As we near the end of winter and we start thinking about natural sunscreen, I wanted to explain to why none of our sunscreen is certified organic. I see lots of companies marketing 'organic sunscreen', and at the SPF 30+ level, it's just not available.

There's two ways sunscreens can work. Natural sunscreens use a physical barrier to block the suns rays, this is done with minerals zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Chemical sunscreens use chemicals to absorb the suns rays. There are pro's and con's for both types of sunscreen, and we'll run through a few of the major ones now.

  • PRICE - Mineral based sunscreens are expensive and not available in jumbo sized tubes or bottles. Chemical sunscreens are a lot more budget friendly.
  • APPLICATION - Since the natural mineral based sunscreens are designed to form a physical barrier, they do. They will leave a film on your skin, and some will leave you looking just a little pale. If you're wanting a good quality natural sunscreen for your face that doesn't leave you looking like a ghost, you can choose a tinted variety like the one made by  Eco Tan, or you can mix a little foundation in with it, or simply apply foundation over the top of your sunscreen.

According to Australian Organic, only one of the two minerals can be present if a product has any chance of obtaining organic certification, and that's zinc oxide. To be eligible for certification with ACO, the level of non-agricultural ingredients in any formula cannot exceed 5%. For a natural sunscreen with zinc oxide as the active ingredient, the level needs to be anywhere between 15% to 30% of the formula to achieve SPF30+. Therefore, there are NO certified organic sunscreen products on the market with an SPF rating of 30+.

You will also be pleased to know that the presence of nano particles in a sunscreen formula or any skin care formula automatically excludes it from organic certification in Australia. There are organic skin care brands in Australia using zinc oxide in tinted moisturisers with SPF ratings of around 15, and these products do pass organic certification because their zinc oxide levels are 5% or under.

Our La Mav Anti-Aging Mineral Powder Foundation (found in the natural makeup category) are SPF 15 but contain both zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, and regardless of the % in the formula, is not eligible for organic certification. This does not mean that the products aren't safe to use, they are safe. It just means they have not passed organic certification in Australia.

Is it true that coconut oil can be used as a sunscreen?

Yes, but not really. It has an SPF rating of about 5, so it really isn't very effective. There are other natural oils that have a higher SPF rating but even then, there really isn't enough protection in any of these if you're staying out in the sun for any period of time.