We all want our kiddos to be safe in the sun, and sunscreen is absolutely a must for every child over 6 months of age, but what's the best and safest option? There are countless mineral sunscreens on the market, and now we have such better options than the heavily frangranced lotions and propane fueled Aerosol sprays of yore. Here's a run down of four excellent mineral sunscreens for your little ones this summer (and of course for you, too!), their specs, and my favourite of the batch!
Today I'm comparing four mineral sunscreens, all available at Snuggle Bugz (both in store and online). We'll look at Baby Bum, Substance, Green Beaver, and Thinkbaby. All of these lotions come in other formats as well, such as facial sticks (which are awesome!) and non-Aerosol sprays. Here are my findings:
Baby Bum
- SPF 30
- Water resistant 80 minutes
- Active Ingredient: Zinc Oxide 22%
Substance
- SPF 30
- Active Ingredient: Zinc Oxide 20%
- Canadian company
Green Beaver
- SPF 40
- Water resistant 40 minutes
- Active Ingredient: Zinc Oxide 8%, Titanium Dioxide 8%
- Canadian company
Thinkbaby
- SPF 50+
- Water resistant 80 minutes
- Active Ingredient: Zinc Oxide 20%
- Top rated on ewg.org skin deep app
As I said, these are all excellent options. We tested every brand and found that none were greasy and all smelled nice (thanks to natural ingredients like jojoba oil and calendula). Though the brands have varying SPF options, the difference between SPF 30 and 50 is actually a lot smaller than you might think. In fact, SPF 50 only offers an extra 1.3% of UVB protection to your skin than SPF 30 does!*
So for me, SPF 30 or higher is great, but I am not overly swayed in seeing SPF 50 on a sunscreen.
So which brand was the best? After comparing all four, Thinkbaby gets a nod for being top rated on EWG.org's Skin Deep app, which is one of my favourite places to check the safety of cosmetics, and Green Beaver gets a high five for being the only other Canadian company aside from the winner...Substance!
Substance sunscreen is the only certified organic option of the lot, which will be important for some. I'm not overly picky about organic sunscreen, given that the mineral sunscreens are already all chemical-free. What really won me over was the large format available - 6oz / 180ml compared to the other brands offering only half that size! Many mineral sunscreens are smaller format, but with three kids who love to be outside every day, I need large bottles. Substance was also the same price point as the other brands, even though the size was nearly double! So the best value, a Canadian company, and an non-greasy, long-lasting kiddo-safe sunscreen makes Substance my favourite. You can't go wrong with any of these options though, so I encourage you to check them out. Also visit Snuggle Bugz to see the other formats of these great brands!
* SPF 50 vs 30, Honesty For Your Skin
Today I'm comparing four mineral sunscreens, all available at Snuggle Bugz (both in store and online). We'll look at Baby Bum, Substance, Green Beaver, and Thinkbaby. All of these lotions come in other formats as well, such as facial sticks (which are awesome!) and non-Aerosol sprays. Here are my findings:
Baby Bum
- SPF 30
- Water resistant 80 minutes
- Active Ingredient: Zinc Oxide 22%
Substance
- SPF 30
- Active Ingredient: Zinc Oxide 20%
- Canadian company
Green Beaver
- SPF 40
- Water resistant 40 minutes
- Active Ingredient: Zinc Oxide 8%, Titanium Dioxide 8%
- Canadian company
Thinkbaby
- SPF 50+
- Water resistant 80 minutes
- Active Ingredient: Zinc Oxide 20%
- Top rated on ewg.org skin deep app
As I said, these are all excellent options. We tested every brand and found that none were greasy and all smelled nice (thanks to natural ingredients like jojoba oil and calendula). Though the brands have varying SPF options, the difference between SPF 30 and 50 is actually a lot smaller than you might think. In fact, SPF 50 only offers an extra 1.3% of UVB protection to your skin than SPF 30 does!*
So for me, SPF 30 or higher is great, but I am not overly swayed in seeing SPF 50 on a sunscreen.
So which brand was the best? After comparing all four, Thinkbaby gets a nod for being top rated on EWG.org's Skin Deep app, which is one of my favourite places to check the safety of cosmetics, and Green Beaver gets a high five for being the only other Canadian company aside from the winner...Substance!
Substance sunscreen is the only certified organic option of the lot, which will be important for some. I'm not overly picky about organic sunscreen, given that the mineral sunscreens are already all chemical-free. What really won me over was the large format available - 6oz / 180ml compared to the other brands offering only half that size! Many mineral sunscreens are smaller format, but with three kids who love to be outside every day, I need large bottles. Substance was also the same price point as the other brands, even though the size was nearly double! So the best value, a Canadian company, and an non-greasy, long-lasting kiddo-safe sunscreen makes Substance my favourite. You can't go wrong with any of these options though, so I encourage you to check them out. Also visit Snuggle Bugz to see the other formats of these great brands!
This post was written in collaboration with Snuggle Bugz,
a store and site that I have personally chosen for years.
All opinions here are 100% my own.
To book a collaboration, contact me!
* SPF 50 vs 30, Honesty For Your Skin
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