Five Face Sunscreens We Love, Part 2
It’s part two of our series! A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the Natural Products Expo here in So-Cal. This giant trade show is like Disney Land for health buffs—virtually every natural (or so-called natural) brand under the sun has a booth there, where they dole out their samples all day long.
While it was primarily devoted to food, the natural beauty presence at the show has grown a lot. So you can imagine that I got a little excited and a lot overwhelmed as I searched for new brands!
But of all the products I saw at the Natural Product Expo, this sunscreen from an Australian company called Grahams made one of the biggest impressions. Here’s why: This super-clean sunscreen is made up of more than 25% zinc oxide, and yet it leaves NO FILM. Like, none.
Grahams SunClear SPF 30 Natural Sunscreen
First of all, I adore the texture. While it looks like it cream, it applies like a natural oil—which means it’s a little shiny at first, but it absorbs super fast. It feels so hydrating and I’ve worn it a few times now under makeup and for a girl who rarely wears sunscreen (eeks, I know!), I’m feeling like a convert.
One of the main ingredients is rosehip oil, which is a favorite of companies like Pai and Evan Healy, so it’s no wonder this stuff feels good. Here’s the full ingredient list off the bottle:
Active ingredient: 25.9% Zinc Oxide
Ingredients: Capric/Caprylic Triglycerides, Rose Hip Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Sesame Seed Oil, Shea Butter, Vegetable Oil, Vitamin E, Vitamin A, Coconut
Now, a few important notes: Do not use this product if you don’t like coconut oil, or the smell of coconut (both things I happen to love). That’s what Caprylic Triglycerides are, and the addition of actual coconut at the end imparts a decidedly tropical smell—though it’s a very natural one. This ain’t Hawaiian Tropic, I promise. Also, the formulation they sell in Australia contains phenoxyethanol, but the U.S. formulation—which is the one we are recommending—DOES NOT (and the product does not contain water so there are no bacteria concerns). Just don’t get confused when you see phenoxyethanol listed on their site.
Another note: This product is not marketed solely as a face product, and it comes in a fairly large bottle. It is all-purpose, and would be great as a body block and perfect for kids too!
So, where can you buy it here? For now it looks like you can get it on Amazon, but we recommend you call Evolue (310-289-1560) instead, and Jean will send it to you. We were together at the Expo and discovered it together—and she immediately decided to carry it at her shop.
So now you’ve read about two of our favorite screens. What’s your favorite?
I can safely say that even after 6 years as a professional eco-dork, I’ve NEVER heard of this brand. Great find! :)
My favorite is Badger Sunblock #30!
Hi Alexandra, two questions: 1. Will the rosehip oil cause breakouts? 2. Is the zinc oxide nano-sized? Thank you!
@Victoria That’s awesome! I’d never heard of them either—it’s always exciting to find a new line, right?
@Elizabeth I already replied directly but wanted to share with everyone that when we asked them about nanos at the expo they said a big NO. But because language around nanos is not regulated (surprise!) we have to take their word for it. Or not, of course.
Also, I’ve never had a bad experience with rosehip oil (or heard breakout complaints), but some people have with coconut oil. While others have seen acne improvement with coco. The good thing about this brand is that you can totally use it on your body (and your family) if you decide it’s not quite right for your face. :)
How come the Australian version has phenoxyethanol? I live in Australia, and would like to get hold of some but can only get it with phenoxyethanol, for some reason amazon doesn’t ship that product here.
What does the phenoxyethanol do? does it make it less clean or worse for my skin.
Thanks.
When we asked the company they cited stricter laws in Australia about preservatives (even in products with no water). We’re looking into the matter too….
Hi, may I say first off brilliant website and thanks so much for doing this important and interesting feature. I come from the UK and here we have a star system for rating how much UVA protection a product provides as SPF only describes how much UVB protection a product provides. It would be great to see some info in the article on how much UVA protection a sunscreen provides. It’s a shame but I probably won’t be buying this product because even though I’ve seen massive improvement of my acne when I take coconut oil like a pill every day, if it gets on my skin I break out quite badly. Also I don’t really like the smell of coconut.
