How green is your sunscreen?

Summer is here and I can't be outside long enough to keep me satisfied. Whether you are headed to the pool or just going to work in your garden, one important kindness you can do for your body is wear sunscreen. A kindness you can do for our planet is make sure that your sunscreen doesn't do any additional damage to our ecosystem while it's protecting you.

We don't think about it but many of the oils in sunscreens and tanning lotions come off of our skin and wash into the marine ecosystem when we go swimming in natural bodies of water. In tropical climates this is a huge problem for the coral reefs. The oils in the water settle on the reefs & have the same effect as an oil slick, suffocating them and bleaching them. Our sunblock is partly responsible for slowly killing the world's coral. Oxybenzone, an ingredient used in a number of sunscreens has also been known to potentially cause feminizing of fish.

The way I see it, if it's going to harm the planet, it could potentially harm me. It goes without saying that I don't want to put it on my body's largest organ, my skin.


 My husband is literally part albino, so having a good sunscreen is key to our having a nice vacation.  In preparation for our honeymoon we tried several eco-friendly sunscreens and below are our results.

Mexitan- kind of greasy. just worked ok. It had a whitish tin we didn't like and we found we had to apply it a little more often than normal. It also had an odd smell to it.

Soleo- we thought this was a bit greasy and despite wearing the block, my husband still got a little bit burnt. Smelled a little funny too.

Alba Botanicals- worked well, smelled nice and doesn't seem to bother those with sensdative skin & allergies.  we did have to apply it rather frequently but a good sunscreen. It was a little more expensive than its competitors. 

Loving Naturals- worked well , but not really a good choice if you're in and out of the water frequently. this one smelled nice & wasn't greasy. We did have to reapply it more often than normal. It tends to leave a bit of a white tint on your skin.

Badger- this sunblock really worked fantastic. it was definitely our favorite. It took some extra rubbing in but it wasn't greasy and pretty much odorless. This also was wonderful in the water. We wore it surfing and didn't get burnt at all, after two whole hours. The only sunburn we received was on the back of our knees and that was because we forgot to put it on there. All right, you can say it, what king of moron goes surfing and forgets to block on the backs of their knees right? i highly recommend this sunscreen.

Anyway, that is our two cents on the best green sunscreens out there. I hope you have a fun, safe and healthy summer!