9 Cruelty-Free & Vegan Sunscreen Brands For A More Ethical Tan

Why Choose Cruelty-Free & Vegan Sunscreens?

So, what sunscreen is not vegan? 

Hawaiian Tropics, Banana Boat, and Aveeno are a few non-vegan sunscreens that come to the top of our heads and there are tons of reasons not to use them, besides the fact that they may include animal ingredients or test on them.

Reef Bleaching

The U.S. National Park Service estimates 4,000 to 6,000 tons of sunscreen enter the ocean (specifical reefs) every.single.year. 

That’s a lot of toxic ingredients. Not to mention the synthetic organic molecules which have been found in a variety of marine animals including fish, dolphins, and birds. 

There’s also evidence that the common ingredient known as oxybenzone may cause endocrine disruption, DNA damage, and exacerbate devastating coral bleaching. 

A truly ethical vegan face sunscreen is that which doesn’t damage coral reefs—the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the world.

Nanoparticles

Besides oxybenzone, we need to be concerned with nanoparticles.

Zinc-oxide and titanium dioxide have been used for decades to reflect or absorb UV light. You can tell by that white shade that never seems to absorb into your skin.

But is titanium dioxide vegan?

Yes. It, along with zinc oxide are minerals and thus are absent animal byproducts.

Nowadays, these ingredients are manufactured on a “nano-scale”, which means they absorb and scatter visible light making them transparent. The jury is still out on what happens when these nanoparticles actually enter our bodies, but they are dangerous to ingest or inhale. 

While the likelihood of harm with nanoparticles is low, it safest to seek non-nano zinc oxide until further research is done.

Free Radicals

Research suggests that certain forms of titanium dioxide (anatase) may be associated with free radicals, ultimately increasing the risk of skin cancer and premature aging. 

Free radicals are produced by both our bodies and UV radiation. 

One study found that several varieties of sunscreen increased the amount of free radicals found in the dermis.

How We Chose The Best Cruelty-Free Sunscreen & Vegan Sunscreen

How do we screen our favorite cruelty-free facial sunscreen?

Just like we screen all of our other favorite vegan beauty products—like vegan toothpaste.

Our approach to ethical and sustainable beauty (and therefore vegan-friendly sunscreen) is to look for sun protection that is:

• Non-toxic: Causes no harm both for you and the planet, in this case meaning “reef-safe” and biodegradable sunscreen. We want natural plants and minerals instead of ingredients to avoid in skincare.
• Vegan: For obvious reasons, be ruled out any animal-based sunscreen for this article, beeswax included.
• Cruelty-free: We believe in beauty without cruelty, sunscreen included. This simply means sunscreen not tested on animals. Just remember, vegan does not imply cruelty-free and vice versa, so it’s important to seek both vegan and cruelty-free sunscreen.
• Palm oil free: The more trees in the world, the more trees we can hide from the sun under. 
• Ethical ingredient sourcing: Made with ethical ingredient sourcing policies, including fair trade 
• Thoughtful Packing: Thoughtfully packaged (ideally zero waste, meaning it’s compostable to reusable). But since cruelty-free was the focus here, we accepted products with recyclable plastic packaging.

Other Considerations For Plant & Mineral Sunscreen

When we started researching vegan sunscreens we soon came across a bunch of jargon we didn’t fully understand. 

Let’s learn the lingo together so we know what we’re buying.

UVA and UVB: 

The sun emits three types of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, UVA, UVB and UVC. Only UVA and UVB reach our skin since UVC is absorbed by the earth’s ozone layer. 

Both UVA and UVB have different wavelengths, are not visible to the naked eye, and damage unprotected skin.

UVA is responsible for about 95% of the UV radiation that our skin is exposed to, and is the greater contributor to free radicals. You also can’t escape it, even on cloudy days or through glass. While you won’t necessarily feel this as it gives you a slow tan, don’t be fooled. It’s the leading cause of all types of skin cancer and wrinkles.

UVB is a powerful UV light responsible for sunburns, as it tends to damage the superficial epidermal layers. It’s also responsible for other skin abnormalities like discoloration. UVB is more present in sunnier conditions and is reflected by water, sand, and snow.

Broad Spectrum:

Broad spectrum simply means that the product protects against both types of ultraviolet light that reaches our skin—UVA and UVB. 

To avoid free radical generation, sunscreen with the best UVA protection is recommended, but you can’t go wrong with one rated to protect from both.

SPF:

Most people are familiar with SPF or “sun protection factor”. It’s the measurement of how long a sunscreen or sunblock will protect your skin against ultraviolet light for. 

In conventional or plant-based sunscreen, high SPF means you can stay in the sun longer—but how long that exactly is depends on your skin’s natural proclivity to burn.

Plus, because the strength of UVA and UVB rays change throughout the day, it’s impossible to know how long an SPF will last for.

It’s also important to note that no SPF factor is 100% safe. A higher SPF is, of course, better but natural sunscreen should just be one of your sun safe strategies.

Darker Skin Tones:

Sun protection is particularly important for those with darker skin tones. Even if you never notice a sunburn, you’re not much better off than those with pale skin when it comes to the risks of skin cancer, hence why vegan sunscreen for black skin is just as important.