SunButter Oceans

Discover SunButter Sun Care

SunButter brings together Australian-made sun care, metal packaging and independently verified palm-oil-free ingredients. The products available at Shop Naturally cover everyday face and body sunscreen, targeted surf zinc, tinted lip protection and conditioning care for hair exposed to outdoor conditions.

Australia’s plastic-free sunscreen pioneers

SunButter began after marine biologist Sacha Guggenheimer and conservation ecologist Tom Hiney worked around Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia. Their experiences in marine environments prompted them to reconsider both sunscreen formulations and the plastic packaging commonly carried to beaches, pools and campsites.

In 2019, the brand launched Australia’s first plastic-free packaged sunscreen in a reusable metal tin. The original SPF50 product was also a pioneering plastic-free, TGA-listed mineral sunscreen. SunButter has since added a larger recyclable metal tube while retaining tins across several products. Its SPF50 sunscreen products are listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods, placing them within Australia’s regulated sunscreen framework.

Certified palm oil free

SunButter became the world’s first sunscreen company to achieve POFCAP Palm Oil Free Certification. This goes further than simply looking for “palm oil” in an ingredient list. Some cosmetic ingredients can be made from different raw materials, including palm-derived feedstocks, so their origins aren’t always obvious from the ingredient name alone.

The brand encountered this issue with coco-caprylate/caprate when changes in sourcing created uncertainty about possible palm-derived material. SunButter worked with the Orangutan Alliance and POFCAP to trace its supply chain and independently verify its ingredients. Certification therefore provides a stronger basis for the palm-oil-free claim than a manufacturer declaration alone. It’s a meaningful distinction for customers concerned about the relationship between palm oil production, deforestation and habitat protection.

Original SPF50: tin or tube?

SunButter Original Sunscreen SPF50 is a broad-spectrum face and body sunscreen made with non-nano zinc oxide. Its rich, buttery formula includes coconut-derived medium-chain triglycerides, castor oil, coconut oil, candelilla wax and vitamin E.

The 100g tin is the compact signature format that established the brand’s reputation. The 120g metal tube contains 20% more sunscreen and offers familiar squeeze-tube dispensing. Both contain the Original SPF50 formula, so the decision is mainly about quantity and packaging rather than sun protection. Customers seeking a product for swimming or active outdoor use can also see our wider water resistant sunscreen collection.

Original or tinted SPF50?

Tinted Sunscreen SPF50 comes in a reusable 100g tin and uses mineral pigments, including iron oxides, to create a warm bronze tint. It can soften the pale cast sometimes associated with zinc sunscreen and gives the skin a lightly bronzed glow rather than full makeup coverage. The appearance varies with individual skin tone, and the pigments may transfer onto clothing. It’s one of the choices in our tinted natural sunscreen collection.

When Surf Zinc makes sense

Surf Zinc SPF50+ has a thicker, richer consistency than the everyday Original sunscreen. It’s made for a more substantial, tinted layer on exposed areas such as the nose, cheeks, forehead and ears, particularly during surfing, swimming and extended outdoor activities. Its formula combines non-nano zinc oxide with coconut oil, candelilla wax, almond oil, cocoa butter, shea butter and iron oxide pigments. The generous 70g reusable tin is a useful alternative to smaller surf zinc formats, and the brand positions it as Australia’s first vegan surf zinc.

Lip zinc and outdoor hair care

Protective Lip Zinc SPF15 combines non-nano zinc oxide with castor oil, jojoba oil, cocoa butter, carnauba wax, Tasmanian kelp extract and mineral pigments. Cacao Tint has a warm caramel-brown colour, while Protea Tint provides a softer rosy-pink finish. Both come in compact 15ml metal tins and offer the conditioning feel of a tinted lip balm with SPF15 protection.

Protective Hair Serum 70g is hair care rather than sunscreen and has no SPF rating. Its botanical oils condition hair exposed to saltwater, chlorine, sun and wind, with a lightweight texture suited to lengths, dry ends and frizz-prone areas.

A broader environmental commitment

SunButter makes its products in Australia at a solar-powered facility and describes its formulations as vegan and cruelty free. The brand also states that it directs 50% of profits to organisations working to protect people and the planet. Together with POFCAP certification and reusable or recyclable metal packaging, these policies reflect the conservation values behind the original sunscreen.