11 Best Natural Sunscreens From Organic Brands That Won’t Burn Your Face Or The Planet
The BBQ is packed away and sustainable beach towels folded. The only thing to put a damper on a fun-filled day in the sun is a red, blistering nose.
It’s only natural that we should want to stop protect skin from harmful UV rays a la natural sunscreen.
Chemical sunscreen, touting dubious sun protection guarantees, can be filled with harmful chemicals that either break down quickly in the sun or seep into your skin, leading to clogged pores and acne that’s less sun-kissed and more sun ticked.
No two organic sunscreens are made the same, and that’s especially true for natural facial sunscreens—so how do you make natural sunscreen?
Whether you have acne prone skin, sensitive skin, are concerned with premature aging, or need a lightweight moisturizer to add into your skincare routine, we have you covered (or rather, slathered) with the best organic facial sunscreen options.
So what is the best natural sunscreen?
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The Best Natural Sunscreen For Face, Skin, & Reef Protection
ATTITUDE’s wide range of organic sunscreen, face and beyond, ensures you choose what is best suited to you, and your family without compromising on ethically sourced materials.
For mineral sunscreen that goes the extra mile with tested products that keep you and our planet safe, Activist is as transparent as their non-whitewashing natural facial sunscreen.
Palm & Pine provides one-stop sun protection shop from UVA and UVB rays alike, and in a world where there’s something for everything, we like a simple zinc oxide sunscreen that works for your lips, lids and all over.
Skip to the bottom where we lay (er, ray) down our criteria for choosing the best non-toxic face sunscreen and body sunscreen.
The List Of Natural & Organic Face Sunscreen Brands
1. Activist
Activist’s Non-Toxic Face Sunscreen
Activist Skincare’s Avasol Tinted Mineral Sunscreen, made of non-nano zinc oxide, comes in four shades, ranging from Light, Medium, Tan, and Deep to accommodate darker skin tones, too.
If you’re not sure which one suits you best, they offer tiny cardboard sample pots.
This biodegradable sunscreen and organic tinted moisturizer combo offers full spectrum protection from UVA and UVB rays, and is water-resistant for up to 80 minutes. And unlike most chemical sunscreens, this mineral sunscreen starts working immediately when applied.
Depending on the texture and thickness you prefer, this natural sun protection comes in a cream (via a lightweight refill pouch) or compostable cardboard stick.
No matter your choice, you’re getting things like argan and jojoba oils, without any parabens, nanoparticles, or GMOs.
We’ve tested and loved them both, but when it comes to the best natural facial sunscreen, the Mineral Cream is our preference because of how quickly it absorbs with practically no residue, making it ideal for oily skin especially.
Plus, the TSA-friendly pouch is perfect for on-the-go sunscreen. Or you can empty it into your own container.
About Activist
Activist takes care to ensure your sun-soaked skin isn’t the only thing they’re protecting.
Animals and the planet are also on that list thanks to vegan ingredients and refillable or compostable packaging. Plus, all products are made in California, meaning a minimal carbon footprint.
This woman-owned powerhouse is a member of 1% for the Planet, and happily donates to other non-profits supporting the BIPOC community like Outdoor Afro.
2. FORAH
*Note: FORAH sunscreens contain beeswax.
FORAH’s Natural Face SPF 30
Toss your tinted tin in your beach bag and go foray in the wild with FORAH.
Their broad spectrum SPF 30 Surf Balm provides sun protection without chemicals, preservatives, emulsifiers and more harmful additives.
Each tin comes with a medium tint thanks to organic cocoa powder and just three other natural ingredients: non-nano zinc oxide, organic beeswax, and virgin coconut oil.
These four ingredients combine to make one of the best non-toxic facial sunscreens that remedies any skin concern you may have while avoiding white cast (a common faux pas with natural face sunscreen).
Aside from how simple the ingredient list is, we’re all for(ah) how it performs. When we put it to the test, we found it stayed put even after getting wet and sweaty when playing volleyball out in the sun for hours.
Still, don’t forget to reapply! Even the best all-natural sunscreen doesn’t last forever.
