Best Eco Sunscreens for Your Beachy Body

coola1

So Memorial Day came and went, and we were left looking over our skin to see if we got any color over the weekend”¦despite six different organic sunscreens we continually slathered on our bods”¦between hiding under an umbrella and dodging into the sunlight like a crazy person. Wait, you didn’t do that? Well, I did, and allow me to share the fruits of my sunscreen obsession.

First, we brought you the world of organic face sunscreens. Now let’s take a look at the best protection for our bodies!

Total Body Plumeria SPF 30 by Coola

My favorite of the bunch, this product gets high props for three reasons. First, it smells fantastic with a sweet, floral scent. Second, it goes on smooth and doesn’t leave you feeling greased out or chalky. And finally, it works like Brad Pitt juggling babies! (That means well!) I wore one application for an entire afternoon and didn’t get burned, despite hopping in and out of the water. It is a certified organic product with a UVA/UVB broad spectrum. And it is hypoallergenic, water resistant and paba/paraben free.

Sun Lotion SPF 30+ by Jurlique

jurlique

This product out of Australia is so light (not to mention delicately packaged in a glass bottle) that I’ve been using it for both my face and my body. It looks, smells and feels like a regular moisturizer. It also has an interesting, tangy scent. (Can scents be tangy? This one is.)  Jurlique specializes in their “living energy blend, which is a custom blend of our biodynamically and organically-grown herbs and flowers, that when combined in our formulas, re-balances skin, naturally.” They also source from biodynamic or organic farms.

Complete Sunblock Spray SPF 26 by Jason

jason

This spray was the most classic of the bunch, as it reminded me the sunscreen you used as a kid. It has a beachy smell, (like something between coconut and pineapple) and it is intensely moisturizing. It also gets props for being easy to apply (yay spray). It offers full UV protection and contains certified organic ingredients. It is also paraben-free. Best of all? Only $7.

Natural Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 by John Masters Organics

johnmasters

If you want the visuals that your product is working, then this is the sunscreen for you. It goes on so white that you will need to work it in. And it will leave you as shimmery as a Twilight vampire. (This is not the worst thing when you’re worried if your sunscreen is still there”¦.)  There is a light, nondescript vitamin-y scent. This product contains certified organic extracts of green tea, shea butter and jojoba oil hydrate.

High Protection Sunscreen Emulsion for Children SPF 30 by Korres

korres

This product is probably the thickest of the lot. It goes on white, but it doesn’t leave you chalky. (You know that feeling when your skin feels like a chalkboard and you feel like you want to go dip your entire body in oil? Yeah, that feeling.) It does have a nice, floral scent.  It contains a natural filter of titanium dioxide plus shea butter for broad-spectrum UVA/UVB sun protection and moisture.

Sun SPF 30 by Alba Botanica

alba

If you want the heavy-duty experience, this is a good product for it. It goes on thick and you can feel it sitting on your skin. The smell is pleasant – I sampled the lavender – but it does leave you with that chalky feeling. This product contains an infusion of certified organic lavender, aloe vera, chamomile, ginkgo biloba and green tea. Retailing for around $10, it offers UVA/UVB protection and does the job well.


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DISCUSSION

  • Kerry
    June 8th, 2009 at 12:33 PM

    Just wanted to add a little warning about the JASON’s sunscreen… if you have a nut allergy, do not use it! I bought it and did not read the ingredients that are in flap (main ing. are on the back and the rest you open up and read) Luckily my son, who is severly allergic to peanuts, only had a rash where it was applied. I love all their other products and their prices are great, but thought I would pass this info on :)

  • Rochelle
    June 21st, 2010 at 7:02 PM

    I was surprised to see some of the ingredients listed in these sunscreens…. for example, oxybenzone is a key ingredient in several of these sunscreens. Oxybenzone is one of the more toxic ingredients in cosmetics/sunscreens and is rated as a 9 (out of 10, with 10 being the most toxic) by the Environmental Working Group (cosmetics database). Organic these sunscreens may be, but safe they are not….
    http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ingredient/704372/OXYBENZONE/

  • Danika Carter
    July 28th, 2010 at 8:19 PM

    In what world are these natural? Not ONE of them is natural! A few natural ingredients next to a bunch of toxic synthetic chemicals does not make them natural. In fact, they all contain harmful ingredients.

  • Sara Ost
    August 5th, 2010 at 3:00 PM

    Danika, Jurlique is biodynamic and 100% organic and that’s a verifiable, certified fact. I use it myself.

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