If you thought choosing a sunscreen was as simple as looking for the words “mineral” on the front of the bottle, this episode might surprise you.
In this conversation, Autumn Blum and I dig into the sunscreen label details that most parents never hear about—and some new ingredients to watch out for.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why reading the active ingredients matters far more than the marketing on the front of the package
- The new sunscreen ingredient that’s generating buzz and raising questions
- The little-known ingredient showing up in many mineral sunscreens that parents should understand
- Why some “safe” ingredients from a decade ago are being reconsidered today
- How to make mineral sunscreen easier for kids to use (without the battles)
- The simple sunscreen habit that can better protect your kids every single day
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed standing in the sunscreen aisle, this episode will help you understand what really matters and what to look for on the label.
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Key Takeaways about Choosing a Safe Sunscreen
- The most important sunscreen habit is learning to flip the bottle over and read the active ingredients instead of relying on front-label marketing claims.
- For mineral sunscreens, parents should look for non-nano zinc oxide, non-nano titanium dioxide, or a combination of the two as the active ingredients.
- A new sunscreen ingredient called Tinosorb is gaining attention in the United States, but Autumn believes more publicly available safety and environmental research is needed before consumers can fully evaluate it.
- More mineral sunscreens include butyloctyl salicylate, an ingredient used to boost SPF ratings that is chemically similar to ingredients already banned in some environmentally sensitive locations.
- Mineral sunscreens may take a little longer to apply, but they offer benefits many families appreciate, including not stinging children’s eyes! (Try the dabba-dabba method for application!)
Don’t pay attention to what’s on the front! Flip over your sunscreen, read the active ingredients. – Autumn Blum, Stream2Sea Founder
- Mineral sunscreens work differently than chemical sunscreens because they do not break down in sunlight the same way chemical UV filters do.
- Preservatives remain one of the most challenging parts of product formulation because they must prevent microbial growth while minimizing health and environmental concerns.
- Autumn emphasized that science evolves, and responsible manufacturers should be willing to improve products as new research becomes available. Even ingredients generally considered safe can become problematic for some people as sensitivities become more common, which is why individual testing and awareness matter.
- Daily sun protection matters for children, especially on the face, ears, and backs of the hands, where skin damage can accumulate over time.
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Show Me the Life Skills!Action Steps from This Episode
- Take a few minutes to check the active ingredients in your family’s sunscreen and learn what those ingredients actually do.
- Don’t rely on marketing claims like “mineral” or “natural” without reading the ingredient panel.
- Consider choosing non-nano mineral sunscreens that use zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide as their active ingredients.
- Teach kids how to apply mineral sunscreen using a “connect the dots” or “dabba dabba” method to make application easier.
You can’t make something that’s safe for everybody. You’re always going to have somebody that’s sensitive to something, which is why spot testing is important. – Autumn Blum, Stream2Sea Founder
- If your child has sensitive skin, perform a small patch test before applying a new product more broadly.
- Apply sunscreen before children leave for school, camp, or outdoor activities so protection is already in place before sun exposure begins.
- Remember that product safety is always evolving, so stay open to learning as new research emerges.
Shop Stream2Sea Sunscreen
Stream2Sea did not fare well a decade ago with their old formula, but the reformulation is absolutely fantastic. It performed very well in side-to-side tests versus other brands. It does take a little extra work to rub in.
When you first put it on, you will think, Oh no, what a total failure. But just give yourself a good massage, and eventually, magically, it disappears. At first, it will look like paint drying and all splotchy–but trust me, it does rub in.
The options from Stream2Sea are fantastic.
- Everyday Active is extra waterproof!
- Tinted looks great on faces, and is one of the only brands with a large enough tube that I feel I could put tinted on the whole body.
- Shimmer is just fun with very small glitter in the whole tube.
I’m beyond thrilled with the new Stream2Sea formula, and it’s become one of our family’s go-tos. Use code KITCHENSTEW for 10% off on their site!
Shop Stream2Sea Now!Resources We Mention for Choosing a Safe Sunscreen
- Shop Stream2Sea – get 10% off with the code KITCHENSTEW!
- What you need to know about reef-safe sunscreen
- See all of my natural, mineral sunscreen reviews – or take a look at the cheat sheet if you want all the info in one place!
- How to use the dabba-dabba method to apply mineral sunscreen
Autumn is an entrepreneur, cosmetic chemist, scuba diver, and ocean warrior. After spending 15 years as a cosmetic chemist, she noticed a sunscreen slick coming off a group of snorkelers while diving in Palau – the soap, sunscreen and conditioner residues washing right overboard into these waters with some of the most beautiful reefs in the world. As a cosmetic chemist, she knew that we could do better for our oceans, reefs, and ourselves. She came home from the trip determined to create a performance-based product line that would be safer for us and for our waters. In 2015, she launched Stream2Sea. 10 years later, all formulas remain tested and proven safer, and include the only sunscreen, Coral Care, that’s proven to actually nourish reefs.
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