If tinted doesn’t turn your tides, you might pick up their Everyday Mineral Sunscreen, with a long list of organic, active ingredients, safe for everyday use. We find this one is easier to spread on the body and love the recyclable bright yellow aluminum tube that just screams ‘summer’.
About FORAH
From rainy mountain tops to the sea below, FORAH believes in mimicking nature to create the best natural product.
This Canada-based company takes where they come from and pours it into a lightweight moisturizing sunscreen that’s cruelty-free, certified organic, and reef safe. Canadian safety standards for cosmetics are also far more rigorous than US ones.
This brand prides itself as a member of 1% of the Planet.
3. Butter Me Up Organics
*Note: Most Butter Me Up Organics’ organic face sunscreen stick contains beeswax, but there is a vegan cream option.
Butter Me Up Organics’ Natural Sunscreen & Facial Moisturizer
If you’re not in the market to get burned (literally) by brands who use chemicals to absorb the sun’s rays, you’re not alone.
At Butter Me Up Organics, the entire premise of their product line is “don’t put anything on your body, you wouldn’t put in it”. Not only is this natural face sunscreen organic, it’s edible—though they admit not very tasty.
The Organic Sunscreen Stick is made of non-nano zinc oxide, certified organic shea butter, coconut oil, mango butter, non-GMO grapeseed oil, vitamin E, and beeswax, providing water-resistance for up to 3 hours in the sun (or waves!)
Because of the Shea and mango butters, we’ve found this to be some of the best facial moisturizing sunscreen (natural or otherwise) that we’ve tried. This makes it our go-to sunscreen for winter outdoor adventures, too, when our skin needs extra protection from the harsher UV rays and dry air.
PS: they also offer several kinds of organic face cream to rehydrate after.
If you’re not married to the cardboard push stick, try the vegan cream option which excludes the beeswax and comes in a glass jar.
If you’re lugging a sandy toddler around the surf, this mineral face SPF is safe for babies, adults and kids, so even the most sensitive skin types can lather this on without worry of harmful chemicals.
About Butter Me Up Organics
If you’d like to one-stop-shop for your list of holistic skin care choices for body, bath or home, you’re in organic, natural heaven with Butter Me Up Organics.
This shop doesn’t compromise on ingredients or the way they’re made—which is why they’re so safe, we have no qualms recommending them for organic baby skin care.
Plus, each of their products is cruelty-free and palm oil-free.
Products could be sent out in cheaply made plastic, but that wouldn’t fit with the vision Jillian had when she started Butter Me Up Organics. She’s proud to offer everything in compostable or reusable packaging.
Speaking of being proud, supporting animal welfare causes, wildfire prevention and the like are all a part of the change BMUO is putting into the world.
4. 100% Pure
100% Pure’s Organic Sunscreen
Treat your skin to complete protection with 100% Pure’s Green Tea SPF 30, suitable for use on your face or entire body.
This green tea SPF is made to soothe skin with its natural ingredients, such as cucumber, raspberry seed oil, green tea, and aloe vera.
Even with the added organic oils, 100% Pure’s sunscreen line is fragrance free and non-comedogenic, designed to go on light and non-greasy.
Zinc oxide is the main active ingredient but naturally sun protective raspberry seed oil adds some extra facial SPF to the mix.
About 100% Pure
Relying on the magic of plant nourishment and pigments to revamp our beauty routines, 100% Pure is an organic makeup company. This company ensures their ingredient list is as clean as the places the ingredients themselves come from.
Skin and animal-friendly, they’re completely cruelty-free and vegan—meaning you’ll only find vegan sunscreen here.
Speaking of their commitment to Fido, 100% Pure works with shelters to supply shelter dogs with their next (vegan) meal option.
They also plant trees, use recyclable and compostable materials, and offer a packaging recycling program.
5. Moonrise Creek
*Note: Some Moonrise Creek products are made with sustainably harvested palm oil.
Moonrise Creek’s All-Natural Sunscreen
Most of the time, when applying sunscreen to children (or remembering to apply to ourselves), it has to be quick to apply and speedy to set in. Enter Moonrise Creek’s natural sunscreen stick.
This Tinted Face Moisturizer and natural sunscreen combo is made up of nourishing ingredients that lead to moisturized skin without the burn.
