September 24, 2020

The Sunscreen Debate - Mineral vs Conventional

How are they different? And why one is better for the environment than the other?


But first, why use sunscreen? 

The best sun protection option is clothing, like swimwear with UPF50+. However dressing yourself from top to toe is not really practical - is it. Therefore sunscreen is your next best friend, to protect the parts that clothing doesn’t. 

The Sunlight that reaches us is made of two types of harmful rays: Longwave ultraviolet (UVA) and short wave ultraviolet (UVB). Ladies, the first one is responsible for our wrinkles. Damn you UVA.

Sunscreen is your shield and helps blocks those rays and prevents sunburn and your chances of getting skin cancer. There are so many sunscreens out there but we thought let’s talk about Mineral vs Chemical as a start.


Conventional sunscreen ingredients penetrate the top layers of the skin to absorb UV rays. These filters absorb damaging UV rays before they can damage the skin.

The main ingredients in the chemical sunscreens are oxybenzone, Butylparaben, Octinoxate, Methylbenzylidine & Avobenzone. (Pheww, are you still with me?) These chemicals are widely used in sunscreens because they effectively protect against UV rays. The problem is though, that these chemicals are absorbed by the skin and are linked to nasty side effects like hormone imbalances and skin irritation. Even worse they are bad news for our marine life. We know these UV-filters are particularly devastating to coral reefs and cause bleaching. All that just because sunscreen is leeching off the skin while swimming. So perhaps just go mineral for our oceans.


Mineral sunscreen ingredients form a barrier on the surface of the skin that helps reflect UV rays away from the skin.

The main ingredient in Mineral sunscreens is zinc oxide! The highest percentage of non-nano zinc oxide, which is the safest most effective broad-spectrum sunscreen ingredient on the market. Wait, there is more good news that comes with zinc. It starts protecting your skin straight away and have skin healing superpowers. The downside is they don’t necessarily protect the skin as well as sunscreens with chemical ingredients.  You really have to keep your zinc going generously to keep up with the sun.

So, what’s the bottom line this summer when it comes to sun protection safety. When it comes to sunscreen, believe in something — just don’t believe in nothing. 

Products we love for the entire family. (All natural)

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