Sharing is caring!

9 Best Natural Sunscreens For Kids. Organic. Chemicals-Free.

Our Top Choice of 9 Best Natural Baby Sunscreens + All You Need To Know When Choosing Sunscreen For You and Your Family.

Sunscreen is important without saying, for both your kids and the whole family. It protects your skin from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. We've all heard about the dangers of the sun, haven't we? The benefits of wearing sunscreen include decreasing your risk of developing skin cancer & preventing early aging, as well as skin damage due to sunburns. But with so many brands out there, how do we choose the best sunscreen for our kids? Quick answer: natural, organic and chemical-free sunscreen options should be your first choice when carrying for your baby sensitive skin.

We've done extensive research on most common brands of sunscreen for kids and babies available on the market for both Canada and USA. Overall we've surveyed over 25 brands who claim to be suitable for babies. What we've found out: no two sunscreens are the same – some can bring more harm than good. Out of all of the baby sunscreens, we looked at, we've selected our Top 9 brands who indeed deliver on their promise.

.

In this post, we'll walk you through our methodology, go over the terminology used around sunscreen products, and hopefully help you make educated choices in the future.

***This post may contain affiliate links and we may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you.
All opinions and feedback are our own. Please refer to our Disclosure Policy.

You may also like:

• Thoughtful Eco-Friendly Gift Ideas for Mom – She’ll Absolutely Love
• 5 Tips Baby-Proofing AirBnB, Hotel, or Vacation Rental When Traveling With Kids
• Hawaii Packing List For Active Family Holidays
• Cuba Packing List For Totally Worry-Free Family Holidays
• Homeschooling Resources for Families Who Love Travel and Flexibility

QUICK LINKS:

• Basic Sunscreen Terminology
• How We Choose Our Sunscreen
• Zinc or Titanium?
• Our Detailed Look at Kids Sunscreens Available in Canada/USA
• Top Nine BEST Natural Sunscreens For Kids
• Worst Sunscreens For Your Family & Full Research
• Canadian Dermatology Association
• Stay Safe in the Sun

.

Basic Sunscreen Terminology

Sunlight, in addition to summer fun, brings us two types of harmful rays.

UVA – stands for “ultraviolet-A rays”. These are long waves, which penetrate deep into our skin, drying it out from inside and playing a role in premature skin aging.

UVB – stands for “ultraviolet-B rays” – these are short waves, which burn the top layer of your skin. These may be responsible for your summer sunburn, as well as these can cause skin cancers.

SFP – stands for “Sun Protection Factor”. The number next to it, eg. “30”, “40” etc. is the time calculated by comparing how long it takes sunscreen-protected skin exposed to UVB rays to burn to the length of time it takes unprotected skin to burn. The higher the number the better you are protected from UVB. SFP 30 means 30 min, SFP 60 is 60 min etc.

.

How We Choose Our Sunscreen

Our family is on a mission to make every possible effort to live an eco-friendly sustainable lifestyle. When it comes to choosing Sunscreen products, these are the factors we consider:

Stay away from sprays

We use lotion or stick only.

When applying sprays to your body, it is impossible to control the spray direction, and you'll find greasy stains all over your furniture, floor, sand/grass, and clothing.

Most sprays are very bad at absorbing, they cover your skin as a kinda film that, once in the water, washes out and forms a disgusting greasy film on the water. I mean, yuck!

But most importantly sprays contain toxic ingredients, that are harmful to both your own skin, but as well for marine life and especially fragile coral reef ecosystems. Therefore:

Chemical-Free Sunscreens

No Oxybenzone, No Octinoxate, No Parabens, No Phthalates, No Sulfates, No Octisalate, No other chemicals you can't pronounce…

Did you know that Hawaii has already officially banned sunscreens that contain the reef-damaging chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate? Yep!

Organic Sunscreen Ingredients

Our rule of thumb is: if the sunscreen has more than a dozen hard-pronounced ingredients – we are out!

As with everything, we are opting for all Organic and all Natural solutions. Many sunscreen brands will state on their packaging “Certified Organic” and “Certified Natural”.

Bio-Degradable & Recyclable Packaging

In most cases, if the sunscreen is made of natural ingredients, it is biodegradable (aka eco-friendly), but doesn't hurt to look for this information on the packaging.

When it comes to the packaging itself, our preference is always given to packaging made of 100% recycled materials, AND it be 100% recyclable after the use.

.

Zinc or Titanium-based?

Titanium dioxide is very effective at blocking UVB and short-spectrum UVA rays, but it is less effective than Zinc Dioxide/Oxide at blocking long UVA rays. Therefore when choosing a sunscreen, Zinc Oxide based sunscreens will provide better protection for a broad spectrum of UVA/UVB rays.

