Looking for the best baby sunscreen? You might be surprised to learn that many mainstream baby sunscreens contain harsh and toxic chemicals. Here’s our guide to cleaner, non-toxic baby sunscreen brands.
Outdoor play is what childhood memories are made of. Exploring nature, being pushed on the swings, doing hands-on water play, and even just laying on a picnic blanket with mom can all be such blissful activities for a baby. But you’re probably also worried about protecting your baby from the sun. Since sun exposure can be dangerous, and your baby’s skin is delicate, you’re smart to be cautious about this.
Don’t worry, there are lots of things that you can do to help keep your baby safe under the sun. One of these is to choose the best baby sunscreen.
That means buying a safe, effective, natural baby sunscreen that doesn’t contain toxic ingredients and endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Unfortunately, it isn’t as simple as just buying any old sunscreen that Whole Foods sells. (Don’t you wish everything were that easy?)
In this article, we’ll discuss how to keep your baby safe in the sun and which brands make the best baby sunscreens.
Top Picks for Non-Toxic Baby Sunscreens
- Best all-around natural baby sunscreen: Earth Mama Baby Sunscreen
- Best for fair and sensitive skin: Badger Baby Sunscreen
- Best sunscreen available at Target: Pipette Baby Sunscreen
These are also the only brands I would personally use on my kids, and I always apply that standard to my articles.
1) Earth Mama Mineral Baby Sunscreen (SPF 40)
Buy on Amazon | Earth Mama
Earth Mama always gets it right – and their baby sunscreen is no different. Overall, Earth Mama makes one of the best and clenest baby sunscreen options available in my opinion, but since it is high in zinc oxide it is a little hard to rub in. (Though, to be fair, that’s pretty much the case with any mineral sunscreen.)
You’ll love that Earth Mama has simplified their sunscreen options. Now you can find their Baby Mineral Sunscreen, a Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen (made with eczema and sensitive skin in mind), a Baby Face Sunscreen Stick, and their super popular Tinted Sunscreens just in case mama needs a good clean sunscreen as well. All of Earth Mama’s sunscreen products are SPF 40.
Personally, this is my go-to brand of sunscreen for my kids! I love Earth Mama’s sunscreen and have bought a pack every summer.
2) Badger Baby Mineral Sunscreen (SPF 35-40)
Buy on Amazon
With a clean ingredient list, Badger is a favorite. They make three different types of sunscreen that are baby and kid-friendly, including the Baby Mineral Sunscreen Cream (SPF 40) in the green bottle, the Kids Mineral Sunscreen Cream (SPF 40) in the orange bottle, and the Kids Sunscreen Stick (SPF 35). You can also grab the Kids Sunscreen Cream and Sunscreen Stick together in a bundle if you prefer!
All three of these products are a great choice, to be totally honest! But if you’ve been following along long enough, you’ll know that I’ll pretty much always pick the product with fewer ingredients, and it’s no surprise that in this case, it’s the Badger Baby Mineral Sunscreen (green bottle). It contains the same active ingredient as the Kid’s version, but the main difference is that the Kid’s version contains orange and tangerine oil while the Baby version has chamomile and calendula, which are two very skin-soothing ingredients. Either version would be a good choice, but again, I prefer the Baby version for this reason alone.
Please note that while the formula is thick and offers good coverage, you do need to reapply it more often than other brands. You might even want to bring two bottles along with you if you are traveling.
3) Waxhead Sun Defense Baby Sunscreen (SPF 30-35)
Buy on Amazon
Made with only 6 ingredients, Waxhead Sun Defense Baby Sunscreen is another winner. Honestly, we have some amazing choices when it comes to choosing a mineral baby or kids sunscreen! The ingredients in the baby sunscreen are: non-nano zinc oxide, spring water, beeswax, organic extra virgin olive oil, organic-sourced vitamin E, and vitamin D3. Given the basic ingredient list, Waxhead would be a great sunscreen for babies with eczema or possible food allergies.
Waxhead’s sunscreen runs on the thick side and may not rub in as easily as the toxic stuff, but mixing it around in your palm a bit before applying it to a wiggly baby may help. The Waxhead Sunscreen Stick may be easier to apply to little ones.
Please note: this product contains added Vitamin D3 (which is mostly a good thing unless you are already giving a baby vitamin D3 supplement).
4) Sunbiologic Kids Sunscreen (SPF 30)
Buy on SunBioLogic
Water-resistant up to 80 minutes, SunBioLogic Kids Sunscreen is another great sunscreen choice for babies and kids alike. With organic ingredients and zinc oxide mined in the USA and tested for impurities, you can feel comfortable using this on your little one.
