I am always buying new sunscreens and trying to try to solve for getting myself to actually use it every day. I've really liked products from Elta MD and Badger. I have never invested a lot of time in a review like this, but because I'm weirdly invested in my sunscreens, I'll break downs the pros and cons of my favorites. My hot take: This is a great product for my needs and I will probably keep it in my car to use anytime. TL;DR My priorities with a sunscreen, in order of importance, are: 1. Adequate protection - at least SPF 30. I prefer SPF 50 though. 2. Mineral ingredients - zinc or titanium oxide. 3. Texture of the sunscreen - I'm fine with a little white cast, but I don't like chalkiness. 4. Convenience of application - so I'll actually use it. 5. Sustainability - I try to use less plastic and aerosol cans stress me out (inhalation, hard to recycle). Babyganics SPF 50 Mineral Baby Sunscreen Spray, Unscented (this product) Pros: - CONVENIENT because I can just spray it on! This is my newfound solution to re/applying at the pool and when outdoors for extended periods. And it's a spray bottle, not an aerosol can, making it less likely for me to inhale the product. (And I can reuse the spray bottle when the product is finished. Aerosol cans are hard to reuse/recycle.) - Mineral ingredients: zinc oxide 7.25%, titanium oxide 3.5%. - Great VALUE! It's an 8 oz. bottle! I paid $16.65 for an 8 oz. bottle. That's barely over $2/oz. - SPF 50 and water resistant 80 mins. - Rubs in easily. - I can see how much product I'm applying (unlike with an aerosol can). - Easier to travel with. There are some destinations that don't allow aerosol cans, but do allow spray bottles. Cons: - Of course, a spray bottle is less convenient than an aerosol can because the nozzle is slightly more awkward. I think the pros are worth this con though! - Lower amounts of active ingredients than my other sunscreens. -- EltaMD UV Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF (Tinted) Pros: - Mineral ingredients: zinc oxide 9%, titanium oxide 7%. - Goes on easy, especially if you only squeeze out and spread the product once. - Lightly tinted, so, protective and can look nice. - Gentle, made for sensitive (even post-procedure) skin. - SPF 41, so over SPF 30, which is the lowest amount one should use for sun protection. Cons: - Tinted, so, my shirts' necklines get marked a bit (takes a couple washes to come out). - If you squeeze out and spread the product more than one, when rubbing it in, the sunscreen can pill up into small beads (uncomfortable and wastes product). - A bit pricey at around $36 for a 3 oz. bottle. That's $12/oz. - Water resistant 40 mins. -- Badger Sport Mineral Sunscreen Tin - SPF 40 / Badger Adventure Sport Mineral Sunscreen Tin - SPF 50 - Mineral ingredients: uncoated zinc oxide 25% - All natural ingredients and very safe for our Earth's waters. It's just the uncoated zinc oxide (active) and sunflower oil, beeswax, and sunflower vitamin E (inactives). No ingredient names I have to google. And 98% of ingredients are organic if you care about that (I don't really). - Protective SPF 40 and 50 available. Water resistant 80 mins. - Goes on easy once you've warmed it slightly either by rubbing the product onto your fingers or letting it sit in the sun for a couple minutes. - I can feel this sunscreen. They aren't kidding about using beeswax. This stuff is a bit sticky! However, I appreciate that I can physically feel if I've put enough product on different sections of my body. It takes a bit to absorb, but once it does, it's very moisturizing and feels nice. - Comes in an adorable metal tin that is so easy to reuse or recycle. It makes me think of Altoids tins and how some folks reuse those/create art with them. - Very compact, takes up almost on room. - Decent price at $5.62/oz. I paid $26.99 for a pack of two tins. Each tin contains 2.4 oz. of product. Cons: - Takes a little longer to apply. It's not always convenient/easy to get the product out of the tin. - If you're not used to the sticky sensation, it could throw you off. - You can get gunk inside the tin, which can be annoying to get out. In contrast, a bottle that's more sealed off wouldn't have this issue. - The tins are wrapped in a thin bit of plastic, so it's not a totally one-time-use plastic free experience.
