Not Another List Of Sensitive Skin Sunscreens
There are a lot of reviews of sunscreens online. If youve ever searched for sensitive skin sunscreen, youve probably seen dozens of them listing the top 10 . But have the authors actually tried them? On broken eczema skin? With food allergies?
A friend rang me this week to ask what we use, as her daughter just had a very bad reaction to a well known brand of chemical sunscreen. Sometimes people just need a personal recommendation. So I decided to post about our experiences and trying different sunscreens for someone with eczema and multiple allergies and what to look out for.
This is an honest, unbiased review of what we use. What works for us might not work for you, so always remember to do a patch test first before using any product.
Sunscreen For Eczema Children: Top Tips
Sunscreens can work in two ways: by reflecting the light away from the skin using fine mineral particles or by using organic chemicals rubbed into the surface layers of the skin to convert the harmful light energy into benign heat energy as they break down into smaller chemical units. Eczema children often get on better with the mineral-based sunscreens as they sit on the surface of the skin and dont create extra heat, which can aggravate their eczema.
Summer: the time when all kids get covered from top to toe in white gloop! The sun is really important in the creation of essential Vitamin D, but it also emits harmful UV rays and dries out the skin. With the skins moisture gone, eczema is more prone to flare up and the inevitable scratching can open up old wounds. Sunscreen can be a convenient way to restore skin moisture at the same time as protecting your child from the sun, but harsh chemical ingredients could make the situation itchier. ScratchSleeves gives you the best sunscreen tips for eczema children, including a guide to understanding the label on your sunscreen and our tried and tested review of eczema friendly kids sunscreens.
What Is The Safest Baby Sunscreen
After reading a list you still may not know which one to choose. The safest will be what works best for you.
No matter how you take care of your skin, dont underestimate the power of a good sunscreen. Always cover your little one in it before you leave the house.
But be careful, always double-check the labels even on my recommendations. What works for me may not work for you and what works this summer may not work next summer.
There are lots of sunscreens and the choice is hard. Read more about them and eczema on the National Eczema Association website. Check out all of the eczema in summer series to learn how to deal with summer activities, moisture, and mosquito repellent.
Try something new and let me know how it goes in the comments below. What kind of sunscreen do you use?
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Sun Cream For Eczema Prone Skin
Eczema is a condition that causes itchy, dry, and cracked patches to develop on the skin. Its an issue often seen in babies and young children, and something that can clear away with age although its seen in adults too.
The most common type of eczema is atopic, which means its an allergic condition related to the immune system. In people with eczema, exposure to certain allergens can trigger a flare-up of symptoms.
Eczema can also be worsened by other triggers, including heat and skincare products. In combination, these factors mean that people with eczema often have a hard time during the summer months.
What To Look For In A Sunscreen For Eczema
Sunscreen is an essential part of skin care. Sunscreens with natural and nourishing ingredients protect and moisturize eczema-prone skin. They help in soothing itchingand inflammation.
Let us know what your favorite sunscreen is for eczema. Comment below if any of our recommendations helped you!
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Wrap Up On Best Sunscreen For Eczema
This guide was written to help those who are searching for the best sunscreen for eczema. I hope that by reading this guide youve gained a greater understanding of what to look for and have found a sunscreen that fits your needs!
SimplySunSafe recommends BADGER SPF 35 Sport Sunscreen as the best Sunscreen for Eczema, but all 5 of our listed sunscreens will provide you with sufficient and sensitive protection for your eczema prone skin.
Remember, its always a good idea to test a few products so that you can find the one that works the best for your skin. Once you have tested a few different sunscreens, you will be able to choose the one that best fits your daily lifestyle and no longer worry about the sun protection of your sensitive, eczema prone skin.
I love to hear and learn new things as much as possible, so if you use or know of any other sunscreens that are good for eczema prone skin, please let me know so that I can check them out and think about adding them to SimplySunSafes list!
If youd like sunscreen recommendations for other skin conditions, SimplySunSafe has a range of guides including sunscreen for rosacea and sunscreen for sensitive skin. Just go to the top of this page and search for a condition to find the recommendations youre looking for.
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Best Sunscreens For Eczema: How To Choose
Choosing the right sunscreen is a core element of eczema care. Individuals with eczema often report itchiness, inflammation, and dry skin. Exposure to sunlight can further irritate skin with eczema, causing flare-ups. Thus, sunscreen can be a key component of eczema symptom management.
The National Eczema Association notes that skin with eczema can be more susceptible to irritation caused by certain ingredients, such as fragrances. These irritants can be found in many products, including moisturizers, lotions, and sunscreens, making it complicated to choose. In some cases, using an irritating sunscreen can make skin with eczema more sensitive to sunlight. One MyEczemaTeam member noted that while on vacation, her face flared up from the sunscreen she used the day before.
