What are the best natural sunscreens?
It’s a question that comes up again and again from my readers, so today I have a list for you of the best natural sunscreens in Australia.
I am sure you are aware that regular sunscreen is in fact, full of toxic ingredients that are detrimental to your health and the environment. I won’t bore you with the science but if you want to read up on the studies, two great resources are Dr Peter Dingle and Nicole Bijlsma who explain it really well to us non-scientists!
“Despite the fact that more people use sunscreen than ever before, the rate of skin cancer continues to rise. Research conducted by the Environmental Working Group in 2011, revealed that the great majority of sunscreens do not protect against both UVA and UVB rays and in addition, may contain chemicals that affect our hormones, damage the skin and in some cases, actually increase the rate of skin cancer.” Nicole Bijlsma
I have some qualms about using any sunscreen at all, considering that even the natural ones can contain nanoparticles. Then we have the new research telling us that sunscreen interferes with our Vitamin D absorption. It’s really quite confusing!
It’s probably a good idea to do your own research and read up a little more to decide what is best for your family. These are some things we do to balance the risk of sunburn with the beneficial effects of the sun.
♥ Avoid the sun in the hottest part of the day. Living in Queensland, it’s sunny most of the year round, so it’s really easy to get burnt quickly. If possible, we do our outside stuff before 10am or after 4pm.
♥ Cover up. Hats, t-shirts, longer-sleeve shirts, rash vests, sunglasses and umbrellas all come out if we have to go out in the hottest part of the day. Finding shade is also a good idea!
♥ Use coconut oil. It has a natural SPF of about 7, so use it with care. According to Bruce Fife “one of the oldest uses for coconut oil is as a sun screen / suntan lotion. Islanders have been using coconut oil for this purpose for thousands of years. In the tropics where the climate is hot, islanders traditionally wore little clothing so that they could keep themselves cool. To protect themselves from the burning rays of the hot tropical sun they applied a thin layer of coconut oil over their entire body. This would protect them from sunburn, improve skin tone and help keep annoying insects away.” Carrot Seed oil also has an SPF factor, but it is a little smelly!
♥ Use natural sunscreens. Sometimes we just need extra protection for things like all day sports events and a good natural sunscreen provide that additional coverage.
This is the list of some of the best natural sunscreens in Australia.
Like skincare, sunscreen is a personal thing and depends on a lot on your skin type. So, try out a few until you get one that is just right for you!
(our number one favourite)
Eco All Natural Sunscreen Lotion
So they are my top picks for natural sunscreen.
Is your favourite on my list? What do you use? I would love to know!
You might also like to read:
The best natural insect repellents
The best natural makeup brands
The best Australian natural skincare
The ultimate guide to natural deodorants
I use UV Natural… always have and always will. A fantastic product from Baby Sunscreen through to their Sport sunscreen, I even use their Lip Sunscreen, its all great… love it love it
Good to know thanks Amanda! 🙂
Just the ticket Sonia! I wasnt happy with my old brand (natural but too sticky) – so I just grabbed some UV Natural to try. Thank you x
Awesome – let me know how it goes 🙂
We use Wot Not on our selves and our dog! We have a pure white Staffy who burns easily and this is by far the best and easiest product to use on her.
Oh I never thought of the doggy! Ours is very hairy so I guess he’s okay!
i use UV natural sunscreen. Having said that they have the general one and a baby one but I can’t work out the difference between the two
Might have more filler for sensitive baby skin?
Thanks for this post Sonia. I love the idea of using coconut oil, but am concerned that it may not provide adequate UVA/UVB protection. Did any of your research suggest that it was just as effective at protecting us from cancer as other natural sunscreens?
No sorry, I didn’t make that very clear did I? Let me fix it up – it only has an SPF of 4 so not so good in the middle of the day or for extended exposure. 🙂
I use Moo Goo Cover Up Buttercup. It’s SPF15 and has lots of lovely moisturising ingredients. I’ve tried the Wotnot but found that it was really sticky and hard to rub in. My daughter in particular has very sensitive skin and we find the Moo Goo products in general are great for her, and their sunscreen has been quite effective for all of us!
Thanks for the info Kat!
We use Moogoo and have been very happy with it. I researched into it and didn’t seem to have any nasties but I guess you never know!?!
Moo Goo is a great company – their product is a moisturizer with SPF so I didn’t include all of those plus the tinted moisturizers !
Moo goo cover up buttercup is a dedicated sunscreen. Another vote for it here. Its great for dry skin too but not as greasy as wot not
I second that about Moo Goo! They now have a 40 SPF. I tried WotNot and Soleo and too greasy for my skin. The whole Moo Goo range is wonderful and their helpful staff will gladly send you samples.
Thanks for the heads up Cas !
I’ve never really thought about sunscreen and just use the ‘regular’ stuff but I’m thinking about it now!
Yeah it’s not so good and there is the cumulative effect of using it often as well.
