The Best Mineral Face Sunscreens That Are Non-Toxic and Reef-Safe
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What Chemicals Should You Avoid In Sunscreen?
Ok, let’s talk about face sunscreens. There are many things to consider when picking a safe and natural face sunscreen. First of all are harmful chemicals. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) website, twelve ingredients were proposed as not recognized as safe and effective: avobenzone, cinoxate, dioxybenzone, ensulizole, homosalate, meradimate, octinoxate, octisalate, octocrylene, oxybenzone, padimate O, and sulisobenzone. (For those of you who don’t know what the EWG is, it is an organization that specializes in product research and provides a rating system ranging from 1 to 10, with 1 representing the cleanest and 10 indicating the most toxic products.)
These chemicals listed above that are currently found in sunscreens in the U.S. are in high concentrations compared to other countries and therefore, pose many more health risks. Some of these chemicals penetrate the skin and enter the bloodstream. When this happens, they can cause hormone disruption, skin allergies, lower testosterone levels, shorter pregnancies, cancer, and endometriosis. In addition, they can also harm aquatic life. The only chemicals that are considered safe by the FDA are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.
Nano Vs. Non-Nano Zinc Oxide And Titanium Dioxide
Even though zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are recognized as safe, some companies are altering the size of these ingredients into smaller particles (nanoparticles) so they can blend into the skin and prevent a white cast after application. These nanoparticles may possibly enter the bloodstream and cause health problems where the original size (non-nano) is larger, sits on the skin’s surface, and does not penetrate the skin. Studies have shown different results on this, therefore more testing needs to be done. However, ingesting or inhaling these nanoparticles seems likely to be unsafe so it’s best to avoid powder or aerosol forms of sunscreen until more testing has been completed.
Since it’s not entirely clear if nano zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are safe, I decided to only list non-nano face sunscreens below to ensure your safety.
How To Pick The Best Mineral Face Sunscreen
Even if a sunscreen is made with non-nano zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, there may be other chemicals that can be toxic to your body. There are clean product apps available to inform you if a product is clean or not (including the EWG), however, what I’ve found is that these apps do not catch every harmful ingredient. I have personally gone through and listed all the ingredients below to make sure they are safe to use. Luckily, I found some really great products! I can’t say that for all of my blog articles. I only found a few dish soaps that I felt comfortable using!
All of these safe mineral face sunscreens have very minimal ingredients that are all-natural and contain nothing synthetic. All the ingredients you can pronounce! In addition, many of these sunscreens contain oils and butters that provide you with multiple benefits like anti-aging effects, reducing acne and inflammation, healing skin due to eczema, and in addition, they provide great hydration, shrink pores, and even have antimicrobial, and antifungal effects. With that said, some individuals have issues with oils and butters due to pores being clogged. I’ve included the comedogenic rating for each sunscreen below so you can make a decision that works for you. The comedogenic scale is as follows:
- 0 – won’t clog pores at all
- 1 – very low likelihood they will clog pores
- 2 – moderately low likelihood
- 3 – moderate likelihood
- 4 – fairly high likelihood
- 5 – high likelihood of clogging pores
Take a look below to see all the benefits of these reef-safe mineral face sunscreens. Hopefully, you can find a great mineral face sunscreen that works for you.
1. Badger Biodegradable Sunscreen in Metal Tin, SPF 50 Zinc Oxide Sunscreen with 98% Organic Ingredients
EWG Rating: 1
Active Ingredient: Uncoated Zinc Oxide (still safe! See the explanation below)
Reef Safe: Yes
Ingredients in this sunscreen include uncoated zinc oxide, organic sunflower oil, organic beeswax, and vitamin E. That’s it. This clean face sunscreen is non-comedogenic since sunflower oil rates 0-2 on the comedogenic scale (on a scale of 0-5 with 5 being most likely to clog pores).
So what is uncoated zinc oxide (clear zinc oxide)? This was how Badger explained it on their website “Clear zinc oxide is a specialized type of mineral zinc oxide powder whose particles have a porous surface texture (like a sea sponge) that doesn’t reflect as much visible light as standard non-nano zinc oxide and is therefore less whitening on the skin. The large particle size of clear zinc oxide gives it the same outstanding safety and efficacy of standard non-nano zinc oxide. It won’t absorb into your body, it won’t harm the environment, and it provides excellent UVA and UVB protection.”
Looks like a win, right? It seems like this clean mineral face sunscreen will not leave a white cast, but will still have the safety of being larger particles of zinc oxide. In addition, this non-toxic face sunscreen has no synthetic ingredients and is cruelty-free. It’s made with 100% solar power in the USA by a women-owned family business. It’s also reef-safe, gluten-free, non-GMO, hypoallergenic, and gentle on sensitive skin.
2. The VanMan Company Store- Tallow & Zinc SunBlock – Water Resistant 25 SPF Sunscreen
EWG Rating: No rating
Active Ingredients: Non-nano Zinc Oxide
Reef Safe: Yes
The ingredients in this non-toxic face sunscreen are wonderful. They are as follows: 100% grass-fed tallow, non-nano zinc oxide, organic beeswax, organic olive oil, organic shea butter, and organic cocoa powder. Amazing, right?
