Picture this. You’re at the beach, ready for a relaxing day on the sand with a good book in hand. You realise you’ve forgotten something. Sunscreen! Without it, you’d be red as a lobster in under an hour. You pull out the cheap tube from your tote and start rubbing in the thick paste. It doesn’t seem to absorb into the skin, in fact, it’s getting thicker?! Now there’s sand in it, and paired with the strange plastic-y smell coming from it you’ve made some weird sticky concoction. Yuck!
Not only is it not a fun experience to apply, but you might have noticed that these days sunscreen has a bad rep. In fact, 4 out of 5 Australians don’t wear enough sunscreen. And in a climate where you can literally fry an egg on the hood of a car, it’s not the smartest choice.
So let’s debunk some sunscreen myths and see what’s really in it.
You might have heard the term “reef friendly” when it comes to sunscreen. Meet one of our key players, oxybenzone. You can think of oxybenzone as the microplastic of chemicals. One quick dip in the ocean, and it breaks down and ends up everywhere. While it’s super effective in blocking the sun’s harmful UV rays, it disrupts the growth and health of coral reefs, resulting in bleaching and death of our beautiful sea plantlife. You might be thinking, “oh no, if it kills coral, what does it do to me?”. It has been said to cause allergies, hormone disruption and possibly even skin cancer in humans (umm, that’s what we were trying to avoid!).
Other ingredients we say no to are: Octinoxate, Octocrylene, Enzacamene, Octisalate, Homosalate, and Avobenzone. The ocean and your skin will thank you later. So what’s the alternative? Look for products that have Zinc Oxide as the active ingredient. It is mineral based, and helps protect cells from being damaged, halts the ageing process, and prevents skin dehydration by blocking out the sun.
Here’s what you need to know about our Sunscreens
- Rubs in clear for an ultra-light, matte finish
- Is reef friendly, with Zinc Oxide as the active ingredient.
- Is great for sensitive skin and non-comedogenic, perfect for acne-prone skin
- Our Natural Body Sunscreen is 3 hrs water resistant
And did we mention our packaging is made from sugar cane pulp and recyclable materials?
Eco win!
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