Summer Sunscreen Must Haves
Summer has finally arrived! I’m sure after all these months of school, work, and quarantine, we all want to hit the beach and spend a whole day just basking in the sun. That’s exactly what I plan to do soon!! My skincare journey all started back when I was searching for a sunscreen. I was packing for a trip to Japan last summer and realized I didn’t have a single sunscreen I liked. I did a good amount of research and discovered I had been going about it all wrong!
After trying sunscreen after sunscreen, I learned that physical sunscreens beat chemical sunscreens every time. Physical sunscreens have the active ingredients titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, while chemical ones have oxybenzone, octinoxate, octisalate, etc. Chemical sunscreens’ active ingredients are actually harmful, especially the highly controversial ingredient oxybenzone. Ingredients like this one absorb UV rays and break down over time, flowing into our bloodstream. Some studies suggest that these chemicals could possibly affect the reproductive system and cause cancer. I prefer mineral/physical sunscreens because the active ingredients just sit on top of your skin, acting like a physical barrier to sunlight.
I’ve got you all covered with three of my favorite mineral sunscreens.
All Good Kids Sunscreen SPF 30 - $16 USD
Coola Rosilliance BB Cream SPF 30 - $52 USD
Australian Gold Tinted Cream SPF 50 - $16 USD
Another note I want to point out before we dive into the reviews is that SPF 30 provides about 97% full protection against the sun. This means that if you ever see SPF 100, it’s purely a marketing ploy! SPF coverage after the SPF 30s plateaus and doesn’t make much of a difference in terms of protection. Ok now onto the breakdown of each!
All Good: It might be a little obvious, but I think that anything made for kids is more likely to be better for you and more gentle on the skin! This sunscreen isn’t chunky or thick at all, and it blends out without leaving a white cast. The scent resembles that of oatmeal (so random) and I don’t find that it causes me to break out or irritate my skin. This sunscreen is marketed to be water resistant, but I much prefer their waterproof one (blue package) for when I’m going to the beach or swimming. The non-waterproof one is great for the face and body, and all the ingredients are clean! It’s my daily go to.
Coola BB: On days I feel like having a bit of coverage, I’m just looking to even out my skin tone, but I don’t want to bother using two separate products. This sunscreen kills two birds with one stone! For the longest time, I couldn’t find a lotion-like tinted sunscreen that wasn’t a chemical sunscreen. So many of them had the ingredients I wanted to avoid. I was so pleasantly surprised when I stumbled across this one. It is so thin and fluid, and blends like a dream on the skin. I don’t experience any pilling or patchiness, and the finish is so dewy. The coverage is light and just enough to give me a refreshed look. And a bonus is that it doesn’t have an overly fragrant smell. The only downside is that this little bottle is $52! I think it’s worth it, but sometimes I want something more budget-friendly, especially for a product I use on the daily. If you can relate, you’ll really love the next one!
Australian Gold Tinted Sunscreen: This one is tinted, mineral based, unscented, and affordable––what’s not to love! On the days I’m not using the Coola sunscreen, I reach for this one. It has much more of a silicone texture to it, which means it’s great for oily and combo skin types. Since I have dry skin, I layer on the moisturizer and oil underneath to maintain the glow level I want. Out of all these sunscreens, this one is the thickest, much like a mousse. However, the application is still smooth and I don’t see any pilling. There are only 3 shades, but I find that one shade can match a wide variety of skin tones, as the tint helps smooth your complexion rather than providing coverage.
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I would highly recommend any three of these sunscreens. Each of them are amazing! I hope that these picks will help you gear up for that summer tanning season!
