This is the child offering from the sunscreen brand sunbum, which is an American sunscreen brand that I absolutely love.
Is this an SPF 50 or SPF 30 sunscreen?
The only filter that this product has is Zinc Oxide at 20%. Having looked at so many sunscreens (hundreds) on this blog, I am not at all persuaded that Zinc Oxide at 20% gives an SPF 50 protection: at best it will give an SPF 30 protection. And the presence of Butyloctyl Salicylate as the 3rd ingredient doesn’t fill me with confidence. Butyloctyl Salicylate is a SPF booster. Its absent from the ingredient list of other Zinc Oxide 20% sunscreens which carry an SPF 30 label. For example, Drunk Elephant sunscreens, REN sunscreen (SPF 30) and in the children category, erbaviva baby sunscreen SPF 30. (The ingredient lists are listed below)
Why is sunscreen for kids so critical?
Sun damage is cumulative and individuals on average will experience close to 25% of their lifetime sun exposure by the the age of 18. This translates into one in five Americans getting skin cancer. Regular use of sunscreen from childhood along with adopting sensible sun protection measures, should therefore, reduce the likelihood of an individual getting skin cancer
Sunscreen test
As this is a product for children, I use a stricter sunscreen test than I do for adults. However, as with adults, the sunscreen must be at least SPF 30. This is mainly because Young children have a larger ratio of skin surface to body volume than adults, which can increase a child’s systemic exposure to topically applied drug products. Also, their skin is thinner so the will absorb everything you slap on. And to be clear, sunscreen is nothing more than a bunch of chemicals that is designed to absorb, reflect and scatter radiation
The only sunscreen filter this product has is 20% Zinc Oxide. Zinc Oxide is a broadspectrum filter providing protection against over-exposure from UVA and UVB. It also has a long-track record of safety and is not absorbed by the skin.
The product has no artificial fragrance. I’ve included fragrance because this is one of the most common skin irritants, especially for children.
This product also does not have BHA, BHT, parabens, Oxybenzone or any of the listed chemicals. You can find out more about the the “dirty dozen” chemicals at the David Suzuki foundation.
Features of the product
- Its non-irritating to the eye
- Smells indistinguishable, indicating that this has no added fragrance. Does not smell of chalk, which is an achievement given the high levels of Zinc Oxide in the product
- Blends in quite well. This has a drier texture than erbaviva baby sunscreen SPF 30, so if your child has dry skin, this is not the sunscreen for them.
This is a “BUY” sunscreen on the assumption that you treat it like an SPF 30 and not an SPF 50 sunscreen. (P.S. If you need to understand how different SPF protections operate see the BLOG link below)
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See also
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INGREDIENT LIST OF OTHER 20%-22% ZINC OXIDE SUNSCREENS
Ingredient list of erbaviva babys sunscreen SPF 30
active ingredient- 20% zinc oxide
Inactive ingredients: aloe barbadensis leaf juice, *anthemis nobilis (chamomile) flower oil, caprylic/capric triglycerides, *helinathus annuus (sunflower) see oil, hydrogenated methyl abietate, *lavandula angustifolia (lavender) flower oil, magnesium sulfate, *olea europaea (olive) fruit oil, polyaminopropyl biguanide, polyglycerol-10 laurate, ricinus communis (castor) seed oil, *simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, sorbitan stearate, tocopherol, water
source: erbabvia
Ingredient list of Drunk Elephant SPF 30
Active ingredients: zinc oxide 20%
Inactive ingredients: water, caprylic/capric triglyceride, dicaprylyl carbonate, pentylene glycol, glycerin, steareth-2, propanediol, steareth-21, polyhydroxystearic acid, cetearyl alcohol, silica, sclerocarya birrea seed oil, aloe barbadensis leaf extract, chondrus crispus extract, haematococcus pluvialis extract, helianthus annuus (sunflower) sprout extract, vitis vinifera (grape) juice extract, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, raspberry seed oil/tocopheryl succinate aminopropanediol esters, hydrolyzed wheat protein, tocopheryl acetate, tocopherol, sea water, acetyl glucosamine, cetearyl glucoside, sodium stearoyl glutamate, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, glycine, sucrose, lecithin, triethoxycaprylylsilane, xanthan gum, trisodium ethylenediamine disuccinate, caprylhydroxamic acid, caprylyl glycol, phenoxyethanol, chlorphenesin, sodium dehydroacetate, iron oxides (CI 77491)
Source: cultbeauty
Ingredient list of REN mineral sunscreen SPF 30
Active ingredient: Zinc Oxide 22%
Aqua (Water), Zinc Oxide, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Caprylyl Caprylate/Caprate, Propanediol, Arachidyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Coco-Glucoside, Oryza Sativa Starch, Pongamia Glabra Seed Oil, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Behenyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Isostearic Acid, Lecithin, Polyglyceryl-3 Polyricinoleate, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Passiflora Edulis Fruit Extract, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glyceryl Oleate, Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Cranberry) Seed Oil, Xanthan Gum, Cellulose Gum, Sodium Chloride, Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Peel Oil, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Cinnamomum Camphora Linalloliferum (Ho Wood) Leaf Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Glucose, Parfum* (Fragrance), Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosmary) Leaf Extract, Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Citronellol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool
Source: cultbeauty