Vegan Sunscreen {Review}

With summer in full swing, it’s time to slather on sunscreen, whether it’s for a lengthy trip outdoors or a simple walk around town. We are fortunate to live in a time where there is a plethora of vegan sunscreen with all sorts of options to suit anyone’s needs.

I’m here to review four sunscreens today. These just so happen to be the products I currently have on hand.

Nature’s Gate Sport Block SPF 50

Rating: ***** (5 out of 5 stars)
Price: $9.00 at Drugstore.com
Weight: 4 fl oz

Nature’s Gate remains one of my favorite green companies. Besides great products, their prices run in the affordable range. If you’re looking for green and vegan products that don’t break the bank, Nature’s Gate is where it’s at.

This is one of the sunblocks I purchased for our family trip to Disney World last year. I bought it specifically for the “water resistant dry finish”–and the SPF 50.

Nature’s Gate Sport Block doesn’t disappoint. The dry finish is awesome, leaving your skin with a powdery feeling. None of that greasy film everywhere. The zinc oxide makes the sunscreen apply a little white, but it’s easily rubbed in. The SPF protection comes from octinoxate, octisalate, octocrylene, and zinc oxide. I’m not bothered by this, but I know some vegans prefer a mineral option. Sport Block is paraben and fragrance free, though it does have a natural powdery and sunblock-y scent. I don’t mind it, though; I actually kind of like it. Best of all, it is water resistant for 80 minutes.

The only downside is that it appears to have a shelf life of about a year. I put it on before I walked to the farmer’s market last week only to find it all thick and pasty. Just thought I’d offer a head’s up.

Kiss My Face Sport Clear Spray SPF 50

Rating: **** (4 out of 5 stars)
Price: $15.00 at Drugstore.com
Weight: 8 fl oz

I usually avoid Kiss My Face since I dislike their honey/beeswax stance, but I made an exception for this product. This is the other sunblock I purchased for our Disney World trip last year.

Kiss My Face Sport Clear Spray is another great sunscreen product. It is packaged in a tall bottle with a pump spray applicator. The SPF protection comes from avobenzone, octinoxate, octisalate, and oxybenzone. The scent is listed as “natural coconut fragrance”, but it smells a bit off due to the alcohol content. Sport Clear Spray is paraben and gluten free, biodegradable, and does not use artificial colors or fragrances.

Getting sunblock on children can be quite an endeavor. This definitely helps to cover the body quickly and without much fuss. My younger son doesn’t like the sport spray due to the fumes, but that’s what he gets for being wiry.

The downside is the high alcohol percentage. My shipment from Drugstore.com was required to ship ground and, needless to say, this is not TSA approved. I took it on our WDW trip only because we traveled by car.

Alba Botanica Facial Sunscreen SPF 20 [Discontinued]

Rating: **** (4 out of 5 stars)
Price: $11.00 at Amazon.com
Weight: 4 fl oz

I’ve primarily used Alba Botanica sunblocks in the past and have always been pleased with their performance. I also took this with me on the WDW trip to wear under my Urban Decay tinted moisturizer. Yep, we brought tons of sunscreen with us.

The Facial Sunscreen does have a greasy feel to it, despite what the label may claim, but that’s exactly why I use it. Since I have extremely dry skin, I apply this on my face after I use moisturizing cream. I wait a few minutes to let the sunblock sink into my skin, then apply tinted moisturizer. Individuals without dry skin should probably forgo the moisturizer and use alone under tinted moisturizer, BB cream, foundation, etc.

The SPF protection comes from octinoxate, oxybenzone, octisalate, and avobenzone. Facial Sunscreen is paraben and fragrance free, though it has a traditional sunscreen-y scent.

My main complaint is that I wish the Facial Suncreen had a higher SPF. I know that 20 SPF is common for sunscreen products developed for the face, but that seems on the low side when you consider how many people don’t wear makeup and how much exposure to sun your face receives.

True Natural Face All Natural Sunscreen SPF 15

Rating: *** (3 out of 5 stars)
Price: $15.99 at LoveTrueNatural.com
Weight: 2 fl oz

I received this little bottle in my April True Beauty Box. I like that it is travel sized and meets TSA carry on size requirements. I can easily pop it in my small purse for emergency sunscreen applications.

It is fragrance and gluten free, biodegradable, and certified reef safe. It is also the only sunscreen I’ve reviewed here to have mineral SPF protection from titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.

Unfortunately, I have not had good experiences with the product itself. It is drying to my skin and didn’t seem to like my moisturizers. It pilled all over my face, no matter which moisturizer I used. It’s probably best used alone and by those without dry skin.

The other problem is the lack of SPF protection. SPF 15 seems way too low. I think the Alba Botanica Facial Sunscreen reviewed above has too low an SPF rating. Doesn’t seem like there’s enough protection to do much good.

I will point out that this sunscreen has received a lot of press awards, so it seems like my opinion might be in the minority. I’m still going to harp on the lack of good SPF protection. The are lower-cost face sunscreen options with higher mineral protection (i.e. titanium dioxide and zinc oxide) out there. A quick Google search turned up one option: Alba Botanica Natural Very Emollient Sunscreen Facial Mineral Broad Spectrum SPF 20 at $10.99 for 4 oz.

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