.

Our Research on Kids Sunscreens Available in Canada/USA

We've investigated 25+ Sunscreen Lotions that claim to be suitable for babies available in major stores and on Amazon to see if there are adequate choices when it comes to natural kids-friendly sunscreens.

It is interesting that some brands are not entirely “organic sunscreens for kids”, but try to seem this way saying “with organic ingredients” – don't be fooled by this.

Other brands will say they are chemical-free sunscreen for babies – this does not necessarily mean that this option is organic.

Below are our results based purely on assessing the ingredients list and information provided on the packaging. Some brands we've tried, others we have not.

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE: Please note, we are not doctors nor medical practitioners. At no time do we recommend one brand over another. At no time do we attempt to give a medical advise. Our research results are provided for information purpose only. At no time do we accept any responsibility for the choices made by you, whether or not relevant to the information provided below.

.

Our Choice of Top Nine Best Sunscreens for Kids

Out of 25+ brands we've reviewed, we were only able to select 9 that indeed deliver on their promise of providing a natural organic chemical-free sunscreen for kids. Some of the listed sunscreen brands even claim they are suitable for babies with sensitive skin and even for babies with eczema.

.

Green Beaver Kids Natural Sunscreen (our personal favourite)

Nov 2019 UPDATE: Green Beaver, by the way, is now our family sunscreen of choice. We got both – adult and kids sunscreen – to our trip to Cuba last fall, and have been absolutely amazed by the results. None of us got burned at all, even though both my son and my husband both have very sensitive skin. Read all about our Cuba trip!

.

Sunblocz Baby + Kids Mineral Sunscreen

.

Adorable Baby All Natural Sunscreen LOTION By Loving Naturals

.

Badger Baby Sunscreen Cream

.

Bare Republic Baby Mineral Sunscreen Lotion

.

California Baby Sunscreen Lotion

.

Baby Sunscreen Organic by MADE OF

.

Waxhead Baby Sunscreen for Kids & Infants

.

Worst Sunscreens For Your Family & Full Research

Would you like to see the full list of sunscreens we've assessed?

Would you like to know our assessment criteria?

What are the worst sunscreens for kids?

Get the FULL REPORT on 25+ Sunscreen brands.

If you haven't found a Sunscreen brand of interest and want to suggest it for our review – send us a message! We are always on a look-out for organic sunscreens for kids!

.

Canadian Dermatology Association

CDA Expert Advisory Board recognized products meet the following criteria:

• Broad-spectrum with an SPF 30 or higher
• Low potential for irritation
• Minimally perfumed or non-perfumed
• Non-comedogenic

You can check out the full list of Officially Recognized Sunscreens in CANADA HERE

BEWARE: What you'll notice, CDA has a list of most commercial brands. Smaller amazing all-organic baby sunscreen brands are completely missing from their list. Frankly, I haven't found even one sunscreen on CDA list that I have on our TOP-choice list… I mean, does it have to do with brands needing to pay for approval?…

.

Stay Safe in The Sun

Whatever choice you've ended up making (as long it IS chemical-free sunscreen for kids! haha), it is imperative that you'd follow the directions for the use specified on the packaging.

Most common rules in using sunscreens are:

• External use only
• Do not use on damaged or broken skin
• Do not use on eyes (even fully organic sunscreen for babies can be harmful on the eyes)
• If a skin rash or allergic reaction – ask your doctor
• For babies – consult a doctor prior to use, and look for a specific statement on the packaging that would outline age restrictions if any

Take note if your chosen baby sunscreen is waterproof or water-resistant. Apply in advance and reapply as directed.

REMEMBER: When it comes down to it, using any type of sunscreen on your child is better than no sunscreen at all.

.

.

Ready for Sunny Outdoor Fun?

Find out how to protect your hair from the summer heat! Or restore your hair after a beach vacation HERE: How To Save Sun-Damaged Hair With Coconut Oil After Beach Vacation

You may also be interested in:

• Best Kids-Friendly Swimming Lakes Near Vancouver For Your Best Family Summer Experience!
• Hiking With Kids: 12 Simple Safety Rules Every Parent Should Follow
• Smart Eco-Friendly Family Activities: Teach Kids Sustainability Practices
• 5 Tips Baby-Proofing AirBnB, Hotel, or Vacation Rental When Traveling With Kids
• Cuba Packing List For Totally Worry-Free Family Holidays
• Hawaii Packing List For Active Family Holidays

Once again, if you know a brand, better even – a LOCAL brand, that offers a chemical-free, natural, organic sunscreen for kids – send us a message!

Enjoy!

Cheerfully yours,

Alexandra

.

.

Sharing is caring!