Lubricate, lubricate, lubricate. In sustainable care, you are normally advised to be sparing with creams and make-up. But with sunburns, the opposite applies. Apply generously and regularly - every two hours is the advice - to protect your skin from the sun. But... all that smearing may be good for you, but it is not always kind to nature. Fortunately, it can be done differently. We share four things to look out for when choosing (and applying!) eco-friendly sunscreen.
Choosing the best sunscreen
Eco-friendly sunscreen: what makes a sunscreen better or worse for the environment? It is partly in the filter that protects your skin from the sun. In fact, some chemical UV filters are so harmful to marine life that they are now banned in places like Hawaii. Microplastics are also unfortunately still found in sunscreen. But beware: all experts agree: applying less is not a good idea. Good sun protection is extremely important to keep your skin healthy and reduce the risk of skin cancer. So apply generously, with at least SPF30 and a sunscreen that contains both UVA and UVB filters. (UVA = protection against skin ageing, UVB = protection against skin burning. You need both for good protection). And yes: you can make an eco-friendly choice in that too. We explain it to you step by step.
1. Which UV filter do you choose?
The filter in your sunscreen might be the most decisive factor when choosing an environmentally friendly sunscreen. However, it's also a complicated story with many tongue-twisters. We'll make an attempt. Some chemical UV filters, such as oxybenzone and octinoxate, are so harmful to marine life that they are now banned in places like Hawaii. They can cause coral bleaching and damage the DNA of fish and oysters. The substances octocrylene and ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate (EHMC) are also increasingly linked to damage to underwater life. Therefore, it's good to know what type of filter is in your sunscreen.
What is a UV filter and how does it work? Sunscreen protects your skin with UV filters. Simply put, these are the ingredients that block the sun. There are two types: mineral and chemical. Mineral filters, such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, sit on your skin and reflect sunlight. That's why they're also called ‘physical filters’. Chemical filters work differently. They penetrate your skin slightly and convert UV radiation into heat. Many ‘greener’ sunscreen brands opt for this mineral variety. It washes off less quickly and is generally kinder to marine life. Sounds good, then. But they do have a downside: they can leave a white cast. This is why they are sometimes processed into very small (nano) particles, so that they spread more easily. But that comes with – nice pun – its own set of concerns. We'll get to that.
And there's yet another reason why the story isn't so black and white: alongside mineral filters, there are now chemical variants and combined UV filters on the market that are kinder to the environment. Chemical filters such as avobenzone, homosalate, and octisalate score better in recent research than the well-known harmful chemical filters like oxybenzone and octinoxate. Some sunscreens combine these safer chemical filters with non-nano mineral ingredients, meaning there are fortunately many more better sunscreen brands on the shelves nowadays. So, if you see a chemical filter listed on a package, it's not automatically a bad choice anymore.
Nanoparticles in eco-friendly sunscreen
Many mineral sunscreens leave a white cast on your skin. This isn't very flattering and isn't exactly pleasant to use. That's why you often see brands using nanoparticles: tiny particles of zinc oxide or titanium dioxide that spread more easily and are less visible. Sounds convenient, but there are concerns. These particles are so small that they could potentially end up in your skin and the environment. Whether this is actually harmful is still being thoroughly investigated. On labels, you can recognise them by terms such as zinc oxide (nano) or titanium dioxide (nano). If you want to play it safe, opt for sunscreen with mineral filters without nanoparticles, also called ‘non-nano’. There are now brands that have developed spreadable formulas without nano, which is an environmentally conscious and easily spreadable choice without a white cast.
2. Avoid microplastics in sunscreen
Sunscreen, in particular, often contains a lot, and we really mean a lot, of microplastics. Shocking, but true: research by the Plastic Soup Foundation shows that one single tube of sunscreen can contain between ten and a hundred trillion microplastic particles. That's 10,000,000,000,000 to 100,000,000,000,000 particles per tube! And it's precisely the smallest particles that pose the greatest risk, as they can easily enter the food chain and even be absorbed into the tissues of animals. A useful way to detect microplastics in sunscreen is the free app Beat the Microbead from the Plastic Soup Foundation. Scan the ingredients list of your sun cream with the app and you will immediately see if the product (possibly) contains microplastics.
