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Comparing ‘Natural’ Sunscreens

by Dawn Lorenz 22 Comments

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My three children (ages 5, 3 and 1) are fair skinned, with blond hair, blue eyes and a lot of Irish blood. Yet, despite this, I do not cover my kids in sunscreen every time they go outside. On the contrary, when they are outside to play, be it in the backyard or at the beach, they are without sunscreen more often than they are with it. In the almost 6 years since having my oldest, only one of my children has ever had a sunburn and it was minor – the baby had been under the shade and had gotten some sun on his legs without me realizing. Why no sunscreen? Because it blocks the vitamin D that we so need and because it is not always necessary. A lot of time my kids wear rash guards and spend equal time in both the shade and in direct sunlight. My husband was a beach lifeguard for most of their lives and we would spend 8 hour days there. We would wait at least an hour before putting it on and we would only reapply once. Never a burn. Of course, there are times when protection is necessary. Like I mentioned, 8 hours at the beach, we’d be silly not to apply some during that time. Because I am super cognizant about what enters my children’s body, be it via their mouths or their skin, I make sure to read every ingredient on the sunblocks I look at, knowing that natural doesn’t necessarily mean it is, and neither does organic. Because the number one question I am asked during the summer months is about sunscreen, I decided to take a closer look at the ‘natural’ ones consistently recommended. What better way to do this than to delve into the ingredients of each – that way you can see for yourself, what’s natural, what’s organic, and what’s not!

**Update 5/16/16 – my kids are now 8, 6 and 4 – no burns and still using the same routine 🙂

sunscreen-website2

My Choice for my Family:

Let me start with my least favorites: Alba, California Baby and Aveeno. All three contain ingredients that I do not want on the skin of my children. For example, Benzyl Alcohol (linked to organ system toxicity and allergies), Phenoxyethanl (linked to organ system toxicity and skin irritant), Tocopherylacetate (linked to cancer and allergies), Dimethicone (linked to organ system toxicity), PEG-8 (linked to organ system toxicity), Polysorbate-60 (linked to organ system toxicity). I also prefer zinc oxide (it HAS to be non-nano) to titanium dioxide. If a sunscreen doesn’t say that the zinc they use is non-nano, you don’t want it, as it is carcinogenic. P.S. – Aveeno is owned by Johnson and Johnson, the same company that used formaldehyde in its baby products for years. 

So that leaves Poofy Organics, Ava Anderson (out of business) and Badger. All have safe, organic, quality ingredients. After having used all three, my top pick is Poofy Organics. I find that it rubs on easier and quicker than the other two. I love the combination of oils used, making for a smooth application. I also love that Poofy consistently puts out safe, organic products, made by hand in small batches by the owner herself. Because shipping price is the same for purchasing one, or a few, I stock up. Poofy Organics also had their sunscreen independently tested to ensure it meets the “broad spectrum” guidelines & it absolutely does. The test results can be found right next to the ingredient list on the website. Badger is also good. It’s my second favorite, as it doesn’t seem to rub in as well as Poofy’s does, but it does work great. 

Most Cost Effective:  I decided to look at how Poofy’s  ‘The Sunscreen’ compares in cost to other natural sunscreens and guess what? Not only do I like it the best, but it’s one of the most cost effective. Here’s the comparison: ‘The Sunscreen’ is 16.00 for 3.4 ounces. Badger retails for about 14.00 for 2.9 ounces. Little Twig retails 16.00 for 2.9 ounces . Ava Anderson is 15.95 for 2.9 ounces. Honest Company 13.95 for 3 ounces.

safe sunscreen

You can purchase Poofy’s sunscreen here. Because I love it so much, I have partnered with Poofy, consulting with them so that a percentage of sales supports this website. Thank you for purchasing it through the link if it’s the sunscreen that you decide on for your family. While you’re at it, on the same page you’ll find Poofy’s bug repellent, great for repelling ticks and mosquitos  – another one of my favorites.

SO there you have it – it’s really as simple as looking at ingredients and deciding for yourself. If you have trouble deciphering anything, you can always double check ingredients with the Environmental Working Group’s website.

Some more info with what to avoid and why, along with a list of better sunscreens: http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2015/06/neutrogena-sunscreen-toxic-avoid/

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Filed Under: Sunscreen Tagged With: natural sunscreen, Sunscreen

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Comments

  1. Kathy says

    May 23, 2016 at 5:54 pm

    Wondering what your thoughts are on Babyganics?

