Best Non-Toxic Sunblock for Your Face

As we all know it’s important to protect yourself from the sun because of skin cancer risks and advanced skin aging. My face is usually exposed the most when I’m out and about and many times I’ve slathered on a suncreen and I want to wash it right off. It would feel greasy and leave a white residue. Yuck!

I have tried so many different sunscreens and was always on the quest to find the best non-toxic sunblock for my face that met the following requirements:

• Mineral ingredients with low hazard ranking from the Environmental Working Group
• Daily use with no irritation, works for sensitive skin
• Non greasy
• Non drying
• Doesn’t leave a white residue
• Works well under makeup 

Before we dive in to my favorites, let’s review some of the ingredients to look out for.

Best sunscreen ingredients

The Food and Drug Administration lists the mineral ingredients, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as safe and effective for use in sunscreens. These are the ingredients you should look for in your sunscreens.

Sunscreen ingredients to avoid

The FDA found six active sunscreen ingredients were absorbed into the bloodstream after a single use, and remained in the body for an extended amount of time. They need more testing to understand what levels of absorption are safe. Since sunscreen is intended for regular use over a lifetime there is concern about using certain ingredients since there’s not enough safety data out there. So it’s best to stick with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide since they are listed as safe. Here are the sunscreen ingredients to avoid: 

• Oxybenzone: EWG lists this ingredient as the most concerning and noted “Oxybenzone causes allergic skin reactions (Rodriguez 2006), behaves like an endocrine disruptor in many studies (Krause 2012, Ghazipura 2017) and is potentially of greater harm to children (FDA 2019).”
• Octinoxate: Banned in some countries because it can be harmful to aquatic life.
• Homosalate: EWG notes “A recent opinion from the European Commission found that homosalate was not safe to use at concentrations up to 10 percent and recommended a maximum concentration of 1.4 percent, because of concerns for potential endocrine disruption (SCCS 2020). The FDA allows U.S. sunscreen manufacturers to use it in concentrations up to 15 percent.”
• Octisalate: EWG notes this ingredient “absorbs through the skin at levels 10 times more than 0.5 nanograms per milliter, the FDA’s cutoff for systemic exposure. This cutoff is the maximum concentration that may be found in blood before there are potential safety concerns.”
• Octocrylene: EWG notes that “Studies have found that octocrylene causes relatively high rates of skin allergies (Bryden 2006). It has been linked to aquatic toxicity, with the potential to harm coral health (Stein 2019), and it is often contaminated with the known carcinogen benzophenone”
• Avobenzone: EWG notes that “Avobenzone can disrupt the endocrine system and has been shown to block the effects of testosterone in cellular studies (Klopcic 2017).”
• Nanoparticles: EWG notes that nanparticles “can be dangerous to inhale or ingest since the lungs have trouble clearing small particles, which may pass from the lungs into the bloodstream. For this reason powder and spray sunscreens should be avoided, this includes products with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.

Best Non-Toxic Sunblock for Your Face

The products listed below are my favorites that I use on a regular basis. I’m super picky about how things feels on my skin, and these have been the best options for me. My skin tends to run on the drier side, and here’s what I love about my favorite face sunscreens:

• Low hazard ranking on the Environmental Working Group
• Daily use with no irritation, great for sensitive skin
• Non greasy
• Non drying
• Doesn’t leave white residue
• Works well under makeup
• Some are Reef Safe 

MyCHELLE Dermaceuticals Protect Sun Shield Lotion, Unscented, SPF 28

This has been my go-to face suncreen over the years. Feels great on the skin, and it’s also listed as Reef Safe. I love MyChelle products. I have a light olive complexion, so if you have a darker skin tone this may not be a great option for you. Instead I recommend super goop which is listed below.

Super Goop Unseen Sunscreen

I haven’t tried this sunscreen, but my beautiful amazing friend Shaqaula swears by this product. It’s an excellent choice for darker skin tones. Here are some of her favorite things about the product:

• No white cast
• Loves the way it smells
• Great moisturizer
• Gets your glow on with a beautiful sheen
• Does not feel heavy on the skin
• Works great as a primer and under makeup

Bare Republic Mineral Sunscreen Lotion, Face, SPF 30

When putting this sunscreen on it feels unlock any other sunblock I’ve tried before. Felt like a gel powder, that probably makes no sense but that’s the only way I’m coming up with to describe it. This is the least greasy feeling sunscreen I’ve tried, and about a minute after you apply it the white residue dissapears. Please keep in mind I have a light olive skin tone.

W3LL PEOPLE Bio Tint Multi-Action Face Moisturizer SPF 30

I love W3LL People products! In addition to the SPF 30, this product provides buildable coverage. I usually apply one layer however if I’m wanting to look fancy I add another layer for more coverge. The product moistorizes without feeling greasy and I’m left with a nice glow.

Beautycounter Countersun Daily Sheer Defense for Face

This product is EWG verified (hurrah! this means it avoids ingredients of concern, provides full transparency, and uses good manufacturing practices) and seems to be a favorite among many based on reviews.

Other ways to protect your face from the sun

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• Wear a hat. I spent hours trying on hats and I fell in love with the Wallaroo Hat Company Outback hat. I would say I have an average size head, and I found the Mens hat fits me best. I have this one and it’s my fav, wear it almost every day when the wearther is warmer and I’m outside. It’s extremely durable, I’ve had for about 5 years and it still looks new. I’ve also traveled with it a bunch so it’s been stuffed in to various suitcases and backpacks and still looks great.
• Avoid sun when the rays are the strongest which is 10 am to 4 pm
• Find shade
• Check the UV index for the day 

I would love to hear what your favorite face sunscreens are. Please comment below!

Cheers to healthy skin!

-Brekke