SunBioLogic Sunscreen Ingredients: Active Ingredients:
5) California Baby Super Sensitive Sunscreen Stick (SPF 30)
Buy on Amazon | Walmart | California Baby
When it comes to choosing products that are safe enough for a baby’s skin, I am always going to go for sensitive and fragrance-free options over anything that isn’t formulated this way. So I am happy to say that California Baby’s Super Sensitive Sunscreen Stick makes the list of best baby sunscreens. With a minimal list of ingredients, California Baby is one to consider!
The formula does come on a little thick compared to some of the sun creams on this list, but it is a great option regardless. Please note: the active ingredient in this sunscreen stick is Titanium Dioxide. If you prefer to avoid this ingredient, most of the other sunscreens on this list are made with Zinc Oxide instead.
6) Thinkbaby Sunscreen Stick (SPF 30)
After leaving Thinkbaby off the list for many years, their baby sunscreen was added a few years ago. Parents loved it because it rubbed in really easily and was fragrance-free. Now, the company has added a natural fragrance oil, which raises some flags. I would only use their sunscreen cream if there are no other options available to you; for example, you need to buy something in a store because you’re on a trip or heading to the zoo but won’t have enough time to order one of the other products on this list.
However, Thinkbaby’s baby sunscreen stick and children’s sunscreen stick contain fewer ingredients than the sunscreen lotion AND do not appear to contain any added fragrances. This makes me feel comfortable with keeping Thinkbaby on the list… please just note that I do not recommend their other sun protection products.
7) Babo Botanicals Sensitive Baby Sunscreen (SPF 50)
Buy on Amazon | Babo Botanicals
Babo Botanicals makes a few different types of sunscreen, but as you can probably imagine, it’s the Sensitive Baby Sunscreen that really stands out to me. I like this product because it’s made for sensitive skin, which means it minimizes all the harsh and unnecessary ingredients that mamas like us want to avoid.
I haven’t seen this one in any of the big box stores near me, so you might be best off ordering this one online.
8) Pipette Baby Sunscreen (SPF 50)
Buy on Amazon | Target | Walmart
I was really happy to see a clean sunscreen from Pipette! Their mineral baby sunscreen has SPF 50 and can easily be used by the whole family. Its active ingredient is 20% zinc oxide and contains some beneficial inactive ingredients, such as squalane. It does contain gums, which my kids are sensitive to, and an otherwise long ingredient list.
This product wouldn’t be my first choice, but it might be easy to grab in person at your favorite store. I wouldn’t totally rule this out because it looks like a pretty good mineral sunscreen for babies and the whole family.
9) Mustela Baby Sunscreen Stick (SPF 50)
I recently came across Mustela’s mineral sunscreen stick for babies and was happy to discover this product! It looks like a great sunscreen made for babies that is fragrance-free. The ingredients list is also pretty simple and this product can be found in-store at Target. Love that!
10) Two Peas Organics Kids Sunscreen (SPF 30-50)
Buy on Amazon
Made with 25% zinc oxide and other healthy ingredients like argan oil, beeswax, and castor oil, Two Peas Organics stands out as one of the more natural sunscreen options on this list! They currently offer SPF 30 and SPF 50 sunscreen options, and both options are equally nourishing on the skin. Give this brand a try if you are looking for a more natural sunscreen for your littles!
11) Bee & You Kids Natural Mineral Sunscreen (SPF 50)
Buy on Amazon
With one of the most natural ingredient lists on this guide, Bee & You stands out for their use of propolis in their children’s mineral sunscreen. This formulation is SPF 50 and goes on well on the skin. Be sure to reapply often if you go with this brand!
Why Avoid Chemical Baby Sunscreen?
Sunscreen comes in two forms: chemical or mineral.
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Chemical sunscreens are the brands we’ve all been using for years. Banana Boat, Coppertone, Neutrogena, Blue Lizard, and Hawaiian Tropic, among others, make chemical sunscreens. Surprisingly, even brands that you’ll find at Whole Foods, such as Alba Botanica, aren’t even non-toxic because they are chemical sunscreens, not mineral.
How does it work? Chemical sunscreen uses chemicals to absorb UV rays. They use a layer of chemicals to block the sun’s rays from being absorbed by your skin, but the problem is that these are harmful chemicals.
Chemical sunscreens use one or more of the following active ingredients:
- Oxybenzone
- Octocrylene
- Avobenzone
- Octisalate
- Homosalate
- Octinoxate
The main concern is that these ingredients are rapidly absorbed by your skin and can cause irritation and other health hazards.
According to the EWG, chemical sunscreens “penetrate the skin and may disrupt the body’s endocrine system, as their active ingredients…mimic the body’s natural hormones and as such can essentially confuse the body’s systems”. More on this in a bit.
Is Mineral Baby Sunscreen Better?
