The post shares a variety of non-toxic sunscreens that work well and offer broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection. These mineral sunscreens are all reef safe, safe for children and adults, breastfeeding, and pregnancy.
Disclaimer: some of the links in this post are affiliate links where I make a small commission if you purchase the product through that link. This does not cost you anything extra and helps me keep this website running.
Table of Contents
Why wear sunscreen?
Wearing sunscreen when you spend time outside is important. Too much sun exposure can cause skin damage and lead to sun burns, blisters, dark spots, wrinkles, premature aging of the skin, and increase your risk of skin cancer. The good news is that sunscreen can help protect your skin from the sun, while still allowing you to enjoy time outside.
Why you should only use mineral sunscreen:
When it comes to the active ingredients in sunscreen – the ones that protect you from the sun’s UV rays – there are two different types of ingredients: mineral and chemical filters. The most common sunscreens on the market have been made with chemical filters, but mineral sunscreens are becoming more and more popular as people realize the health concerns and environmental concerns that the chemical sunscreen ingredients have.
Chemical sunscreens work by absorbing the sunscreen's ingredients into your skin and then absorbing UV rays through the ingredients' chemical bonds. As these chemicals absorb the suns' UV rays, the components of the sunscreen break down and then release heat from the body. In contrast, mineral sunscreens use either zinc oxide or titanium dioxide and work by providing a physical barrier to protect your skin from the sun.
In general, mineral sunscreen ingredients, especially zinc oxide, offer superior sun protection compared to chemical sunscreen ingredients, offering better protection from both UVA and UVB rays. Because of this, in order to increase their effectiveness, you will see chemical sunscreen brands combining multiple chemical sunscreen ingredients in a single product.
Mineral sunscreens not only work really well, but they are also safe and non-toxic for our health since they don't get absorbed into your skin. They are also safe for the environment and the coral reefs. In contrast, many of the chemical sunscreen ingredients have significant health concerns. They can also be bad for the environment, harmful to marine life, and damaging to the coral reefs.
When it comes to the chemical sunscreen ingredients, they can have health risks including:
- Some of them are known endocrine disruptors or hormone disruptors (in particular oxybenzone).
- Can increase your bleeding risk (trolamine salicylate).
- Can cause allergic and photoallergic skin reactions (PABA).
- Oxybenzone is readily absorbed through the skin and ends up in breast milk, amniotic fluid, urine, and blood plasma.
There is also a lack of safety data in humans when it comes to the chemical sunscreen ingredients. When these ingredients were initially approved for use in sunscreen it was assumed that very little of these chemicals would be absorbed through the skin. Unfortunately, recent studies show that there is significant absorption of chemical sunscreen ingredients through the skin, leading to plasma concentrations that surpass the FDA's safety threshold.
Because of this, the most recent FDA recommendations are that ONLY zinc oxide and titanium dioxide can be recommended as generally safe and effective (GRASE) when it comes to sunscreens. In fact, the FDA says that ALL chemical sunscreen ingredients CANNOT be recommended as generally safe and effective.
Other ingredients to avoid in sunscreen:
Besides the chemical sunscreen ingredients we just discussed, you also want to avoid these ingredients when shopping for sunscreens:
- Fragrances - these are considered to be trade secrets so companies don't have to disclose what ingredients are used in their fragrances. Fragrances can contain potentially harmful ingredients such as hormone or endocrine disruptors so it's best to avoid any sunscreens with the words "fragrance", "perfume" or "parfum" in the ingredient list.
- Parabens - parabens are preservatives that are known endocrine disruptors so it's best to avoid them. To do this, avoid ingredients that end in "aben".
- Phthalates - certain phthalates are also hormone disruptors that have been associated with many negative health outcomes so it also best to avoid them.
- Benzene - thousands of sunscreens have been recalled over the last few years due to their contamination with benzene. These include both chemical and mineral sunscreens. Benzene is a known carcinogen and can also cause other health issues such as aplastic anemia, so it really should not be in our sunscreen (or any other products for that matter). Be sure to keep an eye on the FDA recalls list and Health Canada recall list to keep up-to-date on the latest sunscreen recalls related to benzene.