This mild-smelling natural facial moisturizer with sunscreen is made of coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, shea butter, beeswax, cocoa butter, non-nano zinc oxide, and a mixture of essential oils like lavender, cedarwood, and rose.
Even those with the most sensitive skin can apply this naturally water-resistant sunscreen and, with a quick rub, eliminate any white cast.
Moonrise Creek’s flower child persona continues into their suncare line with a reminder to absorb the proper amount of Vitamin D our bodies require. Their sunblock is designed to protect sensitive skin types during prolonged sun exposure.
About Moonrise Creek
If just the name “Moonrise Creek” sends you to a place of sunflowers, sunny days and howling at the moon, you’re following in the footsteps of the creators of Moonrise Creek.
This whimsical beauty brand combines natural ingredients with realistic expectations and real-world experience.
A herbal loving apothecary carrying handcrafted small-batch mineral cosmetics, men’s grooming items, and plant-based skin care, Moonrise Creek prides themselves in being a planet wise, low impact, animal-friendly shop.
From natural face serums to natural toners, they have everything under the sun (er, moon) to keep your skin naturally glowing.
They ask you to reuse containers when able and their packaging reflects a recycling-focused style made of cardboard, glass or tin.
6. ATTITUDE
*Note: ATTITUDE’s sunscreens are mostly formulated without palm oil but some use RSPO’s Mass Balanced certified sustainable palm oil.
ATTITUDE’s Best Natural Mineral Sunscreens
With ATTITUDE, the choice is yours when it comes to picking the perfect natural sunscreen for your cheeks, or your baby’s cheeks.
Whether opting for kids’, body, or natural facial sunscreens, ATTITUDE’s mineral-based formulas are all certified vegan, cruelty-free, and reef safe, meaning you won’t be washing harmful chemicals into our beloved deep blue sea.
If your skin was sensitive before sun exposure, their Sensitive Skin Sunscreen Face Stick made with oat could be the gentle mineral SPF protection you’re searching for.
Or opt for the Tinted Mineral Sunscreen Face Stick, which eliminates white cast and won’t leave you with oily skin.
Made with EWG-verified natural sunscreen ingredients like non-nano zinc oxide and a mix of coconut oil, shea butter, sunflower seed oil, sunflower seed wax, and castor oil, you’ll never see parabens, PEGs, or reef bleaching chemicals on the list.
ATTITUDE’s products come in a cardboard stick or easily recyclable #2 plastic tubes (we obviously recommend the former zero waste sunscreen option).
About ATTITUDE
While some of their products do contain palm oil, they opt for RSPO-certified sustainable versions.
ATTITUDE’s in-house Canadian laboratory and factory ensure all items are made in a safe and supportive way for the workers. Sunlit rooms, common areas, and lunch spaces encourage a positive work environment while saving on electricity.
With a firm policy against conflict minerals and animal testing, they’re a member of PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies and give back by planting trees with One Tree Planted and Eden Reforestation.
7. Palm & Pine
*Note: We are confirming policies directly with this brand.
Palm & Pine’s Natural Facial SPF 50
Palm & Pine’s natural sunscreens deliver broad spectrum protection in a fragrance free, naturally tinted cream, varying slightly in ingredients between SPF 30 and SPF 50.
Their best non-toxic sunscreen for face application is the SPF 50, both because it’s slightly tinted and has a higher SPF for your more sensitive face skin.
It’s also safe for your lips and even eyelids thanks to the water-resistant waxed-based formula.
Simple ingredients like zinc oxide, jojoba oil, and avocado oil make it good for your pores and dry skin, while the reusable or recyclable aluminum tin makes it good for the planet.
About Palm & Pine
When the founders of Palm & Pine moved to Portugal, they needed a sunscreen that would protect their skin while doing all the things they love, like hiking, swimming, and snowboarding, so they created Palm & Pine’s mineral sunscreens.
Their sunscreens are vegan and cruelty-free, so while you’re protecting your skin from UV radiation, Palm & Pine protect the critters you might see on your adventures!
P&P is palm oil free “now and always” and COSMOS certified, this brand adheres to a strict ingredient list, sources from a sustainable supply chain and opts for low emission shipping options like large quantities by sea.