Its important to identify sunscreens that keep your skin healthy and protected while reducing side effects from over-the-counter products. Doing so can help manage eczema symptoms.
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What Is In Sunscreen How Does Sunscreen Work
When thinking about the ingredients found in common sunscreens, its best to start with the basics. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, the primary, or active, ingredients found in broad-spectrum sunscreens include:
- Titanium dioxide
- Homosalate
These ingredients do the heavy lifting of sun protection, although there are often other inactive ingredients found in sunscreens.
Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are used in mineral sunscreens, and they protect your skin by physically blocking and redirecting the UV rays found in sunlight. The other ingredients mentioned, such as oxybenzone, are used in chemical sunscreens and work by chemically soaking up UV rays and preventing them from hitting your skin.
Eau Thermale Avne Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream
So, miracle upon miracle, your eczema is gone. Hooray! But you know that one patch of dry skin that isn’t well-moisturized can kick-start the whole cycle again. Don’t fret: This moisturizer, the best I’ve tried in its field, will keep your skin hydrated for hours at a time. Unlike Aquaphor and Vaseline, which can result in skin shinier than the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz, this cream will go on light and leave you glowing .
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The Best Sunscreen For People Who Have Had Skin Cancer
Individuals with a history of skin cancer need to take extra precautions when it comes to protecting their skin. You will want to use the highest SPF you can find, and you need to use it every time you go outside.
Although experts had previously reported that theres not much of a protection advantage to using sunscreen with an SPF above 30, more recent findings have reversed that way of thinking.
The newest studies show that people wearing 100 SPF are less likely than those wearing 30 to get sunburned.
If youve had Mohs surgery, youll also want to use a non-chemical sunscreen to protect your sensitive skin.
Cera Ve Baby Sunscreen Lotion
Cera Ve is what we use most because it goes with a lot of the other products we already use. The product goes on very thick so you will know you put it on so use this one sparingly. The baby version is what I use, but it comes in an adult brand as well.
The selling points:
- Formulated with 11.4% zinc oxide and 7.4% titanium dioxide for 100% mineral broad-spectrum SPF 45 UV protection
- Water-resistant for up to 80 minutes
- Paraben-free and fragrance-free
- phtalate and sulfate-free
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Who Should Use Sunscreen
The AAD recommends that all children wear sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. There is a myth that claims children with darker skin do not need to wear sunscreen. While darker skin has more sun-protective melanin, it can get painfully sunburned, too. Keep babies younger than 6 months old out of the direct sun.
Watch Out For Food Ingredients
Obviously the minerals need some sort of moisturiser or emollient to help them spread evenly. But with multiple food allergies, I was struggling to find something that was suitable for broken skin but didnt have a food allergen ingredient.
For example, have a look at this ingredient list for Wot Not Naturals 30 SPF Natural Sunscreen:
INGREDIENTS: Beeswax-white, candelilla wax, aloe barbadensis extract, d-alpha tocopheryl acetate , grapeseed oil, safflower oil, sesame oil, shea butter, silica, water-purified, naticide. Active ingredient: zinc oxide
We struck a major problem here. Severe sesame allergy! Interestingly, shea while it is actually a type of tree nut is not a significant allergen .
Then there are the goats milk sunscreens: Goat Sunscreen, Gillygoat, Billie Goat. We couldnt use these: milk allergy. Aveeno Positively Mineral Sunscreen contains oats. They may well be fine for some, but definitely not for others. And as weve posted about previously, using personal care products with food ingredients on sensitive/broken skin isnt a great idea when you have food allergies or are at risk of developing them.
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Here’s The Sunscreen That Earned The National Eczema Foundation Seal Of Acceptance
The National Eczema Foundation created a seal of acceptance to help guide you when you look for products like sunscreen that are less likely to irritate your eczema. Among the sunscreens that received the NEF seal is Aveeno Natural Protection and its Baby Natural Protection line. Another eczema-friendly brand CeraVe had several sunscreens make the list. The brand’s SPF 50 body and face lotions might work well. Additionally, the group recommends CeraVe Baby Sunscreen SPF 45. Finally, several Neutrogena sun protection products received the seal, including its Pure & Free baby and regular sunscreen line and its Sensitive Skin Sunscreen Lotion SPF 60.
To ensure that you don’t end up with a widespread reaction, the NEF recommended that you do a test of any new sunscreen you try in a small area, leaving it for 24 to 48 hours before washing. If you experience itchiness, redness, or any type of breakout, you should reconsider using the product. In addition to wearing sunscreen, the National Eczema Society recommended that you stay out of the sun between 10 a.m and 3 p.m. and wear protective clothing and hats. If you have any questions or need additional sunscreen information, talk with your dermatologist.
Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreenbaby Spf 30
Blue Lizard is an Australian brand of physical sunscreen for babies, that offers SPF-30 protection from UVA and UVB.
It uses mineral active zinc oxide and titanium dioxide to create areflective barrier on the babys skin, that prevents UV rays from beingabsorbed.
No chemical ingredients, no fragrances and no parabens, the formulais as gentle as they come.
Perfect really, for babies with eczema as there are no ingredientsthat can trigger an allergic reaction or aggravate inflamed skin.
Just like most physical sunscreens, the consistency is slightly thick,and you will have to put some effort to really rub it into the skin. But thatsjust a minor quibble.
It is completely non-greasy and does not stain clothes. Onceapplied, it stays on for hours avoiding the need for frequent reapplication.
In fact, it is water-resistant for up to 40 minutes. So, if you are heading to the beach, this will keep your child protected even if they enjoy a dip in the ocean.
The bottle cap doubles up as an indicator and turns blue when thereare UV rays in the sunlight. This takes the guesswork out of sunscreenapplication.
Pros
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Little People Organic Children Spf 30
This is the one that I often use. It is thick and creamy and helps with her eczema as well as offers sun protection. This sun lotion can leave a stain on clothes but I found using washing up liquid on the stain before I put it in the washing machine removes it easily.
- Little People Organic Children SPF 30 sun lotion SPF30 contains no gluten, PEgs parabens, MI, SLS/SLES, lanolin, synthetic fragrances, petrochemicals, propylene glycol, colourants and alcohol.
- Its 78% organic natural ingredients include avocado, sunflower and olive oil, beeswax, aloe vera, edelweiss and rosemary extract. Its a thick cream but absorbs well. The Green People highlights that this suncream is for sensitive skin.
- Ingredients: Aqua , Isoamyl P-Methoxycinnamate , Olea Europea Fruit oil*, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil*, Cetaryl Alcohol , Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Elais Guinesis Oil*^, Titanium Dioxide , Glyceral Sterate , Cera Alba *, Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice Powder*, Persea Gratissima Oil*, Leontoppodium Alpium Leaf Extract*, Commiphora Myrrah Oil^, Rosmeary) Leaf Extract*, Cetearyl Glucoside , Sodium Stearoyl Glutomate , Gluconolactone, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Phytic Acid. *84% CERTIFIED ORGANIC INGREDIENTS, ^FAIRLY TRADED
- For more information on Green People Organic Children sun lotion and latest prices, see here.
Natural Instinct Natural Sunscreen
The first is zinc oxide based Natural Instinct Invisible Natural Sunscreen. It does leave a bit of a white cast, but this is minimal if you rub it in well. It can also tend to be runny, so you need to shake it really well before applying. The ingredients also do include food products so be aware of any food allergies. Weve had no reactions to this one over the past 2 years. As a bonus, it isnt tested on animals.
Natural InstinctNatural SunscreenSPF30
UVA/UVB broad spectrum, 3 hour water resistant sunscreen.
Active ingredient: zinc oxide, 220mg/g.
Other Ingredients: Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil, Silica, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate , Euphorbia Cerifera Cera , Cera Alba, Glyceryl Isostearate, Polyhydroxystearic acid, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Tocopherol , Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil, Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract, Glycerin, Aqua, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil.
You can buy Natural Instinct from Pharmacy Online or .
There is also Natural Instinct Kids, which isnt invisible. Again you can buy this at Pharmacy Online or .
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Best Natural Sunscreen Stick:
This is a long lasting sunscreen that may be thicker to apply, but it was created with athletes in mind. Its biodegradable and safe for the reefs yay! The original Eco Stick is very white, but the tinted version is a great natural skin color that blends well. I love that they use green tea and hemp oil, both are excellent for eczema. This is a shea butter-free sunscreen, so its great for those avoiding shea due to allergies.
EWG Rating: 1
Ingredients: Non Nano Zinc Oxide 22.75%, Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Green Tea, Organic Black Tea, Organic Coffee, Organic Hemp Seed Oil, Organic Cocoa Butter, All Natural Mango Butter, Organic Beeswax, All Natural Candelilla Wax, All Natural Rosemary Oil Extract, All Natural Vitamin E,
This sunblock has a very clean ingredient list, doesnt leave the skin white AND has great packaging that is easily recylable. All major wins. And of course, the simple, natural ingredient list sounds nourishing for the most sensitive skin and eczema.
EWG Rating: 1
Ingredients: Zinc Oxide , Organic Cocos Nucifera Oil, Organic Cera Alba , Organic Calendula Officinalis Flowers infused in Organic Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Non-GMO Tocopherol .