    Reply
    • Dawn Lorenz says

      May 23, 2016 at 8:51 pm

      They are greenwashers in so far as they purposely named their product to make consumers think that their products are organic and they are not. They do not use organic ingredients, so when you apply it all over your child, you are also apply whatever pesticides were used when those ingredients were grown, as they don’t cook out or get processed out.

      Reply
  2. Meghan says

    May 23, 2016 at 11:43 am

    Ever heard of skin cancer? The risk of it goes down significantly with the use of sunscreen. And it can occur even if they do not get a burn.

    Reply
    • Dawn Lorenz says

      May 23, 2016 at 1:21 pm

      Actually it’s this type of thinking that’s making matters worse. There is much proof now that the causes of cancer is coming from the toxic sunscreen products themselves. Many of the ingredients used are carcinogenic.

      Reply
  3. Val says

    May 18, 2016 at 2:27 pm

    I urge you all to try Eminence sun care products. 100% organice plant and mineral based!

    Reply
  4. Jay says

    July 16, 2014 at 1:04 am

    Mamasuds sunscreen works great, I urge all of you to check out the ingredients.

    Reply
  5. caymancake says

    July 15, 2014 at 7:49 pm

    Reblogged this on Adventures of A Caymanian Mummy and commented:
    Great tips on natural sunscreen when you’re dealing with EXTRA HOT summers like we do here in Cayman! I will be looking into ordering some Poofy’s sunscreen – it’s the only one that looks truly natural to me 🙂

    Reply
  6. oa says

    July 2, 2014 at 9:46 pm

    Is Poofy’s zinc oxide non-nano?

    Reply
    • Raising Natural Kids says

      July 2, 2014 at 10:40 pm

      yes, it is!

      Reply
  7. Nell says

    June 16, 2014 at 6:24 pm

    Have you explored TruKid sunscreen line? Just purchased and read the ingredients and think it is all OK. Would love your thoughts!

    Reply
    • Raising Natural Kids says

      June 16, 2014 at 10:50 pm

      I cannot seem to find a list of the ingredients – do you have them?

      Reply
  8. Jen says

    June 6, 2014 at 8:37 pm

    Any thoughts on Blue Lizard sunscreen?

    Reply
    • Raising Natural Kids says

      June 6, 2014 at 8:42 pm

      Hi! I just looked the ingredients up – so not GOOD! If you look yourself and type some of them into the EWG database, you can see exactly how toxic they are… switch products!

      Reply
  9. Colleen G says

    June 6, 2014 at 5:13 pm

    Is poofy ok to use for children with peanut allergies? My family can’t use badger products bc I’ve read they are processed in a facilities with peanuts and they can’t guarantee that their products are safe. Very informative. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Raising Natural Kids says

      June 6, 2014 at 8:40 pm

      yes – peanut safe! NO PEANUT in any product. also, all products are gluten free! they do make 1 scent of deodorant using almond, but they do not make these products at the same time.

      Reply
      • Colleen G says

        June 6, 2014 at 8:43 pm

        Awesome!!! Thanks

        Reply
        • Raising Natural Kids says

          June 6, 2014 at 11:18 pm

          sure! you can get it through this link https://mypoofyorganics.com/RNK , OR if you live on Long Island, I will be bringing into Healthy Alternatives in about 2 weeks, along with a bunch of Poofy products!

          Reply
  10. Chrissy says

    June 6, 2014 at 2:49 pm

    Do you have any experience with the Honest Company’s sunscreen? I’ve heard good things.

    Reply
    • Raising Natural Kids says

      June 6, 2014 at 8:43 pm

      No, I do not. 🙂

      Reply
  11. Lisa says

    June 6, 2014 at 7:14 am

    And for Canadians, there is this one:
    http://www.greenbeaver.com/keenu-kid-s-sunscreen-spf-30.html

    Reply
  12. 2momsnaturalskincare says

    June 6, 2014 at 1:37 am

    This is great. I just did a post not too long ago about natural sunscreens and bug sprays for kids. I have badger on the list but all the rest are different. You can check it out here if you want. http://2momsnaturalskincare.wordpress.com/ I have heard about Poofy before I am going to have to check out their products, maybe get the sunscreen to try out at the beach this summer.

    Reply
  13. Cai says

    June 5, 2014 at 7:28 pm

    Excited to try this brand! Thanks for putting all this info together!

    Reply

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