We’ve established that chemical sunscreen is unsafe for babies. So what’s the safer alternative? Mineral sunscreen is generally safer than chemical sunscreen, so you can consider mineral formulas to be the safest sunscreens available for your baby.
Mineral sunscreens use zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide as the active ingredients to coat and protect your skin by reflecting UV rays. In the debate of chemical vs. mineral sunscreen, mineral sunscreen generally wins from a health and safety perspective.
These two ingredients are generally regarded as safe and effective:
- Zinc Oxide: You want zinc oxide in your natural baby sunscreen because it covers the full spectrum of both UV protection (i.e. it reflects both UVA and UVB rays). Also, it’s non-toxic and doesn’t contain anything that would contribute free radicals to your body.
- Titanium Dioxide: Many mineral sunscreens use titanium dioxide which is relatively safe, but it doesn’t offer broad-spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB rays. Some studies suggest that titanium dioxide creates more free radicals that might cause oxidative stress throughout your body.
There are a few things to know about mineral sunscreen:
- Mineral sunscreen can be better for sensitive skin than chemical sunscreen.
- You can’t just buy ANY mineral sunscreen. They can contain some of the same toxic chemicals as chemical sunscreens, so you have to look closely at the ingredients. And some brands of mineral sunscreen have been found to contain up to 95% more lead than chemical sunscreens, though there is no available data on this at the time of writing.6
- When choosing the best mineral sunscreen, you want one that uses non-nano particles. Nanoparticles are so small they can be absorbed by your skin, which poses a health risk; non-nano zinc oxide and non-nano titanium dioxide use larger particles so the risk of absorption is lower. However, and here’s the rub: manufacturers aren’t required to disclose the properties of their nanoparticles, so the terms “nano” and “non-nano” are somewhat meaningless until the FDA issues better guidelines for sunscreen ingredients. Still, go with something labeled non-nano until disclosures are required.5
- Mineral sunscreens may not rub in as easily as chemical sunscreens. Most will leave a white cast or coating on the skin and will require extra effort to rub them in. Try not to compare mineral sunscreen to chemical sunscreen. The trade off is in the healthier ingredients! You’ll get healthier, more natural ingredients but they won’t be as easy to rub in as their chemical counterparts.
Overall, mineral sunscreens are believed to be a safer alternative to chemical sunscreens. But you still have to choose carefully. Let’s go over which ingredients to avoid.
Ingredients to Avoid in Baby Sunscreen
EWG’s study on sunscreen revealed just how toxic and dangerous chemical sunscreens can be for children. They are made with toxic chemicals that you and I don’t want to expose our children to.
But wait – some mineral sunscreens contain some of the very same ingredients. So we need to look at the ingredients carefully — both the active and inactive ingredients. Active ingredients are used as UV filters while inactive ingredients make up the base or formula. According to the EWG, inactive ingredients can make up as much as 70% of the formula, so it is important to pay attention to the entire list of ingredients.
Active Ingredients to Avoid in Baby Sunscreen
These are the active chemicals in chemical sunscreen (and some mineral brands too) and are best avoided — especially when it comes to a baby sunscreen. Some of these ingredients may appear under different names, too.
- Oxybenzone: Oxybenzone rapidly absorbs into your skin and like estrogen in the body. Some studies suggest that it might alter sperm production. Detectable levels of oxybenzone have been found in human breast milk, amniotic fluid, urine, and blood. It is especially dangerous to children: “Children may be more vulnerable to harm from oxybenzone than adults ‘because of the potential for higher absorption and bioaccumulation.'” EWG rates oxybenzone as an 8 out of 10 in terms of toxicity (with 10 being the most toxic). You want to keep your baby away from this stuff!
- Octinoxate: This chemical soaks into your skin and stimulates hormonal activity. Animal studies show that octinoxate causes changes in the reproductive and thyroid systems. EWG rates this chemical at a 6, showing evidence that it is an endocrine disruptor. Hawaii and Key West have banned both octinoxate and oxybenzone due to the damage of the coral reefs it causes. Even small amounts can cause harm to the delicate coral reef systems.
- Homosalate: EWG gives homosalate a 4 safety rating, which means its moderately safe but there are possible side effects. Homosalate is widespread and has been found in breast milk. This skin-penetrating hormone disrupts estrogen, androgen, and progesterone.
- Octocrylene: This UV absorbing chemical has been found to cause allergic skin reactions. It has also been banned in Japan and is associated with cardiovascular disease, biochemical changes, and cellular damage.
- Octisalate: This is a penetration enhancer that has a decent toxicity rating from EWG. It is usually used in combination with other harsh chemicals that may not be as safe.
- Avobenzone: While this ingredient has a low toxicity rating, it only filters UVA rays and has to be mixed with other (harmful) chemicals to stabilize it for use in topical sunscreens.
