Zero Waste Sunscreen: The Best Sustainable Sunscreen Options Out There
Please Note: We are not healthcare providers. This article is not intended to be used as an alternative to advice given by a healthcare professional. This article is for informational purposes only. Please contact your healthcare provider with medical questions or concerns.
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Sunscreen is extremely important for everyone to wear, especially in the summer time as the sun’s rays become more intense. However not all sunscreens are created equally.
By now you have probably seen or heard about at least one problematic aspect to sunscreen. You may have heard that sunscreens contain toxic chemicals that can give you cancer. You may have heard that sunscreen is toxic to marine life. And you may have noticed that almost every sunscreen you’ve ever bought is made with plastic and is not in sustainable or zero waste packaging. There is no shortage of articles willing to tell you how problematic sunscreen is.
To be clear though, you should wear sunscreen. It is important in helping prevent sunburns, skin cancer, and early aging (1). When in doubt it is best, according to health experts, to wear any type of sunscreen (1).
With that said, problematic sunscreen claims such as toxic chemicals and dangers to marine life are a cause for concern. So we are taking a dive into the sunscreen market to help provide some peace of mind and hopefully helpful sustainable sunscreen recommendations.
We will go over:
What Is Sunscreen?
Why Do We Need It?
What Types Of Sunscreen Are There?
Are There Toxic Chemicals In My Sunscreen?
Is Sunscreen Killing the Environment?
What Sunscreen Is Safe To Use?
What Is Sunscreen?
Sunscreen is a substance that goes on the body to help prevent the sun’s rays from damaging the skin (2). Sunscreen can come in the form of a lotion, gel, or cream. Once applied to the skin sunscreen deflects and/or disperses ultraviolet light (UV light), which is a type of radiation the sun emits (2).
Why Do We Need It?
The sun’s rays emit UV light which can damage skin cells. Too much exposure to UV can lead to skin cancer (3). Too much exposure to the sun can also lead to sunburn and premature aging (1). To reduce your chances of sunburn, early aging, and skin cancer it is recommended that you wear sunscreen (1,3).
What Types Of Sunscreen Are There?
There are two types of sunscreen currently on the market; chemical and mineral.
Chemical sunscreens are the most common type of sunscreen and are readily available at grocery stores and any other places that sell sunscreen. Chemical sunscreens contain synthetic chemicals, which are chemicals that are not naturally occurring. Synthetic chemicals are those that have been manufactured by humans (4).
Synthetic chemicals are everywhere. There are plenty of synthetic chemicals that have been deemed safe. However, there are some synthetic chemicals that are extremely dangerous to both humans and the planet (5).
Mineral sunscreens contain zinc and/or titanium dioxide, both of which are minerals (1). Mineral sunscreens can often be a better choice for those with sensitive skin as chemical sunscreens can irritate skin (1).
Mineral sunscreens do not absorb into the skin the same way as chemical sunscreens do. Often mineral sunscreens can leave a thin white layer to the skin, which depending on your skin type and skin color, can be more noticeable than using chemical sunscreen (1).
Are There Toxic Chemicals In My Sunscreen?
Unfortunately, there can be toxic chemicals in your sunscreen. A quick online search will give you an extremely long list of problematic sunscreen ingredients. It can quickly become overwhelming to know what is and what isn’t safe.
In a recent blog post we dove into harmful ingredients often found in soaps and cosmetic products. From the research we did for that post we would air on the side of caution buying products that contain parabens. While we investigated other synthetic chemicals, we found parabens to be most common in sunscreens. Exposure to large quantities of parabens pose a health risk to humans with some scientists believing paraben exposure can cause certain types of cancer (6,7).
Unfortunately a lot of big name brand sunscreens contain parabens in them. Some sunscreens that contain parabens include Banana Boat Sunscreen Lotion and Neutrogena Sunblock Lotion.
Is Sunscreen Killing the Environment?
Oxybenzone (BP-3) and octinoxate (OMC) have gained attention as problematic chemicals due to their 2018 banning in Hawaii over environmental concerns (8). This banning went into full effect in 2021 (8).
A research study on these two ingredients found inconclusive results about whether or not they are a risk to human health (9). However, multiple studies have shown that oxybenzone and octinoxate can be extremely detrimental to corals and other ocean life (10).