In case you don’t know what tallow is, tallow is a type of fat called suet fat from cows and sheep. It is great for skin care because it contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which is a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant that is wonderful for your skin. Grassfed tallow (like this one) is of higher quality and contains more CLA. It also has antimicrobial and antifungal properties. Some of the other ingredients contain vitamins and antioxidants as well that can benefit your skin.
This clean mineral face sunscreen rates 2 on the comedogenic scale (on a scale of 0-5 with 5 being most likely to clog pores).
3. Shwally Zinc & Avocado Mineral SunBalm 30SPF – 100% Grass Fed Tallow
EWG Rating: No rating
Active Ingredient: Non-Nano Zinc Oxide
Reef Safe: Yes
Here is another great natural face sunscreen option. Ingredients include 100% grass-fed tallow, organic avocado pulp oil, non-nano zinc oxide, and organic unrefined beeswax. They also have a scented version that contains the same ingredients plus coconut CO2 & Vanilla Beans which is a safe way to add a scent. In addition, they have a tinted version, however, the tinted version contains iron oxides which are natural compounds that occur in nature, but can sometimes contain traces of heavy metals. It’s up to you if you want to use the tinted version or not. If you want to make sure the sunscreen is 100% clean, opt for the untinted one.
Like the previous sunscreen on this list, this one is also made with grass-fed tallow and contains numerous vitamins and antioxidants that are wonderful for your skin. Avocado oil has many benefits as well. It contains antioxidants and possesses anti-inflammatory properties. It also can reduce the signs of aging. Avocado oil’s comedogenic rating is 2-3 (on a scale of 0-5 with 5 being most likely to clog pores).
4. Raw Elements Face and Body All-Natural Mineral Sunscreen | Non-Nano Zinc Oxide, 95% Organic
EWG Rating: 1
Active Ingredient: Non-Nano Zinc Oxide
Reef Safe: Yes
The ingredients in this sunscreen are as follows: Non-nano Zinc Oxide, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (Organic Green Tea), Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (Organic Black Tea), Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil (Organic Hemp Seed Oil), Cera Flava (Organic Beeswax), Coffea Arabica Seed Extract (Organic Coffee Bean), Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil (Organic Sunflower Oil), Mangifera Indica Seed Butter (Natural Mango Butter), Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil (Natural Rosemary), Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter (Cocoa Butter), Tocopherol (Vitamin E).
This all-natural mineral face sunscreen has more ingredients than the other ones above, but it still has great ingredients that are very clean. I try to recommend products that have ingredients that I can pronounce! This non-toxic face sunscreen includes mango butter which is also great for sun protection and contains great antioxidants. On the comedogenic scale, all of these oils/butters rate anywhere from 0-2, except for cocoa butter which rates a 4 (on a scale of 0-5 with 5 being most likely to clog pores). With that said, cocoa butter is listed towards the end of the ingredients list so there may not be very much of it in the product.
In addition to this being a great product, the company seems great too. They are committed to education, environmental awareness, and sun safety. They founded World Reef Day as a call to action for consumers, businesses, and organizations to reflect on the delicate ecosystem of our ocean’s coral reefs that are dying around the world.
5. Annmarie Skin Care Sun Love SPF 20 Sunscreen – Reef Safe. – Non-Nano Zinc Oxide
EWG Rating: No rating
Active Ingredient: Non-Nano Zinc Oxide
Reef Safe: Yes
The ingredients in this non-toxic face sunscreen are as follows: Zinc oxide (non-nano), *Sunflower seed oil, Sorbitan olivate (olive derived emulsifier), *Hemp seed oil, *Olive oil, *Pumpkin seed oil, *Beeswax, Lavender oil, *Avocado oil, Buriti fruit oil, and non-GMO vitamin E. *Organically grown or wildcrafted. Here is an article stating that sorbitan olivate is safe.
This clean mineral face sunscreen is free of toxic chemicals, colors, and fragrances. It contains many oils that are packed with antioxidants that also have anti-inflammatory and anti-aging effects. All of the oils in this product are rated a 0-2 on the comedogenic scale except for avocado oil which is rated a 3 (on a scale of 0-5 with 5 being most likely to clog pores). Avocado oil is one of the last ingredients in this sunscreen so there may not be very much in the formula. In addition, this natural face sunscreen is sustainably packaged, cruelty-free certified by Leaping Bunny, non-GMO, and made in the U.S.A.
6. Waxhead Zinc Oxide Sunscreen with Vitamin D and Vitamin E
EWG Rating: 1
Active ingredient: Non-Nano Zinc Oxide
Reef Safe: Yes
The ingredients are as follows: non-nano zinc oxide, certified organic extra virgin olive oil, certified organic beeswax, vitamin D, vitamin E, and spring water. This company also states that they use uncoated zinc oxide so possibly there is a little less of a white cast with this product.
This natural face sunscreen contains olive oil, vitamin E, and vitamin D which contain antioxidants to help with aging, assist with collagen production, and offer treatment for psoriasis, acne, and eczema. Olive oil is rated a 2-3 on the comedogenic scale (on a scale of 0-5 with 5 being most likely to clog pores).
This sunscreen is biodegradable, alcohol-free, and paraben-free. In addition, it’s free from all petrochemicals and it’s even dermatologist-recommended.
Are you looking for a non-toxic face moisturizer to go underneath your sunscreen? Click here for my article on non-toxic face moisturizers.
Sources:
https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/report/the-trouble-with-sunscreen-chemicals/
https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/report/nanoparticles-in-sunscreen/
