Journey to the Sun

I have been on a quest to find a "safer" sunblock that was easy to apply, didn't smell horrible, and worked well. This quest has been ongoing for 3 years now. Before becoming informed about parabens I used to buy Aveeno or WaterBabies thinking they were safe versions for little ones. Yeah...not so much!! Oxybenzone is an endocrine disruptor which can affect the nervous system, has been linked to cancer in some studies, and creates free-radicals when exposed to the sun which are harmful. So I have tried 4 different brands so far, that are either Zinc Oxide or Titanium Dioxide.

1) TruKid: This stuff was super expensive! It was $19 for a small tube. It's very thick and hard to get out of the bottle. It smells pretty good though since I bought the orange scented. It worked well.
From the TruKid website:
Active: Zinc Oxide 20%
Inactive: Purified Water, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, caprylic/capric triglyceride (coconut) , sorbitan stearate (vegetable), polyglyceryl-4 isostearate (plant derived), hexyl laurate (plant derived), hydrogenated methyl abietate (pine wood resin), cetyl dimethicone (sand), dimethicone (sand), castor oil, magnesium sulfate (epsom salt), helianthus annus (sunflower) oil, simmondsia chinesis (jojoba) oil, cucnis satvus (cucumber) fruit extract, camellia sinesis leaf (green tea oil), tocopherols (soy), punica grantum (pomegranate juice), hyaluronic acid (potato), *ethylhexlglycerin (vegetable), *polyaminopropyl biguanide. *= Vegetable derived preservative and paraben free anti-microbial agent. BOLD= ORGANIC



2) Alba: I liked this and the price wasn't too bad. $10 for an average size tube. It wasn't too thick and the smell was OK. It worked well. It does have a lot of ingredients that are questionable though so I probably won't buy it again.
From the Alba website:
Active Ingredients
Homosalate 10.0%, Octocrylene 10.0%, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate 7.5%, Ethylhexyl Salicylate 5.0%, Titanium Dioxide 2.0%
Ingredients
Aqua (Water), Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, VP/Hexadecene Copolymer, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (1), Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract (1), Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract (1), Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract (1), Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Extract (1), Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Cetearyl Olivate, Polysorbate 60, Silica, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Sorbitan Olivate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xanthan Gum, Alcohol (1), Benzyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate


3) Nature's Gate: Nope, didn't like it. It was too thick and smelled gross. I think it worked ok but there are enough options that I won't need to buy this again. The price was $10 for an average size tube.
From Nature's Gate website:
Active Ingredients: Titanium Dioxide 8%, Zinc Oxide 2%
Inactive ingredients: Water, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Diisopropyl Adipate, CarthamusTinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Glycerin, Polysorbate 80, Propylheptyl Caprylate,StearicAcid, VP/eicosene Copolymer, Cetearyl Wheat Bran Glycosides, Cetearyl Alcohol, Gyceryl Stearyl Alcohol, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Macrocystis Pyrifera (Seaweed) Extract, Euterpe Oleracea (Acai) Fruit Extract, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Silybum Marianum (Milk Thistle) Seed Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, MimosaTenuiflora Bark Extract, Viola Tricolor (Wild Pansy) Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Allantoin, Dimethicone, Dehydroxanthan Gum, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glyceryl Undecylenate



4) Badger: $7 for a small tube. It is thick, the smell is nuetral. It does leave a bit of a white haze all over my kid but it works very well. I don't even have to reapply it after he has been in the water for hours. So far this is a favorite!
From the Badger website:
Active Sunscreen Ingredient: Non-Nano, Uncoated Zinc Oxide 18.75%
Other Sunscreen Ingredients: *Olea Europaea (Extra Virgin Olive) Oil, *Cera Alba (Beeswax), *Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, *Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Butter, *Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Tocopherol (Natural Vitamin E), and CO2 Extracts of *Hippophae Rhamnoides (Seabuckthorn).
* = Certified Organic



If the Alba one didn't have so many strange ingredients that would probably be my first choice since it was very easy to put on, not too thick like the others. I guess for now I will stick with Badger.

A good site to reference for sunblock (and many other products) is www.safemama.com
They have all kinds of charts and info about safer, non-toxic, eco-friendly products.