My Favorite Organic and Mineral Sunscreens
Sunscreen is a topic that you see everyone in the beauty world talk about more and more, which I think is great. Nowadays there are so many great options and today I wanted to show you my top picks for organic, mineral sunscreens.
I won't go too much into detail about all the different type of ingredients, what UVA and UVB is, etc. There are enough great blog posts and videos out there that explain everything very thoroughly. You can check out Michelle's blog called Lab Muffin or Dana's blog Babe and Beauty, for instance. If you prefer a video format, I recommend the Beauty Within one.
Sunscreen is protecting your skin from premature aging and skin cancer and should be used all year round. It's one of the best things you can do for anti-aging.
Just recently I have been on a trip to Sicily (which was amazing!) with three friends and was shocked that I was the only one who used sunscreen on my face and body religiously.
What is the difference between chemical and mineral sunscreen?
Mineral or physical sunscreens reflect and bounce off UVA and UVB rays. They work immediately after application and the active ingredients are zinc oxide and titanium oxide. They're better for sensitive skin and feel a bit heavier than chemical sunscreens. This type of sunscreen is my favorite as it provides immediate protection to my skin, it's used in organic products and doesn't contain any chemicals that I don't want in my products.
Chemical sunscreens absorb UVA and UVB rays into the skin where it is then changed into heat and released as infrared rays. After application, you need to wait 15-20 minutes until you can go out into the sun. Some active ingredients are oxybenzone or octocrylene. It has a very lightweight texture, sinks in faster but might be a bit irritating on some people.
Before I share my favorite sunscreen picks with you, I want to mention what I am looking for when I buy a sunscreen. My sunscreen of choice should at least have SPF 30. I don't really want a matte finish but rather a moisturized finish that is not sticky. The sunscreen shouldn't leave too much of a white cast and sink in fairly quickly. It shouldn't contain nanoparticles and should be coral reef safe.
It was very important to me to show you products that have different price tags so you can decide how much you want to spend on a sunscreen.
Josh Rosebrook Tinted Nutrient Day Cream SPF 30
61€ for 30ml
I love this sunscreen because it doesn't feel like a sunscreen at all. It is actually a day cream and sunscreen in one. It's quite liquidy and spreads beautifully on the skin. This product made me fall in love with tinted sunscreens. That way you won't have a white cast and it provides a tiny bit of coverage. It leaves my skin feeling great and moisturized and works perfectly under makeup. It has a semi-matte finish and contains beautiful ingredients like borage, sea buck thorn, rose hip, hemp and aloe vera. To me, it is very much worth the price.
Madara Plant Stem Cell Age Protecting Sunscreen SPF 30
29€ for 40ml
Another tinted sunscreen that stole my heart! The texture feels really luxurious and spreads easily. Some star ingredients are dragonhead, a strong antioxidant, hyaluronic acid and raspberry seed oil. I love the scent, but cannot really define if that's the dragonhead or something else. This sunscreen works perfectly under makeup as well, does not leave a white cast due to the tint and leaves my skin nicely hydrated and moisturized. I just discovered this product this year but I will for sure repurchase it when I run out!
You can see a side by side comparison of the tinted sunscreen from Josh Rosebrook and Madara. The JR one is definitely lighter and liquidy whereas the Madara one is darker, a bit cooler toned and creamier. Both of them blend flawlessly into my skin. I have relatively fair skin but I think both would suit a lot of different skin types and skin tones.
Alga Maris Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30
20,90€ for 100ml
This is an old favorite of mine. I have used their sunscreens for about 2,5 years now, and I am still a fan. It was my go-to sunscreen for summer holidays, but also for daily use. I have tried the sunscreen that is specifically for the face and this one shown, for the face and body. To me, there's not a major difference between the products. All products have this gorgeous coconut-y summer scent and the texture spreads easily. Alga Maris has a tinted version of the sunscreen that I have yet to try. The untinted version might leave a teeny tiny white cast, but nothing too noticeable. It's more of a skin brightening finish ;) This sunscreen is definitely more nourishing than all the other sunscreens.
Eco Cosmetics Sun Milk SPF 30 Sensitive Skin
15,90€ for 75ml
This was a fairly new product for me. I haven't tried any of the Eco Cosmetics sunscreens before, but I know that a lot of people love it, so I finally wanted to try it. Just as a disclaimer: I haven't used this product on my face yet, but all over my body and I think it's great. The texture is quite liquidy and spreads easily. I love that it's especially for sensitive skin. It definitely leaves a bit more of a white cast than the other products I mentioned above, but for me, that's not a major issue. As long as it doesn't have a super thick and heavy feeling on the skin, I am ok with it.
In the side by side comparison of the Alga Maris (left) and Eco Cosmetics (right) one you can see that the EC sunscreen is super liquidy and the AM one a bit creamier. Both of them blend into the skin quite easily and leave your skin super hydrated and nourished.
Have you tried any of the mentioned sunscreens? Which one is your go-to?
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All brands and products mentioned in the article were named without payment and solely by personal choice. Brand names and product recommendations are currently to be marked as advertising content according to the law.