Lets talk sunscreen

Happy Mother's Day!! I am so fortunate to have so many amazing mothers in my life and over the last few years it has been so awesome watching my friends step into the role as mom!

Summer is quickly approaching... unless you're like me and live in the southern part of the country. Our days of 80+ degrees have been around for awhile now and the temps are only getting higher. Sunscreen seems to be a hot topic lately and for good reason.

Did you know 90% of signs of aging are related to sun exposure! (skincancer.org) YIKES- so be sure to wear your sunscreen! Also make sure to wear hats, long sleeves, sunglasses and find yourself a shady spot to lounge! 

Before we dive in I wanted to mention SPF:
SPF (sun protection factor): an SPF of 15 blocks 93% UVB rays and an SPF of 30 blocks 97% UVB rays...so just know spf 100 realllly probably isn't necessary and just another wonderful marketing tactic. 

There are 2 different types of sunscreen - Chemical Sunscreen and Mineral Sunscreen (also known as physical). 

Chemical Sunscreen - what most people are familiar with in the market today. It is created using chemicals to filter the sun- they essentially work by absorbing the sun's energy and releasing it. Common ingredients found in this type of sunscreen are oxybenzone, octinoxate, homosalate, octisalate  or octocrylene. Chemical sunscreens are very easy to apply, blend easily, and are transparent on the skin.

But here is the problem: chemical filters are high risk for skin irritation and allergies, they are absorbed into the body very quickly and can be detected in the blood, breastmilk, and urine and have been linked to hormone disruption. 

CLICK HERE to read a recent report from CNN regarding sunscreen

Mineral Sunscreen - Mineral sunscreen is made most commonly with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide creates a physical barrier between your skin and the sun. These ingredients work by truly reflecting the sun's rays away from your skin.

When it comes to sunscreen, Beautycounter focuses on technology, safety, packaging, and responsibility. They use non-nano zinc and evaluate the particle size to ensure it has low potential risk of entering the bloodstream. The spray sunscreen uses non-aerosol bag-on-valve technology so no propellant chemicals are sprayed into the air or onto your skin. Lastly it is FREE from oxybenzone and octinoxate which are known to damage the coral reefs.


FYI regulations on sunscreen are being looked at much more closely- for example many areas in the Riviera Maya are wildlife preserves it is now a federal regulation at the eco-parks to have a biodegradable sunscreen! 

IMPORTANT- labels like "reef safe" or "reef friendly sunscreen" are unregulated so it is up to you to turn the bottle over and read that ingredient list! Do it for your skin and the beautiful coral reefs!

So far I am using the follow:

Beautycounter Sunscreen

Naked Zinc (amazon)

Badger brand (amazon)- I found this to be the "thickest" and leaves the most white residue on your skin out of the three.

Let me know- do you have a mineral sunscreen that you love??