Unfortunately a lot of big name brand sunscreens contain both oxybenzone and octinoxate in them. Some sunscreens that contain oxybenzone and octinoxate include Banana Boat Kids MAX SPF 100, Coppertone Sport SPF 100 Spray 4-in-1 performance, La Roche-Posay Anthelios Sunscreen Spray Ultra-Light Lotion SPF 60, CVS Health Clear Sunscreen Face Lotion SPF 55, and Signature Care Sheer Sunscreen Stick Face and Body SPF 70.
What Sunscreen Is Safe To Use?
We recommend using sunscreens that do not include the following three ingredients:
Parabens
Oxybenzone (BP-3)
Octinoxate (OMC)
As we have learned above these ingredients are dangerous both to human health as well as to the environment.
We would also recommend buying sunscreens that do not come in plastic. Finding zero waste packaging is much better for the environment and won’t take hundreds of years to break down. Sustainable sunscreen that’s safe for both human and marine life is the ultimate goal.
With this in mind we recommend the following sunscreens:
Attitude Plastic Free Mineral Sunscreen Stick
SurfDurt
Bare Republic Mineral Sunscreen
Attitude Plastic Free Mineral Sunscreen Stick
About: This plastic free, zero waste sunscreen comes in a stick so that you can rub/roll the sunscreen right onto your body. At SPF 30 you can get both their face and body sticks.
Tested Review: We tested their unscented sensitive natural care body and face sticks. Both sticks are easy to use as you simply roll the stick over whatever body parts you want covered in sunscreen. I then used my hands to get the white sunscreen fully rubbed into my skin. The unscented is truly unscented. As someone who is very sensitive to smells I would definitely recommend it. After spending 12 hours in the sun I was not burned. I will say the body stick did make my legs and arms a bit sticky but I did not experience any stickiness with the face stick.
Where to Purchase: You can order attitude sunscreen directly from their website or on Amazon. With shipping you can expect to pay around $40 for a 3oz body stick and a 1oz face stick. To get $20 off your first order be sure to use our referral link: https://attitudeliving.com/a/rewards/r/tRoz6s3m
SurfDurt
About: An all natural, zero waste sunscreen that comes in a reusable bamboo container. This SPF 30 sunscreen is perfect for your face and each purchase donates a portion of proceeds to various nonprofits.
Tested Review: We tested out their original formula, the Zombie White Sunscreen. This is a solid sunscreen where you use your fingers to apply. It has a pleasant smell and as someone with extremely fair/light skin the white didn’t show up at all on my skin. If anything I had a hard time seeing where I had already rubbed sunscreen in. After hours in the sun (and only applying once in the morning) I didn’t get any sunburns. While this isn’t necessarily just a face sunscreen, it takes a while to get the sunscreen out of the container. For this reason it would be an extremely time intensive process to put on young children, but for adult faces it works just fine.
Where to Purchase: You can order surfdurt sunscreen directly from their website or on Amazon. With shipping you can expect to pay around $30 for a 2oz container.
Bare Republic Mineral Sunscreen
About: This natural spray on body sunscreen uses compressed air instead of aerosols (11). Their face sunscreen comes as a lotion in a plastic container. While this is the only non zero waste product we list, Bare Republic makes an effort to have their packaging be recyclable or be made from post-consumer recycled materials (11).
Tested Review: Due to the body spray being a spray it is the easiest sunscreen to apply. With kids running around, a spray sunscreen can sometimes be the most practical form. Due to Bare Republic’s dedication to safe ingredients and attempts at more sustainable packaging we felt this spray on was important to include. The face lotion has a large con of being in a plastic container. The lotion itself however does work really well. Both the face and body sunscreen do need to be rubbed in or else you will have white streaks (or at least I encountered this to be the case).
Where to Purchase: You can order bare republic sunscreen directly from their website or on Amazon. With shipping you can expect to pay around $40 for a 1.7oz face sunscreen and a 6oz body spray container.
Using sunscreen is extremely important to keep your skin healthy. While some chemical sunscreens are safer than others, mineral sunscreens tend to have the least amount of harmful ingredients, at least that we found.
Purchasing sunscreens that don’t include parabens, oxybenzone (BP-3), or octinoxate (OMC) can help reduce potential harm to both you and your family along with the environment. Going one step further, focusing on purchasing zero waste sunscreens helps keep this planet even healthier.
Unfortunately there are a lot of problematic sunscreens out there on the market. So as we head into summer be sure to try out some of the best sustainable sunscreen options that we found out there! And let us know what you think in the comments below!
