When I was younger, I never gave a thought to sunscreen. I would spend my summers running around outside, building up a nice deep tan without thought to things like skin cancer or heat stroke. Now that I’m older and wiser, I don’t spend more than 15 or 30 minutes outside without some sort of sun protection. And I always protect my son.
Finding a good safe sunscreen has been a journey. Just five years ago, there weren’t many natural options, and I was so nervous about using conventional products on my baby’s delicate skin. Now, the market is flooded with safer and more natural options, and you can even find them at large chain stores like Target. Even with the proliferation of natural sunscreens, the decision was a difficult one. Some sunscreens it turned out were not so natural, containing ingredients such as dimethicone, phenoxyethanol, or the ambiguous “fragrance.” Others lacked the water resistant quality that is so important with small children. And many were very hard to spread.
My favorite brand by far is the Badger brand of sunscreens. I love their Badger Baby Sunscreen, which comes in SPF 30+. It is certified natural by the Natural Products Association, containing only olive oil, beeswax, jojoba oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, Roman chamomile essential oil, natural vitamin E, and calendula and seabuckthorn extracts. And it uses non-nano, uncoated zinc oxide as its active ingredient. Even better, Badger uses BPA- and phthalate-free packaging that is recyclable.
Other than its fantastic smell, what I love the most about the Badger Baby Sunscreen is that it is water resistant. The package says it lasts for 40 minutes but we have gone an hour or two without needing to reapply. Badger says that the sunscreen works on application, which means you don’t have to make your kid wait in the shade before going out to play. It is pretty thick and leaves quite a bit of white when applied. Although, I feel that the benefits outweigh these minor negatives. Best of all, Badger Baby Sunscreen earns an amazing 1 out of 10 in EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database and they have listed it as one of their top-rated sunscreens.
For more information about the safety of sunscreens and how to choose a sunscreen, visit EWG’s Sunscreen Guide.
NOTICE: I did purchase this product myself and did not receive any compensation from Badger for this review. However, blog posts on OnePartSunshine.com may contain affiliate links. In other words, if you buy something after clicking on a link in this post, then I might receive an affiliate commission.