Natural Zinc Sunscreen NZ
Healthy, natural options for sunscreen in NZ
Are you looking for healthy, natural or zinc sunscreen in NZ?! We are on the hunt to collate the best healthy sunscreen options available.
Here is what we look for:
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Natural sunscreen with ingredients that are as healthy as possible
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Sunscreen suitable for children and delicate skin
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Sunscreen with no fragrance, colours, parabens, phthalates and sulphates
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Zinc sunscreen, free of the chemicals that are known to damage coral
REVIEWS
Earth's Kitchen
best all round
We tested the baby version of Earth's Kitchen. It's a clean, natural sunscreen with all round healthy ingredients and it goes on smoothly, without being sticky. For sensitive skin, Earth's Kitchen is excellent, as well as reef safe.
Oasis Sun
good value for money
Oasis Sun is great workhorse natural sunscreen. As far as zinc suncreens go, Oasis Sun is great value for money - especially if you need to send it to kindy/daycare/school for daily usage. Effective, clean and reef safe.
baby Bum Mineral SPF 50+
Sunscreen for babies
100% mineral broad spectrum protection that is lightweight and easy to blend in. This fragrance cream rubs in quickly and offers thick protection without being sticky.Amazing for those with sensitive skin and doesn’t leave your baby looking like a snowman! Protects from UVA and UVB rays and is reef safe.
Soléo Organics
Natural sunscreen
All natural, Soleo is a great all-rounder sunscreen that goes on smoothly and absorbs quickly. They carry a wide range of sunscreens for different needs. If you are looking for a water-resistant sun cream, you will need to check out their high-performance range. Natural, hypoallergenic and environmentally friendly.
Healthy tips for sunscreen and the sun
Mineral/zinc sunscreen vs chemical sunscreens
Sunscreens usually fall into two categories; mineral/zinc sunscreens and chemical sunscreens.
Mineral sunscreens, also known as natural sunscreens or zinc sunscreens, typically use zinc oxide or titanium dioxide as their effective ingredient. These minerals provide a physical barrier to protect the skin from the sun.
Some mineral/zinc/natural sunscreen formulations can be effective and safe for even the littlest of humans and for those who suffer from skin allergies. Read the labels carefully, as some do not provide water-resistant protection from both UVA and UVB rays, and check that there are no undesirable ingredients present.
Chemical sunscreens are those that contain one or more chemical UVA and UVB blockers, it is many of these ingredients that are linked to poor health outcomes.
Which sunscreen ingredients should you avoid?
Sunscreen usage has increased significantly in the past decades. Despite this, skin cancer rates are on the rise, and new reports are showing a connection.
Studies have linked some chemical sunscreen ingredients to an increase in the likelihood of cancer, disruption of the hormone system, and harm during reproduction and development.
Sunscreen ingredients to avoid include oxybenzone, octinoxate, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate, and avobenzone.
Recent studies have shown that we can systemically absorb these ingredients into the body after one use, and they can still be detected in the blood weeks later. A great resource is the Environmental Working Group (EWG) which provides ratings on many sunscreens and their ingredients.
Sunscreen damage to coral reefs
Even in low doses, certain chemicals in commercial sunscreens are harming our marine life; increasing coral’s susceptibility to bleaching, damaging DNA, interfering with reproduction, causing deformities and disrupting a coral’s hormonal process. This is not good!
Fortunately, some of the more ethical sunscreen companies care about this issue, and formulate their sunscreen products without these chemicals. These products will often be marked as “marine safe” so that you can make choices that are better for our oceans.
Why avoid spray sunscreens?
In NZ most spray sunscreens are chemical sunscreens, however you can get some mineral or zinc spray sunscreens overseas.
As well as potentially containing undesirable ingredients, spray on sunscreens offer a much higher potential for the inhalation of these ingredients directly into the lungs.
If you must use a spray on sunscreen, choose a mineral or zinc sunscreen with none of the nasties and don’t breathe it in!
A balanced approach to safe sun
It is important to remember that regular exposure to the sun is crucial to human health. In fact, thanks to indoor lifestyles, large numbers of people in our communities are chronically deficient in vitamin D.
To maintain optimum health, it is important to have some time in the sun without sunscreen every day. So how do we do this safely?
Here are some simple tips that you can adapt to suit:
- Plan outdoor activities around the sun. In summer, enjoy the great outdoors in the morning or late afternoon to avoid the hottest part of the day.
- Understand your skin. Your body needs regular small doses of sunlight on your bare skin to aid the production of Vitamin D (and a host of other health benefits). How long you need will depend on the season, time of day, and how pale or dark you are. In summer it could be as little as 10 minutes, in winter as much as 2 hours. Everyone has different needs. In some families, you may have a variety of needs to consider.
- Internal sunscreen. Certain supplements such as astaxanthin and tomato paste have been shown to increase the natural protection of your skin.
- Avoid unnecessary or unhealthy chemicals. Choose sunscreens that will protect you without harming you!
- Cover up. If time in the scorching sun is unavoidable, slather on the sunscreen, cover up and stay in the shade.
- Check your burn time. Many weather reports include a burn time, understand what is typical for each season in your area.