Hi Annie, if you check out the EWG SkinDeep page (cosmeticsdatabase.com) they include a scale that shows UVA vs. UVB protection. I don’t know if this particular product is on there, but you can get the ingredient list and input it yourself if you want.
Interesting comment about breaking out and not liking the smell. I have found that smells I have particular aversions to tend to be things that I react to badly, skin wise…my body’s built in early warning system.
I was under the impression that if it didn’t stay white on the skin, it had to be nano sized.
IT’S AFFORDABLE!! I have cold sores and wasnt looking forward to spending 300 bucks on sunscreen this summer… its a big deal when controlling the herp monster :(
Does anyone find it a concern that this sunscreen has natural retinoids in it? The retinoids are present in the rose hip oil and the vitamin A, and sensitizes skin to the sun…I noticed that the 100% Pure sunscreen also has rose hip oil in it. Personally I do use rose hip oil, but as a night treatment and only 2 times a week– the latter instruction suggested by Pai Skincare.
@Angela – I agree, there was recently a big article (I’m currently blanking on the publication it was in) reporting on a study that showed Vitamin A actually CAUSES cancer when exposed to sun, so sunscreens should NOT contain Vitamin A. I am a big fan of Chocolate Sun Marigold Moisturizer for Face (SPF 30). Ingredients are below, and they sell it at Spirit Beauty Lounge.
Aqua (distilled water), aloe barbaderisis Gel (aloe vera gel), calendula officinalis (marigold extract), prunus dulcia (sweet almond oil), helianthus annus (sunflower oil), emuliuni delta (vegetable emulsifier), camelia sinertsis leaf extract (white tea), octinoyate (cinnamon plant derived), octyl salicylate (white willow bark derived), titanium dioxide (mineral), glucorio delta lactone (natural food-grade preservative), sodium benzoate (natural food-grade preservative), calcium gluconate (natural food-grade preservative), 90% organic ingredients. Water not included in calculations. All organic ingredients come from certified growers.
Here is the article on Vitamin A in sunscreens actually causing cancer:
http://www.aolnews.com/2010/05/24/study-many-sunscreens-may-be-accelerating-cancer/
@Karla– thanks for the info. I’ll definitely read the article later.
I wonder what these companies are thinking, including Vitamin A as an ingredient. I mean, is it that they haven’t done their research or do they think consumers would not know?
I ordered this online but will be returning it after reading about Vitamin A as an ingredient.
I bought this product after reading about it on here. I have actually be quite disappointed with it. I found that felt very oily on my skin, so I definately wouldn’t be using it as an every sunscreen under my make up.
fingers crossed one of the other 5 is better suited.
Thanks for all the help deciphering all the scoop on this sunscreen! I just bought it yesterday, and will refuse the delivery, unfortunately…So want to find a product that is “face/skin friendly”. Maybe with the Vitamin A at the end of the ingredient listing, there is not much,…but odd it is there all the same!
I have been using this sunscreen and now I have really dry flaky skin on my forearms (where I mainly use it) and have never had this before! The sunscreen is the only new thing in my routine. Very weird right girls?! What is it from?
I am a very pale skinned person prone to sunburn so I was really excited t try this sunscreen. I used it for the first time over the July 4th weekend and have a few comments.
The coconut smell is strong out of the tube but then dissipates very quickly. The tube says that this product is “Very, very waterproof” and they are not kidding. I’ve likened wearing this sunscreen to going through a wax and polish cycle in a car wash. It rendered me completely impervious to water. While I guess this is a good thing if you intend to actually stay in water, I found that afterward a quick splash in the sea, water did not evaporate from my skin, it just stayed beaded on there. I have a feeling this may have contributed to the light sunburn I did get in my, ahem, damper areas (underboob, around bikini bottom) despite reapplying after swimming. The waxy nature of the sunscreen made it necessary to really scrub myself down to get it all off my skin.
Basically I spent a fair whack of money on this stuff and it does work, but it’s unlikely that I will buy a second tube. I also wont be using it on my face, it’s far too thick.
My favorite suncreen is made by Devita – Solar Protective Moisturizer SPF 30+. I hope you will check it out!
http://www2.devita.net
The Australian formulation is different.. That would be right! I have found it impossible to find anything here in Australia so I’m going to have to pay to get stuff posted from America. it’s ridiculous that this is the only way.