Summary: ingredients to avoid in sunscreens
- Chemical sunscreen ingredients - cinoxate, dioxybenzone, ensulizole, homosalate, meradimate, octinoxate, octisalate, octocrylene, padimate O, sulisobenzone, oxybenzone, avobenzone, trolamine salicylate and aminobenzoic acid (PABA).
- Fragrances and scents
- Benzene
- Parabens
- Phthalates
If you want even more information on safe sunscreens I recommend reading my post how to choose a non-toxic sunscreen.
The best non-toxic sunscreens:
Sadly not all mineral sunscreen products are created equal. I tried many mineral sunscreens that didn't work very well. It took me a long to find brands that are not only safe and non-toxic, but are also effective. I hope that all my trial and error will save you money and grief. Below is a review of my favourite non-toxic sunscreens.
1. ATTITUDE Sunscreen
ATTITUDE is a well known safe skincare brand that is readily available in many grocery stores, drug stores, and online, and their sunscreens are some of my favourites. It is vegan and cruelty free and they recently changed much of their packaging to be plastic free so it's better for the environment. Attitude sunscreen is also reef safe and Environmental Working Group (EWG) Verified. I also find their sunscreen to be very hydrating and it doesn't leave a white cast.
Get 10% off Attitude Sunscreen or shop for Attitude sunscreen on Amazon.
2. All Good Sunscreen
All Good makes a variety of mineral sunscreens including sunscreen lotions and sticks with formulas for adults, babies and kids. Their sunscreens are made with natural ingredients and are safe for babies 6 months and older. They are also Leaping Bunny certified, gluten free, hypoallergenic, reef safe and biodegradable. The sunscreen is light weight and rubs in easily and they make a tinted formula for darker skin tones. One downside of this sunscreen is that the bottle is pretty small so it doesn't last that long.
Shop for All Good sunscreen on Amazon, at Target or at All Good Body Care.
3. Beautycounter Sunscreen
The Beautycounter sunscreens are my favourite non-toxic sunscreens. They work well and go on nice and clear with no white cast. Beautycounter only formulates with safe ingredients, and they also check every batch of their products for contaminants so that harmful ingredients like benzene or those that can cause hormone disruption would never end up in their sunscreen. I don't know of any other brand that checks their sunscreen for contaminants so this is one of the reasons why I love this sunscreen so much. It is also reef safe.
Beautycounter makes a few different sunscreens depending on your preferences and needs and I have tried them all:
- Countersun Mineral Sunscreen Lotion - It is an SPF 30 sunscreen lotion that offers broad-spectrum protection and is formulated with California Poppy to block blue light as well as UV radiation. It is water resistant for up to 40 minutes. It’s also safe for children 6 months and older. It goes on nice and clear, leaving no white cast, and blends really easily.
- Countersun Mineral Sunscreen Stick - This sunscreen stick is great if you have kids. It’s easy for them to use and is small enough to keep in a purse or diaper bag. Like the sunscreen lotion, this sunscreen also blocks UVA and UVB rays as well as blue light. It’s water resistant for up to 80 minutes and is also safe for children 6 months and older. I find this product is especially great for travelling because of the smaller size.
- Countersun Mineral Sunscreen Mist - This sunscreen spray is formulated without aerosol chemicals and uses air pressure technology to propel the liquid out of the container (how cool is that?). Like the other sunscreen formulas it blocks UVA, UVB and blue light and is water resistant for up to 80 minutes.
Note that Beautycounter is currently in transition and you can't currently purchase products from them, but their sunscreen should be available again later in 2025 and I will update this post with active links when that happens.
4. Alba Botanica Sunscreen
Alba Botanica makes a variety of different sunscreens including sunscreen lotions and sprays that range from SPF 15 to SPF 50. This sunscreen is biodegradable and Leaping Bunny certified. They offer fragrance free options so they are great for those with sensitive skin and should not cause skin irritation. This sunscreen is also one of the more affordable options in this review. One downside to this sunscreen is that I did find the formula to be a little greasy.
5. Badger Sunscreen
Badger is another great non toxic brand that makes a few different sunscreen products. Their sunscreen ranks a 1 on the environmental working group (EWG) skin deep guide and it's made with only 5 ingredients. It's also reef safe, cruelty free, gluten free, hypoallergenic and made with USDA certified organic ingredients. The main downside of this sunscreen is that it is pretty thick and hard to rub in and I find it does leave more of a white cast on your skin compared to some of the other sunscreens in this review.
