Sunburns are the worst! Polluting our oceans with chemicals is horrible for the environment and is killing our aquatic life. Unfortunately, these harmful chemical-laden sunscreens that you commonly find on the shelves aren’t doing anything for your face or our oceans.
Enter zero waste face sunscreen.
The best zero waste face sunscreen is Raw Elements. It’s a top-rated sunscreen that is usable for any age, has an SPF of 30, is Soy, gluten, and nut-free contains no synthetic chemicals, and is packed with antioxidants that benefit your skin.
So there are three items I want to talk about. The packaging needs to be earth-friendly. The sunscreen itself needs to be made with earth-friendly material and is non-toxic on your skin, and it needs to be effective in blocking harmful rays from the sun.
Zero Waste Face Sunscreen Guide
Earth-Friendly Packaging
Using earth-friendly packaging includes using materials that require minimal energy, reduce harmful impacts on the environment, and hopefully include sustainable or recyclable material. This will almost immediately eliminate any sunscreen you find packaged in plastic. Compostable packaging is also highly regarded. Using recyclable material is great and minimizing using resources is best for all of us, but compostable packaging is designed to break down. This can then be used to enrich the soil, or even to grow new resources.
Earth-Friendly Sunscreen
Cheaper sunscreen can be made with a variety of harmful chemicals that you shouldn’t put on your body, let alone your face. These chemicals can easily be absorbed into the skin and disrupt your body’s natural functions. And what most people don’t realize or think about is, increased skin temperature increases chemical absorption through the skin. Obviously, most of us tend to use sunscreen during the summer when our skin temperature is highest. The exposure length plays an important part too. We use sunscreen to protect our skin from sun damage. And we want the sunscreen to last a long time. Therefore we keep it on our skin for a long time. We need that sunscreen to be non-toxic and preferably helpful for our skin.
Effective in Blocking Sun Rays
Let’s face it, the best zero waste face sunscreen can be made with the best zero waste ingredients, but it’s no good if it doesn’t block the harmful sun rays. Broad-spectrum sunscreen is used to block UV rays but we don’t have a sunscreen that will block 100% of harmful rays. This is why it’s important to use sunscreen frequently and hopefully, it’s around 15 SPF. And 30 SPF if you’re going to be outdoors for an extended period of time. Also, the higher the SPF doesn’t really mean more protection. Once you get past 30 SPF the fractional increase in protection becomes minimal. Using your zero waste face sunscreen often and using complete coverage will help block sun rays.
Best Zero Waste Face Sunscreen
The good news is, with the green movement, companies are realizing that earth-friendly sunscreen is wanted by customers, so there are a lot of companies to choose from. Below are a few zero waste face sunscreens that can get the job done.
Raw Elements Sunscreen
1) Raw Elements Face Sunscreen – Developed by an ocean lifeguard, Raw Elements chooses to focus on the delicate ecosystem of our ocean’s coral reefs that are dying around the world. All of the packaging is recyclable, reusable, compostable, and/or plastic-free. One customer commented “Unlike most natural sunscreens this actually spreads fairly easily. Just rub a glob in between your hands for a few seconds before you slather it on. My husband and son are very fair and it has never let us down. It’s very water-resistant.” Raw Elements is suitable for the entire family and the tin can lets you get every last ounce out of it.
All Good
2) All Good Mineral Sunscreen – This woman-owned business not only makes earth-friendly products but also donates back to sustainable companies. With 80 minutes of water-resistant sun-blocking ingredients, your skin won’t be feeling greasy. The powerful 50 SPF is sure to help prevent sunburns. One user commented, “This is the best Zinc sunscreen I’ve used, and I’ve literally used dozens of different ones over the years. The biggest reason I keep trying new sunscreens is the white film that the Zinc leaves on your skin, which I don’t like. This sunscreen is very close to being a “clear” Zinc sunscreen.” It’s Body-friendly, kid-friendly, reef-friendly . . . it’s All Good.
Eir NYC Sunscreen
3) EiR NYC Surf Mud Pro Sunscreen – This reef-safe, all-natural sunscreen serves up extra-UV protection in a sleek, sustainable stick. Best as a prep for days of high-sunshine intake, it slides on with a chocolate-scented finish that ensures long-lasting protection as well as hydrated skin. Benefits 100% reef safe and contains Zinc for UV sun protection Chocolate provides deep hydration and increased blood flow to your skin The ingredients are safe for kid Usage: Apply stick directly onto face and blend using your fingertips. Its smooth consistency leaves a zinc-y mark that will stay on for the entirety of your session either in the ocean or on the slopes. Reef safe and extra water-resistant. One user said, “I used this while in Grand Cayman and it was well worth the money! No sunburn, no break outs, no melting in hot car/black day pack, eco-friendly tube, travel-friendly size, and ALL NATURAL!“
Badger Sunscreen
4) Badger Clear Zinc – Badger SPF 40 Clear Zinc Sunscreen Cream is one of the first to be certified Protect Land+Sea, a new seal verifying that a product DOES NOT contain any ingredients or contaminants considered harmful to coral reef environments, sea turtles, and other aquatic life. This sunscreen has four clean, simple ingredients, no added fragrance, and an eco-friendly reusable tin means it’s good for sensitive skin and the planet. One customer commented, “This sunscreen is everything I want and more- simple eco-friendly ingredients that are safe for sensitive and acne-prone skin, easy to spread and no white caste, and PLASTIC FREE! “
Raw Love Sunscreen
5) Raw Love Mineral Sunscreen – Raw Love is the most eco-conscious, environmentally friendly, plastic-free sunscreen available. SPF 35, reef safe, baby safe, plant-based, cruelty-free, UVA – UVB Protection, non-nano zinc oxide. Raw Love is free of all toxic chemicals, parabens, PABA, preservatives, or synthetic fragrances! A little goes a long way. FDA compliant and made in the USA. One customer commented, “We’ve been using Raw Love sunscreen since discovering it 5 years ago on a trip to Maui. It works great as a sunscreen, it’s got a pleasant smell, it’s produced by a small business owner, and most importantly it’s REEF SAFE!!!“
Wrapping Up Zero Waste Face Sunscreen
The zero-waste movement is growing and today there are more options available to consumers than we’ve ever had. And this benefits us as customers. It tells companies that we want a safe, effective, and earth-friendly sunscreen. Not all zero-waste sunscreens are going to hit every mark we want, but companies are striving to provide a face sunscreen their customers will gladly pay for.