Best Clean Beauty Sunscreens Available In The UK

Some of these products were gifted

When it comes to sun protection products, they are non negotiable for me. Sun damage can be serious, can cause various problems and serious illnesses including skin cancer. For someone who spent decades of her life not protecting her skin against the damage too much sun can cause, this is a little late but very serious issue. I lived my life not caring about how my skin ages until recently, probably like many others: now that I’m 40, I can clearly see how my skin ages. But I love sun tanning, I love the summer sun and I still prefer to be tanned then wrinkle free. But I’m also more cautious now. I don’t ever give the chance to an odd sunburnt. 

But as a conscious consumer I expect a little more than just sun protection, my sun cream also have to be kind on the environment and of course cruelty free. Clean beauty in my definition is something that made with organic and non-toxic ingredients, vegan, cruelty-free. Free from parabens, mineral oils, sulphates, pegs, petroleum, silicones, propylene glycol, micro beads, artificial fragrances and colours. If it comes in plastic free packaging, it’s even better.

But there is also another issue with sunscreen lotions. Approximately 82,000 different chemicals from personal care products have already made their way into the world’s oceans, according to a report by Marine Life, a marine conservation NGO. And one of the biggest and most permanent contributors to this massive pollution is sunscreen, we humans wear.

So of course most clean beauty products make the cut. There is no product ticking ALL boxes and one product cannot be the right one for everyone. In this post I have a selection of clean beauty sun creams tried and tested by me and some from other bloggers.

Weleda Edelweiss

We use this for the children mainly but also us, grown ups. Weleda Edelweiss SPF 50 promises ultra waterproof, high and ultra-waterproof sun protection with non-nano mineral UV filters, fragrance-free formula to gently care for sensitive skin. On application it will make you look like a ghost at first: create a visible white protective layer, so you can see where it’s been applied – very clever, but 10 minutes later this disappears. 

We found it super effective and protective for the children: no redness after spending an hour in the midday sun in bathing suits at the beach.

Buying it directly from Weleda, it cost £13.95

Shade

Me and my husband use Shade mostly and the kids can use it too when the sun is not too high. Till around 10 am and after 4pm. It’s my favourite, works very well, reliable and cheap (only £3.75 in most retailers)! They say their ingredients are 72% organic (but 100% natural), unrefined and non-Nano, containing zinc at pharmaceutical grade (acknowledged as offering the safest, broadest-spectrum sun protection possible), coconut oil and shea butter. It’s not vegan (beeswax) but it’s cruelty free. And a very important point for me: plastic free packaging!

I find it very moisturising, works good on my skin that only just started to show signs of ageing. Plus it’s unscented – another aspect I really like – it just feels great when on.

Amazinc!

Two of my blogger friends: Karen from catskidschaos.com and Rowan from funningupmylife.co.uk swear on this one. (Photo by Karen) Especially on areas of face and ears.

Their products are meant to be he most sustainable mineral UV filter mixture of zinc oxide, magnesium oxide and kaolin. Easy to apply and remove, yet highly water resistant. (They have a range of different products, the Mineral Sunblock SPF 50 at £10.50)

Alteya

Lu over at The Life of Lovely has a fantastic site if you’re looking for clean and green beauty products. She wanted to suggest Alteya Organics for this round up. The face protection of Organic Sunscreen Rose Otto Face Cream. Effective and safe protection – completely free of harmful chemicals Broad Spectrum SPF 25/ Sheer Tint Physical zinc oxide sunscreen with high reflective index Suitable for all skin types and ages. Safe for the reef and all ecosystems Rich in antioxidants and emollients to soothe and moisturise. (£25 on the site of Alteya Organics.) (Photo by Lu.)

Lavera

Another suggestion by Lu over at The Life of Lovely. She tested the Lavera SPF20 Sun Spray 125ml. She thought: “It offers UVA protection with an SPF of 20 and is water-resistant. It’s a great sunscreen that does prevent you from getting burning, but as it says on both the website and the bottle it can leave a white shimmer on the skin. It did leave me a little white.” Lavera says: Sun Spray SPF20 with organic Calendula and Sunflower oils is a 100% mineral, water resistant sun screen that protects the skin against the sun. (Photo by Lu.)

Wooden Spoon

Finally, I’m also sharing Crummy Mummy‘s suggestion: Wooden Spoon Sunscreen Lotion SPF 35+ which works for her skin that just started to age (early 40’s), because this is a bio sunscreen cream with Raspberry SPF 35+ is a unique mix of precious oils that reduces the aging of sun-exposed skin. With raspberry, cucumber and baobab extracts and zinc. 80% organic products and retails at £19.95 (Photo by Crummy Mummy)