Their plastic-free packaging makes this brand a friend of the planet and the place to shop for the best natural face sunscreen.
8. Juice Beauty
*Note: Juice Beauty uses RSPO-certified palm oil.
Juice Beauty’s Organic & Natural Sunscreen
While many sunscreens are made with natural materials, few are made with almost all certified organic ingredients, making Juice Beauty’s range of every day and sport options some of the best organic face sunscreens around.
The Prebiotic SPF45 Glow especially.
Made with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, jojoba seed oil, vitamin E hyaluronic acid, and a number of plant-based ingredients like emblica fruit, viola tricolor, and inulin.
Unlike chemical lotions that absorb the sun’s UVA and UVB rays, mineral sunscreens repel it, reducing the likelihood of skin cancer. If you have sensitive or acne prone skin, the inulin can help to reduce redness and inflammation.
Their All-In-For-All-Skin-Tones, ensures this broad spectrum sunscreen melts into your skin, leaving no white cast, and is suitable for any skin tone.
About Juice Beauty
Juice Beauty’s origins began in Sonoma County, California, and hasn’t stopped evolving in the last 15+ years.
With plant based oils, free from animal testing and toxic chemicals, Juice Beauty’s founder created healthy skincare options for mature skin.
Their Farm to Beauty standard means ethically sourced materials handcrafted into healthy body lotions, natural sunscreens, vegan foundation, and more—all certified vegan and Leaping Bunny cruelty-free, down to the fact that they only sell into China online, bypassing their animal testing mandate.
Organic sunscreen ingredients come from Juice Beauty’s own organic farm, and are concocted into your favorite sunscreen lotion in their solar-powered headquarters.
Some products contain palm oil but only from sources that are RSPO certified.
All of Juice Beauty’s boxes are made of FSC paper, with Bioresin containers and reusable glass jars. For those still packaged in plastic tubes, remember to recycle.
They spread more than face SPF on your skin, too. They also spread the love with donations to groups like Breast Cancer Prevention Partners.
9. ACURE
ACURE’s Non-Toxic Face Sunscreen
ACURE’s Radically Rejuvenating SPF Day Cream does more than make their face sunscreen natural.
They also make it ultra restorative to damaged and aging skin types, being free of mineral oils, parabens, sulfates, petrolatum, and formaldehyde.
This reef-safe rejuvenating cream is made of non-nano zinc oxide and with antioxidant-rich ingredients like turmeric, ferulic acid, and vitamin C.
Pair that Vitamin C with some Vitamin V, by which we mean vegan, as all Acure’s products are.
Though it’s packaged in a plastic tube, you can recycle them for free via their Terracycle partnership.
About ACURE
ACURE’s theory is building a brand encompassing the highest quality fair trade ingredients, with thoughtful ingenuity and sheer passion.
Each of their facilities is SMETA audited, focusing on four factors, being labor standards, health and safety, business ethics, and the environment. Each facility makes different eco-friendly hair products and skincare while all adhering to strict compliance regulations.
Free from palm oil, vegan, and cruelty-free, ACURE’s ethics aren’t burning up the earth, or your nose.
10. All Good
*Note: These zero waste sunscreens contain sustainably sourced beeswax. See below for their stance on palm oil.
All Good’s Natural Sunscreen
All Good is just what their name sounds like, thanks to non-nano zinc oxide and other Oregon Tilth Certified organic and non-GMO ingredients.
Their anti-aging Mineral Facial Sunscreen utilizes moisturizing aloe vera and argan oil along with skin calming calendula and green tea leaf extract—on top of providing SPF 30 sun protection against UVA and UVB rays.
Unlike chemical sunscreens, this mineral sunscreen doesn’t contain aluminum, parabens, phthalates, or reef bleaching chemicals.
It does, however, contain beeswax, which gives it its water-resistant quality.
If you want something zero waste (instead of a post-consumer recycled plastic tube) the thicker Tinted Zinc Sun Butter provides a little color to counter white casting and comes in an aluminum tin.
About All Good
Women-owned All Good’s products are made in Morro Bay’s Community Center, which is powered by renewable energy.
This company combines care for the planet with care for your skin by producing Leaping Bunny and PETA certified cruelty-free and vegan products.
