Ever since my allergic reaction to oxybenzone in a sunscreen, I made the switch over to sunscreens containing only physical actives such as titanium oxide and zinc oxide. As a result, I’ve been trying multiple brands with fewer chemicals and more natural ingredients.
If you’re looking for sunblocks that have less synthetic ingredients, I recommend you taking a look at our list. Sunblocks with less synthetic chemicals may be especially useful for those with multiple chemical sensitivities.
Factors we looked at:
- Active ingredients and their percentage
Zinc oxide offers broad spectrum UVA + UVB coverage, in general, the higher the percentage of sunscreen or sunblock active, the greater the ultraviolet light protection. With physical actives, the likelihood of sensitivity is less as well as the concern for body absorption.
- Water resistance
Most of the sunblocks listed are water resistant, 3 that are not labelled water resistant are products I use when I am not engaged in water activity or heavy physical activity where I am sweating. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends using a water resistant sunscreen, however, I included these 3 products because I feel they are good products that can be used in non-water, non-sweat activities. The key with any sunscreen is to reapply, water resistant or not.
- Ingredients used
No chemical screens are included in this list, we sought out sunblocks which use natural oils, botanicals and antioxidants as opposed to synthetic based ingredients to reduce chemical exposures.
- Environmental Working Group (EWG) Rating
For those of you who don’t know, the Environmental Working Group has a database called Skin Deep which gives ratings on skin care, personal care products as well as ingredients based on their own research. I solely use this rating system as a general guide and not the final word in my research, but include it because I know many bloggers, parents and conscious consumers reference and use it in their research.
- Consistency + texture of product
We all know product characteristics influence whether we use a product or not so we did our best to include products that were not as pasty, gooey or smell-y.
Deciding which sunblock to use is a personal choice, like deciding the type of food you eat. There are different elements to look at which can affect your decision, but most of us weigh out factors such as effectiveness, the way a product feels and/ or smells, its ingredients (what they are and if they’re harmful), and cost.
Ultimately, the best sunblock is one that you like, use and reapply.
Do you have a favorite sunblock you like ? Please share with me in the comments below.
Also Skinravers, now until the end of summer 2014, I’ll be collecting tweets and messages with your pictures of anything you use to help protect from the sun. Email me or tweet me your images! Could be sunblock you use, sun protective clothing you wear like a hat, long sleeve shirt or sunglasses. I would luv to share them w readers, plus you may win a prize! Start sending!
Twitter: @Raveaboutskin
Email: [email protected]
Read Our Top Sunblocks List 2014