When it comes to my skin, I’ve decided to go for the proactive method. That means that instead of investing in expensive creams and serums in ten years to “reverse” my skin, I’ll just apply sunscreen now and won’t have to “turn back time” later down the road!
For the past couple of years, I’ve been using sunscreen on my face every day, and even though I might not notice the changes yet, I will in ten years.
When I decided that sunscreen was something I was going to apply more regularly to my skin, I did a bit more research about the kind of brands out there and what the main ingredients were.
After much research, I decided that mineral sunscreen sounded like the safest option for my skin + the environment.
Mineral vs chemical sunscreen (and why I went for mineral)
There are two types of sunscreens out there: the mineral kind and the chemical kind. Here’s how they work:
- Mineral Sunscreen: tiny mineral particles reflect the sun’s rays.
- Chemical Sunscreen: chemical particles absorb the sun’s rays.
Even though the research doesn’t say that “chemical” sunscreen is actually bad for you (everything in moderation!) I decided to go with mineral sunscreen to be more on the cautious side.
Also, it turns out that some ingredients in chemical sunscreens react pretty badly with sweat + farm water here in Saskatchewan and turned a lot of our skin/clothes orange. Not sure which ingredient exactly, but the second we switched to mineral sunscreen, we haven’t had that weird orange skin reaction.
If you’d like to learn more about sunscreen, I definitely recommend listening to this podcast.
Which are the best mineral sunscreens available in Canada?
My quest for non-greasy mineral sunscreens started a couple of years ago. And honestly, it’s been hard. I tried reading articles online, but most of them had never really tried the sunscreens when they recommended it.
So I bought a bunch over the past couple of years and here are my actual thoughts on them! And yes, I have bought all of them with my own money and wasn’t asked to write this. I’m writing it because I finally found a sunscreen I enjoy!
Here’s what I’m looking for when picking my favorite sunscreens:
- Price: is it affordable?
- Availability: can it be found at a drug store or do you have to order it online?
- Texture: is it easy to apply?
- SPF: I want at least 30 SPF, anything below isn’t really considered
- Look on skin: does it leave a thick white film or not?
- Fragrance: I’m staying away from the “fragrance/perfume” ingredient, and whether it smells good or not
My favorite body sunscreen
Australian Gold Botanical Sunscreen 50 SPF (for kids)
Guys, I love this sunscreen so much! It’s the first one I found that was actually easy to apply. It’s 100% mineral and fragrance-free. You do have to make sure you get the “kids” one (purple) to get the fragrance-free one. All the other Australian Gold Botanical sunscreens have fragrance in them.
And honestly, nothing should ever stop you from buying something labeled as a kid! If a product isn’t good enough for a kid’s sensitive skin, why should it be good for yours?
The SPF is a bit higher than what I was going for since it’s 50 instead of 30, but I honestly don’t care that much. I don’t apply a super think layer usually, so a higher SPF is probably better.
The regular price for it is around $24.99 for a 5oz/147ml, which is a decent price for a mineral sunscreen. It tends to go on sale at the end of the summer, so stock up when you can! I know I have, haha!
My favorite face sunscreen
Thinksport Everyday Face Sunscreen SPF 30+
This sunscreen was the first mineral face sunscreen that I tried. I was wondering if it was possible for me to find one in a bigger container since it’s not that big and I’m trying to reduce my waste. So I tried other brands, and just ended up coming back to this one!
The texture is amazing and because it’s tinted, it doesn’t leave a white film. It doesn’t have fragrance, but it does smell really good.
I don’t wear a lot of makeup, so this is my “foundation”. Honestly, it doesn’t really conceal anything, but it does make my face look good!
I should also mention that I have combination skin and it did take my skin maybe a couple of weeks to a month to get used to the sunscreen. It is a bit thick and I did get a bit of a breakout after I started using it, but it eventually cleared out.
At $19.99 for 2oz/59ml, it’s obviously a bit more pricy than “regular” sunscreen, but it’s still really cheap for a face product!
Which other sunscreens did I try that didn’t make the cut?
Because I loved the Thinksport one for my face, I gave their Thinksport SPF 50+ one a try (it came in a big bottle, which I liked), but it’s was so hard to apply. It also doesn’t smell that great, which wouldn’t be a deal-breaker, but it does add.
Another one I tried is the Attitude SPF 30 Fragrance-Free one. I thought because it was an SPF 30 it would be easier to apply, but it wasn’t. It does smell great though! It’s also a little more pricy than the Australian Gold above at $34.99 for 5.2oz/150g.
The last one that I tried is the Rocky Mountain Soap Sunscreen, which I tried for my face more than my body. Because it’s not tinted, it did leave a white film, which I didn’t like. It was also pretty hard to apply, which is the thing that tends to make or break mineral sunscreens. The bottle is also pretty small for the price, at $23 for 85ml.
Have you found your favorite mineral sunscreen? Share your thoughts in the comment! I do plan on trying more sunscreens in the future and I’ll update this post whenever I make a new discovery 💚
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