Shop for Badger sunscreen on Amazon, at Target or on Badger Balm.
6. Babo Botanicals Sunscreen
Babo Botanicals makes plant based skincare products and they make great mineral sunscreens that are designed for sensitive skin. They are also EWG verified, fragrance free, vegan, cruelty-free and dermatologist tested. I found this sunscreen rubs in easily and didn't leave any white cast, although the formula was a little greasy. One downside is that I have never been able to find this sunscreen in Canada where I live but it's easy to find in the US.
7. Pipette Sunscreen
Pipette mineral sunscreen is a baby friendly formula that is lightweight, long-lasting and gentle. It's also non comedogenic so is good for those with acne prone skin. It's also fragrance free, hypoallergenic, cruelty free and vegan. This sunscreen is one of the more affordable sunscreens I tried and rubs in easily with no white cast. I also found this formula to be pretty hydrating although it feels a bit greasy when you first apply it but it does get better after you rub it in. I also didn't love how it smells.
8. Raw Elements Sunscreen
Raw Elements sunscreen is another great brand of safe, natural sunscreen. Their sunscreen is organic and is water resistant up to 80 minutes. It's also reef safe, biodegradable, cruelty free and Leaping Bunny Certified. I love that their sunscreen comes in biodegradable packaging! I don't know of any other sunscreen that does. I also found this formula nice and hydrating when I used it although the formula is pretty thick and takes some work to rub in. I also found it left of a bit of a white cast compared to some of the other brands I tried and I didn't love the smell.
9. Earth Mama Sunscreen
Earth Mama is another great non toxic brand. They make a few different sunscreen products depending on your needs. Their sunscreen is dermatologist tested and Leaping Bunny Certified and is one of the more affordable options in this review. It's also great for kids and infants although I did find that it leaves a white cast, was hard to rub in and felt sticky on my skin.
10. ThinkSun
ThinkSun makes a number of mineral sunscreens. Their sunscreen is dermatologist recommended, reef-safe, biodegradable, kid-friendly, and water resistant up to 80 minutes. It also rates really well on EWG and has a nice subtle scent. However I did find that the sunscreen did leave white stains on my swimsuits. They did recently change their formula however and I have not yet tried the latest version.
Shop for Think sunscreen on Amazon and the ThinkSun website.
Non-toxic sunscreens FAQs:
To use sunscreen properly, you should apply it 15-30 minutes before going into the sun, and then reapply it every 1.5-2 hours, or anytime you have been in the water or sweating in large amounts.
The safest sunscreens are ones that are mineral sunscreens that are tested for benzene contamination, and that are free of fragrances, parabens and phthalates.
Beautycounter sunscreen is a great safe sunscreen, that is tested to ensure it doesn't have benzene contamination.
Other health information you will want to read:
Our expertise:
Dr. Erin Carter, MD, FRCPC, is a physician with board certifications in internal medicine and rheumatology. She is passionate about preventative healthcare including nutrition, environmental health and low toxicity living.
alanna dB
Aw dang! Nathan is so white - I definitely need to find a good natural one here. I've used the Green Beaver ones from Community, but the sticks sound a lot better since they won't separate. Why can't we have nice things NOW in Canada?! haha
Erin Carter
ya the sunscreen won't be available in Canada until 2017. I ordered some while I'm in Florida so I could try it because I didn't want to wait that long!
alanna dB
I was really curious about the beautycounter one after seeing it on Liz's site, but I can't find it on the Canadian version. :'(
Ariell
Hi! Thank you for providing all the information about chemical vs physical sunscreens! Since you also have KP, what sunscreens or ingredients would you recommend looking out for? I don’t want my sunscreen to make the problem worse! Thank you!
Erin Carter
I use Beautycounter sunscreen and it has never caused my KP any issues
Mary Hoffman
Sky & Sol is an excellent mineral sunscreen made with beef tallow. It feels good on your skin & doesn't leave your skin white. I use their SPF 50 on my face & my body. I Love it!