I use Eco Tan Sunscreen on my face and body every day and absolutely love it.
Thanks for the feedback Rachael!
Where are these available from?
HI Dani – if you click on the link you can buy them online. Sometimes you will find them at a health food store. 🙂
moogoo has a natural sunscreen coming out in January or February
Hi, I use Oasis Sun 🙂 i have used the wot not before but didn’t like it, it was very sticky and oily…and smelt like mayo.
Neways Sunbrero
This is awesome Sonia, thank you. I love little innoscents. It’s thicker to what were originally use to but not enough to worry about. We also use coconut oil often. Coconut oil is my daily face oil.
Coconut oil is so awesome!
Does anyone use Invisible Zinc – we use it because I thought it was 100% natural and a barrier against rays.
I am not sure Sallie – I can’t find an ingredients list anywhere. 🙂
The sun is just too hot for me in summer so I just don’t hang out in it, unless it is early morning or early evening.
good plan LInda!
This is a great list, thank you. At the moment we’re using a sunscreen called ‘Badger’ which is all-natural, non-nano, bought from iherb. It’s pretty good but is a bit messy and I’d prefer something local so will have a look into some of these. The moo goo one sounds interesting 🙂
Yeah I heard on the grapevine that one was okay, but yes, not Aussie! 🙂
I’ve been using the Miessence skin care range and I love it. I’m yet to try their sunscreen, but intrigued now!! 🙂
Miessence is really good stuff!!
I have tried the Miessence and it’s lovely, we’ve been using the Wotnot for a while now and it’s fantastic too. I was actually at a soccer break up and realised my back wasn’t shaded by the tent, so I applied the Wotnot as best I could. When I got home I looked in the mirror and I was burnt in one tiny patch that I missed! Looking forward to trying the Eco Tan.
LOL – that’s how you know it works! 🙂
Have you tried the Eco tan one? I purchased the UV Natural one and personally didn’t like it, too thick and tacky on my skin, am yet to find one that is not like this. I do know know that there is no difference in the UV Natural and baby one as I knew someone who worked for them and it’s the same cream that goes into both tubes!
Hi Sheryl, the Eco Tan one is a lot smoother. 🙂
Timely post. I went swimming with my two boys the other day and wound up a little flushed. Will have to pull out my favourite Wotnot sunscreen. Thanks
The Moo Goo SPF 15 Moisturiser caused all our faces to go red – almost blister. It was an allergy to the actually cream rather than sun burn. I recommend contacting Moo Goo for a sample before you invest in it. They are a fantastic company and have sent samples for other products I needed in the past.
Thanks for the heads up Evie x
We take our sunscreen orally and here is a 150 page pdf on how it works.
Astaxanthin as a sunscreen is just the beginning of the health benefits : ) http://www.purehealingfoods.com/docs/NaturalAstaxanthin_King_of_the_Carotenoids.pdf
Awesome!! Thanks Narelle! 🙂
I have used must natural sun screans and my fav at the moment is wotnot (less greasy than uv naturals ). I recently purchased the ecotan sunscreen and was very disappointed, it was pasty white on application, hard to rub in and stained my new sports bra badly. I tried my friends little innocents sunscreen and that was lovely and not greasy at all…will be buying this one once all my others have run out
Thanks for your feedback Tanya! It really does seem that different ones suit different people!! 🙂
hi, can anyone help with a natural ROLL ON sunscreen? my daughters school needs roll on sunscreen for each child and she has sensitive skin & eczema and most commercial/supermarket brands she flares up with. thanks in advance
If you have no luck you could always decant some into an old roll on deo container!
Did anyone find a roll on one – it’s on my nieces booklist ?
Hi Renee, I haven’t seen one. Only insect repellent. You could decant some into an old, washed deodorant bottle? x
What do you think of natural instinct natural sunscreen?
I have just started using this as it’s much cheaper than moo goo.
I have issues with this company. They were involved in a court case where they were giving misleading ingredient information (so I believe) so I am a little wary.
Hi! I’ve not tried all the brands around, but my favorite so far is Little innocents sunscreen! Not too sticky or oily, easy to apply.
Great feedback thanks Genevieve
Just be mindful of Little innocents. They have recently changed their formula and have removed phenoxyethanol but some of the old stock with it in it is still around ie in Chemist warehouse. Phenoxyethanol is a cheap preservative which isn’t nice. If you buy direct from their site I think it is no longer in it but best to check with them.
Great article! My kids have eczema but are also very fair.
Wotnot sunscreen works best for us.
Thanks Jacinta, a lot of people like the Wotnot!
Hi Sonia,
Thank you so much for such great information. My kids apply sunscreen everyday before school and the previous one they were using, gave my kids watery eyes. So I have since tried Hello sunshine and they seem to like it and has a pleasant vanilla smell. No more irritated eyes.
Oh wow Anna, that’s brilliant, I will pass on to Alisa and Danni. x