With the warmer temps upon us (at least in Minnesota!) it is time to revisit something we all need to be utilizing while soaking up those precious rays– sunscreen!
Sunscreen has become a bit of a hot topic in the last few years and for good reason! More and more people are being diagnosed with skin cancer and wearing a good, safe sunscreen is essential! So, where do you even start?
**DISCLAIMER– I am not a medical professional nor am I providing medical advice anywhere in this post. I am just a mama passionate about using safer products for my family and sharing what I have learned along the way.**
First, before I get into any recommendations, let’s chat about a few important things to consider when choosing a sunscreen. 1. SPF number. This is something that I get asked allllll the time “Krysten, shouldn’t I have at least a 50 SPF for my kiddos!?” The answer is, no, you really don’t need anything higher than 30! A sunscreen’s SPF only measures how well it protects against UVB rays, not harmful UV rays including UVA which penetrates the skin more deeply and are generally more associated with skin cancers and aging! So be sure you are selecting a broad spectrum sunscreen that protects from UVA, UVB and blue light. Second, people tend to trust the higher rated SPFs because, well they are higher rated and then they don’t re-apply as often! Lastly, sunburn protection is only marginally better with higher SPFs. Most people assume if you have a 100 SPF it gives twice as much protection as a 50 SPF. In reality a 30 SPF protects 97% 50 SPF protects 98% and a 100 protects 99%! Lastly, in the higher SPF sunscreens they need to add A LOT of additional ingredients (generally more harmful chemicals) to bump up the protection. That’s a no-go for me!
Next, we select physical barrier sunscreens vs. a chemical barrier. Now before you imagine the guy on the beach completely white casted with a zinc based sunscreen–hear me out! Chemical (which aren’t all bad BTW–water is a chemical so slow your roll 😉 barrier sunscreens are generally filled with a bunch of junk (see chart below) and those chemicals absorb the sun’s rays and are generally pretty darn harmful to you. Physical barrier sunscreens (or sometimes called mineral sunscreens) generally contain zinc or titanium oxide that help reflect the sun’s rays. Physical barrier sunscreens stay on top of the skin vs. being absorbed into the skin in order to protect from UVB/UVA/Blue Light. Sunscreen has come a LONG way and the ones we use don’t leave any white cast whatsoever so put that fear aside, my friend! 🙂
Another thing to consider is how the sunscreen is applied. You likely have heard about the concerns with aerosol sunscreen due to inhalation of the product and pollution but those aerosol sunscreens also contain chemical propellants that can also harmful. Chemical barrier sunscreens also generally go on clear so there is plenty of room for user error aka missing areas that you think might be covered!
Lastly, many sunscreens not only contain harmful ingredients for humans but our sensitive eco systems as well! Oxybenzone and octinoxate are two common ingredients that we know have a direct impact on coral reefs! Hawaii was the first state to ban the sale of sunscreen that contain these ingredients to preserve Hawaii’s marine ecosystems!
So, you might be asking — with all of this information, do you have any suggestions!? Of course I do, I would not leave you hanging high and dry!
We have been using Beautycounter’s sunscreen since it came out and have loved both the efficacy and the safer ingredients! There are several options to choose from which I love as well. First, the traditional lotion–great all around sunscreen, doesn’t leave a white overcast and likely what most people are used to using! Second, we have an amazing air (not chemical) propelled sunscreen mist! It is easy to apply and lasts a really long time! We also have a tinted sunscreen mist that is basically like concealer and SPF in one! I love using this at the start of summer on my MN legs that have not seen the sun since last summer! Third, is our sunscreen stick which is AH-MAZING for little ones, especially their faces! It is a quick, easy application and smells so, so good! I keep a sunstick in my purse and vehicle at all times! Last year we came out with a non-tinted facial SPF that I loooove! It goes on like a dream, is not greasy at all and layers perfectly with makeup!
If you are looking for something that has a little tint and SPF, I would highly suggest our Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer! It is like a BB cream that it has some coverage as well as a moisturizer and SPF coverage. I like to use this in the summertime when I am keeping things a bit more casual with my makeup and if we are going out on the boat!
If you are looking for a sunless tanning option I have used Beauty by Earth for YEARS and love their sunless tanner! I just started using their face self tanner and like it so far as well! I have been putting it where the sun would normally hit my face and I looove the bronzed look it is giving me! I will continue to use both of these babies until my summer tan kicks in!
Prior to Beautycounter’s sunscreen we were using Blue Lizard which has better ingredients than most and I did like that as well! Other safer options include (but I have not personally tried): Bager, Think Sport, Two Peas Organics, and Attitude Sunscreen. Keep in mind the ones I just linked I did check the ingredients on–quite often companies put out one or two safer options and their other products might contain not-so-great ingredients. I like to use the EWG to screen our products but that also isn’t the holy grail of product/ingredient selection! They do not take into account the amount of an ingredient, heavy metal testing or, for example, how a sunscreen mist is propelled–which is why they didn’t give Beautycounter a great rating on the sunscreen mist even though it’s air propelled and safer.
A few other tips– hats are always a good way to protect faces and eyes from sun damage! This one was our all time favorite! Rash guard swimsuits are also an excellent source of sun protection and reduce the time needed to apply sunscreen–if you are a parent you know that this is essential during the toddler years 😉
Navigating personal care product safety can be a very overwhelming process, believe me, I was there! I have done a lot of research and have a TON of recommendations I can make–Beautycounter or not! Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions– theschwartzandco@gmail.com is the best way to get a hold of me.
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