My Favorite Natural Sunscreens

Let’s talk sun protection today! Its mid-July and this is typically when I see people everywhere getting sunburns, and people that is SO bad for you!!! When I was a teenager I used to go without sunscreen because I wanted to get a tan. Not only did I not tan, I burned, but my skin has some permanent damage. I can visibly see that my skin looks just a little older where I burned really bad more than a decade ago. There are plenty of wonderful products you can use that will help protect your skin from sun damage and I thought I’d share a few of my personal favorites that are free of horrible chemicals. Boy do I wish I could go back in time and give my younger self even one of the sunscreens below!

I also made a video about these sunscreens >> https://youtu.be/cEp2hQTiX0A

When I was growing up all we had was some sort of greasy formula that I just hated to put on. With the gorgeous formulas available today, you have no excuse to not protect your skin! These are the ones I have personally tried and loved in the past 2 years. *Note these are primarily suggestions for face sunscreen, not full body.

100% Pure BB Cream SPF 15 – *affiliate link. I have this in shade 10 Luminous. It is a great idea to have at least an SPF 15 built into your base for just day to day when you have minimal time in the sun. This BB cream gives a beautiful natural finish with a fresh glow thanks to its 1000s of light reflective pigments. It gives medium coverage and is very moisturizing.

Active ingredients: 8.7% Zinc Oxide, 4.6% Titanium Dioxide
Protects from: UVA + UVB rays (broad spectrum)
Formulated without: artificial colors, artificial fragrances, synthetic chemical preservatives and all other toxins. Cruelty-free.
Price: $39 for 1fl. oz.

Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair CC Cream SPF 30 – This has been a favorite of mine for the past few years and is available in five shades. I use the shade ‘natural glow’ which is the lightest. I’ve talked about this several times on the blog and it is still one of my go-to sunscreens for my face. I love the metal tip applicator which makes it very easy to apply without a mess. The broad spectrum, chemical-free formula reduces appearance of fine lines & wrinkles, evens skin tone, moisturizes, is packed with antioxidants, gives sheer coverage, and just makes my skin looks radiant. Read my original review here.

Active ingredients: 20% Zinc Oxide, non nano
Protects from: UVA + UVB rays (broad spectrum)
Formulated without: parabens, petroleum, propylene or butylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfates, pesticides, phthalates, artificial dyes or synthetic fragrances. Cruelty free.
Price: $39 for 1.7fl. oz.

Tatcha Silken Pore Perfecting Sunscreen SPF 35 – As I mentioned in my first impressions of this one last year, it is a super lightweight formula. It blends into skin flawlessly without leaving hardly a trace and creates a beautiful smooth finish (slightly minimizing pores) that works great as a primer. I’ve used this on several occasions as a primer under a full face of makeup when I was going to be outside all day, such as the renaissance festival I went to last month. It protected my skin and kept my makeup looking good for hours even in the heat.

Active ingredients: Zinc Oxide 15%, Octisalate 5%
Protects from: UVA + UVB rays (broad spectrum)
Formulated without: Mineral Oil, Synthetic Colors, Synthetic Fragrances, Sulfate Detergents, Parabens, PEGs, PPGs, Urea, DEA, TEA or Phthalates. Cruelty free.
Price: $68 for 2fl. oz.

MyChelle Sun Shield Clear Stick SPF 50 – I discovered this via my April Goodbeing box. It comes in a solid stick and has a creamy, moisturizing and chemical-free formula that blends right into skin (dries clear). I love that is has SPF 50! It is also reef safe and water resistant for 80 minutes. It smells like cocoa butter and is just so easy to apply. If you are active in the outdoors this is the perfect little stick to stow in your bag (kayakers this would fit right in your pfd so you can reapply to your nose and cheeks when on the water!).

Active ingredients: Zinc Oxide 17%
Protects from: UVA + UVB rays (broad spectrum)
Formulated without: GMO, gluten, parabens, petroleum, phthalates, silicones, sulfates, ureas, artificial fragrances, artificial colors. Cruelty free.
Price: $12 for .5fl oz.

Goddess Garden Organics Facial Natural Sunscreen SPF 30 – I mentioned this one in my May favorites and discovered it via April’s Vegan Cuts beauty box. It is a slightly thicker formula but blends right into skin and leaves skin feeling ever so slightly tacky. Because of this it creates a great primer or base for your makeup. It has aloe vera, shea butter, and immortelle essential oils and my skin really did well with this the dozen or so times I’ve used it so far. It is also water-resistant (40 min).

Active ingredients: Zinc Oxide 19%
Protects from: UVA + UVB rays (broad spectrum)
Formulated without: Non-Nano, Reef Safe, Non-GMO, Biodegradable, Vegan, Cruelty Free, Alcohol Free, Paraben and Phthalate Free, and Free from Gluten Ingredients.
Price: $4.99 for 1fl oz.

jane iredale PurePressed Base Mineral Powder SPF 20 – If you’re looking to add a bit more spf by layering with your makeup then I highly recommend jane iredale! I’ve been using her base powder with SPF 20 in it for the last few years and I love knowing that when I touch up my makeup throughout the day that I’m also getting sun protection. Last I checked this comes in 24 different shades (I use Light Beige). It is semi-matte and made from micronized minerals, free of synthetic chemicals, oil free and weightless.

Active ingredients: Titanium Dioxide 14%, Zinc Oxide 3% (for all shades except Latte, Cognac, Velvet, and Mahogany)
Protects from: UVA + UVB rays (broad spectrum)
Formulated without: Non-Nano, Reef Safe, Non-GMO, Biodegradable, Vegan, Cruelty Free, Alcohol Free, Paraben and Phthalate Free, and Free from Gluten Ingredients.
Price: $42 for 9.9g/.35oz refill pan to go with their refillable compact

What is SPF?  Sun Protection Factor – this measures how long a sunscreen will protect you from ultraviolet (UBV) rays. This does not measure UVA rays which can damage deeper layers of skin. *Rays are typically most harmful between 10am – 2pm.

I also just received the Powder-Me SPF 30 from jane iredale and tried it for the first time yesterday. It is a broad spectrum dry sunscreen. I unboxed it in a recent YouTube video and wasn’t sure how it really worked, but yesterday realized that there is actually a small hole in the applicator sponge and the powder is filtered right through it so all you have to do is tap onto your face to apply. I wore it on a walk yesterday and liked it a lot. It was very mattifying and actually evened out my complexion quite a bit. As I said I’ve only worn it the once though. I also love their LipDrink SPF 15 Lip Balm.

I hope you found this post useful. Let’s discuss sun protection in the comments below! Have you used any of these? Are there other chemical-free sunscreens you love? Let’s enjoy summer safely : ) xo – Naomi