Good morning!  I am so excited Memorial Day Weekend is almost heeeeeeeeere!  Yesterday, I blogged about my favorite Clean sunscreens for the kiddos, which we could totally use on ourselves, but I do have some very grown-up favorites to share as well.  If you read yesterday’s post, pardon the repeated background info and just skip to the recommendations.

Everyone is using sunscreen.  Everyone is vitamin D deficient.  Everyone is getting skin cancer.  This makes no sense.

Conventional sunscreen is bad news!  The inactive ingredients alone are enough to scare you straight: parabens, phthalates, synthetic fragrance, silicones, propylene glycol, petroleum-based ingredients and tons of others that you can’t even pronounce.  These ingredients are known carcinogens and endocrine disruptors and many of them cannot be metabolized by our liver and kidneys, which increases our personal toxic load.  And the aerosol stuff?  You are inhaling it as well as absorbing it through your skin.  No, no, no!

The active ingredients in conventional sunscreen are terrible, too.  Benzophenone, homosalate, octinoxate, octyl-methoxycinnamate, oxybenzone, PABA, or padimate-O are chemical blockers, meaning that they absorb UV rays before they can damage your skin. This sounds good, but these chemicals have scary consequences. For instance, you’ll see that many sunscreens boast “PABA-free” on the front of the bottle. That is because PABA, or padimate-O, is a known carcinogen. Oxybenzone, probably the most popular chemical blocker currently used, is a proven endocrine (hormone) disruptor.

Okay, enough doom and gloom!  There are so many great Clean options out there!  Look for zinc-oxide and titanium-dioxide when shopping for sunscreen.  They are physical broad spectrum blockers (the minerals physically block or deflect UVA and UVB rays).  Here are my current favorites:

I love Juice Beauty’s SPF 30 Sport Sunscreen.  Not only is it Clean, it’s loaded with jojoba oil, aloe antioxidants and vitamins that will keep your skin in great shape.  This sunscreen contains broad spectrum protections and it is water-resistant for up to 8o minutes.  It comes out of the tube a little beige-looking, but it does absorb and leave a sheer finish once you rub it in.  Cost: about $16 for 3.75oz.  Purchase it here.  I also love their tinted moisturizer with SPF for my face.

Ingredients: Zinc Oxide 20%, organic juices of aloe barbadensis (organic aloe juice)*, pyrus malus (organic apple juice)*, vitis vinifera (organic white grape juice)*, cocos nucifera (organic coconut oil)*, caprylic/capric triglycerides, sorbitan stearate, ricinus communis (castor seed oil), hydrogenated methyl abietate, polyglyceryl-10 laurate, magnesium sulfate, helianthus annuus (organic sunflower seed oil)*, simmondsia chinensis (organic jojoba seed oil)*, tocopherol (Vitamin E), magnesium ascorbyl phosphate (Vitamin C), citrus limonum (lemon extract), iron oxides, phenethyl alcohol, ethylhexylglycerin, citrus reticulata (mandarin) & citrus aurantium (petitgrain) pure essential oils.  * = Certified organic

The Organic Pharmacy Cellular Protection Sun Cream is a luxurious, Clean sunscreen that’s used by the likes of Gwyneth.  It is gentle and incredibly moisturizing and while SPF 18 sounds low compared to what we are used to seeing, it blocks 94% of UVB rays (compared to 97% from SPF 30) and the zinc-oxide provides the best UVA protection you can get without making your skin look chalky.  Cost: about $65 for 3.3 oz.  Purchase it here.

Ingredients: Aqua (water), Organic Rye grain Alcohol, Zinc Oxide, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isostearyl Neopentanoate, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Pongamol, Organic Butyrospermum Parkii( Shea Butter), Organic Simmondsia Chinensis ( Jojoba) Oil, Organic Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Organic Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Phospholipids, Soybean (Glycine Soja) Sterols, Pearl Extract, Camellia Sinensis(Green & White tea) Leaf Extract, Aspalathus Linearis (Rooibos) Leaf Extract, Maltodextrin, Xanthan Gum, Essential oil fragrance, Organic Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Citric Acid, Tocopherol

John Masters Organics SPF 30 is just perfect.  It is still one of my favorites for both face and body and leaves no white tint.  I also love that it comes in a glass bottle;  I only wish they made a bigger size!  Cost: about $30 for 2 oz.  Purchase it here.

Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide 7.5%, Zinc Oxide 5.0%, Aqua (water), aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) leaf juice,* capric caprylic triglycerides, ethyl hexyl palmitate, glyceryl stearate, glycerin, cetyl alcohol, jojoba oil,* shea butter,* panthenol, tocopherol acetate, allantoin, sodium pca, green tea extract,* magnesium aluminum silicate, hyaluronic acid, calendula extract,* ethyl hexyl glycerin, benzyl alcohol * NOP Certified Organic

These are also all safe for babies and children 6 months and older as well.  Happy sunning!

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