For babies especially, you need to be careful to protect your children’s sensitive skin from direct and prolonged sun exposure. You don’t want to stay inside all summer, so one answer is a great, non-toxic sunscreen.
Every year I go over the Environmental Working Group’s report Skin Deep Sunscreens. This year, I’ve checked the ratings on our three favorite brands of sunscreen at bynature.ca: ThinkBaby, Badger, and Green Beaver.
ThinkBaby SPF 30+ Natural Sunscreen
ThinkBaby is a customer favorite. We love that the company is a member of the Safe Cosmetics Campaign Compact. Broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection.
Active Ingredient: Zinc Oxide – 25%
Skin Deep Sunscreens 2012 Score: 1 (low hazard)
Badger Sunscreen, Unscented SPF 30
Another all-natural sunscreen our customers love. This one has the essential oil fragrences removed for those with the most sensitive skin.
Active Ingredient: Micronized Zinc Oxide – 20.5%
Skin Deep Sunscreens 2012 Score: 1 (low hazard)
Badger Baby Sunscreen
If I say this is another best seller, understand that we’ve only kept our best sellers. Customers do love this one, as well. Mild Chamomile and Calendula scent.
Active Ingredient: Non-nano, uncoated Zinc Oxide – 18.75%
Skin Deep Sunscreens 2012 Score: 1 (low hazard)
Badger Non-toxic SPF 30 All-season Face Stick
A face stick is the easiest way to apply sunscreen for a baby, but it takes a lot to cover an adult. This is meant for hot spots like nose, cheeks, and ears. There is a mild scent, but there is no added fragrance.
Active Sunscreen Ingredient: Micronized Zinc Oxide – 22.5%
Skin Deep Sunscreens 2012 Score: 1 (low hazard)
Green Beaver Sunscreen, SPF 30
Certified organic and Made in Canada. Waterproof and fragrance free.
Active Ingredient: Zinc Oxide – 21%
Skin Deep Sunscreens 2012 Score: not included this year
Green Beaver Sunscreen SPF 30 for Kids
Certified organic and Made in Canada. Waterproof and fragrance free.
Active Ingredient: Zinc Oxide – 21%
Skin Deep Sunscreens 2012 Score: not included this year
For more advice on keeping babies sun safe, read “5 Tips for Non-toxic Sun Protection for Babies.”
Image © Agg | Dreamstime.com
I noticed only the baby badger is listed as non nano. I have the Badger unscented & facestick & they say non nano as well. What is micronized?
Amanda, all of the Badger products have been non-nano since last year, but some of our descriptions are older and don’t mention non-nano. That’s my fault for not adding to the descriptions on the blog post. Short answer: nothing is micronized in any of the Badger balms. I’m glad you asked. It’s a good reminder to update the descriptions on the website.
Read Badger’s article about “Zinc Oxide and Nanoparticles in Sunscreen.”