Note: terms like ‘microplastic-free’ or ‘coral-friendly’ on packaging do not always say it all. Official legislation still allows the use of liquid microplastics, while Plastic Soup Foundation considers them to be especially harmful. So rather trust the outcome of the Beat the Microbead-app than on fancy marketing claims.
3. Choosing vegan sunscreen
On sunscreen packaging, you'll often see claims like ‘vegan’ and ‘cruelty-free’. Sounds good, but these terms are not legally protected. Anyone can use them, and there's often confusion about their meaning. A sunscreen is vegan if it contains no animal ingredients and if no animals were used in its production. Cruelty-free or animal-test-free only means that the product has not been tested on animals. Therefore, a sunscreen can be vegan but still have been tested on animals (for example, for sale outside of Europe). The reverse also occurs: a product can be cruelty-free but still contain animal ingredients, such as a cream with beeswax or lanolin.
Do you really want to make a conscious choice? Then look out for official labels such as Leaping Bunny, PETA-Approved or The Vegan Society. These do offer a guarantee that you are on the right track. Want to know more about these terms and the pitfalls surrounding them? Then read our extensive article on vegan and cruelty-free beauty.
You can choose sunscreen more environmentally friendly, but the most important thing is to keep applying it every two hours in summer to protect your skin properly. Therefore, always choose a sunscreen with UVA and UVB filter, and in addition you can look at the type of filter. Some filters can harm marine life.
4. Good lubrication habits
How often should you lubricate? There is a handy mnemonic for that. Most people get sunburn after about ten minutes unprotected in the sun. Multiply that number by the SPF factor of your sunscreen: so at SPF30, 10 × 30 = 300 minutes of protection. Sounds like half a day, but in practice you quickly lose effect by swimming, sweating and drying off. So the advice is: reapply at least every two hours - and rather too often than too little.
And while you are applying sunscreen, do it smartly. Because even with eco-friendly sunscreen, how you apply it makes a difference. So you avoid wasting and protect yourself better:
- Spread generously. Think of the amount you would spread on a peanut butter sandwich, which can be quite a large amount.
- Apply on time. Greasing at home works better than applying another layer quickly at the beach.
- Avoid the peak sun. Between noon and 3pm, the sun is strongest. Seek shade and lubricate extra well.
- Wear protective clothing. A UV shirt saves sunburn and protects better, especially while swimming.
- Leave sprays. They are easy, but waste a lot and blow or wash away quickly.
- Check shelf life. An opened tube is usually good for about six months - after that the effect diminishes.
- Always keep babies out of the direct sun. Their skin is still developing and much more vulnerable than that of adults.
Always grease children with a high UV factor (preferably factor 50). It is also a tip to put a UV shirt on children to protect them from the sun, especially between 12:00 and 15:00 in the afternoon.
Eco-friendly sunscreen: what to look out for?
Choosing an environmentally friendly sunscreen can be quite a quest. However, by looking at it step-by-step – from the type of UV filter to microplastics, and from animal ingredients to how you apply it – you'll soon get a bit more guidance. We've consciously left the packaging out of these tips, as it plays a relatively minor role compared to the ingredients. You can read more about packaging in this article. So don't be fooled by packaging that looks durable: what matters is what's inside. Still finding it hard to choose? No worries: we have made a handy list of our favourite more sustainable sunscreen brands.
Sources: kwf.nl, enveurope.com, skin-doctor.com, Plastic Soup Foundation, Angela Ursem (founder Food for Skin), Babette Porcelijn (author The Hidden Impact). Photo credits: main image: RF._.studio (Pexels), other: legs with SPF: Anntarazevich (Pexels) & beach bag: Lea Schmer (Pexels), Girls in the sea: Yulia Kuzenkov (Pexels), baby on beach: Kindel Media (Pexels).