All Good chooses fair trade ingredients and recycled packaging, paper, and shipping labels when possible.
Green America approved, a Certified B Corp, and a member of Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and 1% for the Planet, All Good is a leader in ethical standards.
11. Stream2Sea
*Note: We are confirming policies directly with this brand.
Stream2Sea’s All-Natural Facial Sunscreens
Chemical sunscreens can be so harmful and toxic to the health of coral reefs, some places like Hawaii, the US Virgin Island, and Palau have sunscreen bans—but not for this brand.
Stream2Sea’s entire sunscreen line is making waves in the natural sunscreen sea, with a slurry of organic ingredients like tulsi leaf, green tea extract, olive leaf, and wakame seaweed.
Their sunscreens vary from SPF 30 to SPF 45, but their SPF 30 Tinted Mineral Sunscreen is most suited as a face sunscreen.
Natural ingredients are joined by non-nano titanium dioxide to reflect broad spectrum UV rays.
The tubes are plastic, but it is post-consumer recycled.
About Stream2Sea
Founded in Florida in 2015, this US brand follows you from sea bottoms to mountain tops with a mineral based sunscreen that won’t run off and ruin the places you’re adventuring.
Achieving the HEL labs Protect Land + Sea certification means it’s no surprise this brand is plant-friendly, down to being cruelty-free and vegan.
Their non-toxic sunscreen lotion is shipped in recyclable sugar cane resin packaging or PCR plastic (from recycled milk jugs).
Stream2Sea continues to develop and test lotions that are truly safe for you and the places you wear them.
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How We Chose The Best Organic Sunscreen For Faces & More
Whether you have oily skin, sensitive skin, or acne prone skin, choosing a sunscreen that suits your skin type can be a difficult (and expensive) endeavor.
Not to mention that on top of making your skin flare up, chemicals like Oxybenzone, Avobenzone, Homosalate, Octinoxate, and other hard-to-pronounce ingredients have no business being on your skin.
These chemicals can leach into your skin, disrupting a number of body systems and causing irritation for sensitive skin types.
So while non-toxic face sunscreen ingredients offering broad spectrum protection (AKA protection against both UVA and UVB rays) were the core of our selection process for the natural and organic sunscreens, it’s not all we considered.
Truly ethical and sustainable beauty accounts for all the following factors (and we’re not just talking about the sun protection factor).
- Non-toxic: Natural sunscreen ingredients mean nothing that could be toxic to our skin or the planet (AKA reef bleaching chemicals and other chemical sunscreen ingredients). Products that are fragrance free and mostly certified organic (since mineral sunscreens can’t be certified organic) make for the best natural sunscreens. We look for things like coconut oil, carrot seed oil, raspberry seed oil, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide.
- Vegan & cruelty-free: Not only the best facial sunscreen natural, but capable of protecting skin without the help of animals, whether by way of their ingredients (except beeswax) or as test subjects.
- Palm oil-free: As with any hot topic, palm oil is one that burns people up, and while we recognize the severity of the situation, we opt for companies who use RSPO certified palm oil.
- Ethical ingredient sourcing
- Thoughtful packaging: This doesn’t just mean the material items are shipped in, but also what each product is sold in, like reusable bottles, recycled cardboard or PCR plastics.
Keep in mind that even mineral sunscreens can be dangerous if they use nano-sized particles which may enter your pores (and then the bloodstream).
The jury is still out on the side effects this might have, so the best natural mineral facial sunscreen is any that uses non-nanosized zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.
Final Thoughts On Natural & Non-Toxic Sunscreen
You may be concerned about whitewashing, but more concerning still is greenwashing, which is alive and well in every market.
Sunscreens are no exception, we’ve done the digging in the sand and smoothed out the wrinkles in your search for the best all-natural sunscreen.
Whether you started this search for your own health or the health of the planet, you’re in the right place.
These companies draw the (tan) lines on sustainable, natural sunscreens that won’t wash away some of our favorite adventuring sites around the world.
If you have an adventure companion waiting at the base of a mountain or crest of a wave, share this list of the best non-toxic sunscreens with them to guarantee a fun filled, burn free trip that’s safe from skin cancer and other ill effects of harmful sun exposure.
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