do use sunblock but also I try my best not to be exposed to the sun when it is too strong. My line of skincare products are all natural and do not contain SPF. I feel we all need to pay more attention to what we are putting on our skin. I definitely know the importance of using sunscreen and I try to look for more natural options. This is a place where they have a list of some more natural option sunscreens, check it out here.

Why all the angst about sunscreen in the first place? According to the Environmental Working Group, there’s only mixed evidence that it actually prevents skin cancer in the first place. Plus most mainstream brands are chock full of nanomaterials, endocrine disruptors and other sketch stuff. (For more details and to see how your sunscreen rates, check out their 2010 Sunscreen Guide.) So I think maybe everyone should simmer down about the SPF sacredness that Gisele dared to defile.

But I do wonder what we think about Gisele sounding off in this way. I want to welcome her to the green side. Honest, I do. We’re practically the same age and I’m sure we have tons else in common. (She’s Brazilian, I do Brazilians… you knew I’d go there.)

I just wish she started speaking up about some of this stuff before she had her very own all-natural skincare line to promote.

So: Is it cool that the clean cosmetics movement just got another A-List defender? Or is it a little hypocritical when that same someone became the sixteenth richest woman in entertainment (or so says Wikipedia) toting angel wings for Victoria’s Secret, purveyor of toxin-laden perfumes, body lotions, and more?

PS. Before you get the tabloids mad at me: Yes, I wear sunscreen — melanoma being a theme in my pasty family — but I sure wish there were cleaner options.

[Photo: Gisele models Dolce & Gabbana’s The One fragrance. I’m sure that’s also squeaky clean. Via betta_design.]