Inactive Ingredients to Avoid in Baby Sunscreen
Since there is such a wide range of ingredients that can be used, it’s impossible to list everything you want to avoid, here are some of the key items to avoid.
- Parabens: You want to avoid parabens in everything if possible. Parabens act as preservatives and appear under different names on ingredient lists. You might find it as methylparaben, Propylparaben, Butylparaben, and more — basically anything ending in “-paraben”. Parabens are absorbed through the skin, act like estrogen, and some evidence links parabens to breast cancer. Avoid.
- Propylene Glycol: A synthetic liquid made from petrochemicals, propylene glycol is best avoided whenever possible. It has been associated with a number of health issues including eczema, immune system toxicity, and allergies.
- Methylisothiazolinone: This preservative is linked to causing allergic reactions. According to the EWG, it may also be a neurotoxin.
- Retinyl Palmitate: While this is an antioxidant that combats skin aging, government studies indicate that it may trigger the development of skin tumors and lesions when used on the skin in the presence of sunlight. So, if you pick a sunscreen with added Vitamin A, you might be increasing the risk of skin cancer. Avoid this ingredient – it doesn’t make sense to be in sunscreen.
- Fragrance: As always, when a product lists “fragrance”, the company is hiding something in their list of ingredients. That can be phthalates or other toxic chemicals that they aren’t required to disclose. If you see this on a label, drop that product and find something that specifies what they use (or even better — something with no added fragrance at all).
- Sodium Benzoate or Phenoxyethanol: While these preservatives can’t always be avoided, there are ways to make sure that a product is still safe to use, even if it does contain them. If one of these ingredients appears at the beginning of an ingredient list, put the product down. If they are one of the very last ingredients, you might be okay with using the product if there isn’t a better alternative. Finally, try to seek out products that don’t contain these ingredients (see below for options).
- Sulfates: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate are harmful if absorbed through the skin. They can cause skin and eye irritation as well as organ toxicity, and should generally be avoided in all personal care products, including baby sunscreen.
- Formaldehyde-Releasing Agents: Formaldehyde can be added directly to personal care products like sunscreen, or it can be released from some preservatives. One of the commonly found formaldehyde releasers in sunscreen is diazolidinyl urea, which is also an allergen and known for releasing a large amount of formaldehyde. DMDM Hydantoin and Quaternium-15 are also commonly used in sunscreen. In general, it is best to thoroughly research the ingredients on any baby sunscreen you consider using.
- Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone: This is an ingredient that I came across frequently while researching sunscreen. Linked with organ-system toxicity, this ingredient can also be contaminated with 1,4 dioxane (a carcinogen). Avoid this when possible.
- Essential Oils: While essential oils are mostly safer than synthetic fragrances, essential oils aren’t necessarily safe for babies. Some sunscreen brands like Young Living, for example, contain several essential oils — far more than most aromatherapists would recommend for use on babies. I also came across several brands of natural baby sunscreen that include rosemary oil extract. Opt for fragrance-free sunscreen for your baby when possible.
When it comes to products that you apply to your skin – or your baby’s – the goal is to only use ingredients that have sufficient safety data. If you don’t recognize an ingredient, always look it up in the EWG database. You may not always find the product itself reviewed by EWG, but they have an extensive ingredient database to help guide you.
How to Pick the Best Baby Sunscreen
Picking the best baby sunscreen is an important choice you are making for the health of your baby. Here are some considerations when you’re trying to find the best mineral sunscreen for your baby, toddler, or young child.
Here are the criteria we’ll be using:
Consider antioxidant ingredients. According to the Clean Label Project, antioxidant ingredients in sunscreen can help the body boost its natural defense against sun damage; this is a good reason to consider sunscreens with antioxidant ingredients such as green tea extract and vitamins C and E. However, you should ask your doctor if this is safe to use for your baby.
Does Sunscreen Prevent Cancer?
Safer Ingredients. The most important thing to look at is the ingredient list. Ideally, zinc oxide will be the main active ingredient in your natural baby sunscreen. The other ingredients should have names you recognize and not include any parabens (or any of the other items listed above in the “avoid” list). Also, look for a sunscreen that might have safe and natural inactive ingredients such as jojoba oil and shea butter.
Broad Spectrum UV Coverage. It is important to ensure that the sunscreen you choose has broad spectrum coverage. This means that it protects against both UVA and UVB rays. Pay attention to the breakdown of the active ingredients: if it contains anything other than zinc oxide, it may not provide enough UVA protection. EWG provides good analysis on broad spectrum coverage.
SPF 30-50. You might assume that a higher Sun Protection Factor (SPF) rating of 50+ is ideal for a child, but there is no proof it works better to prevent skin damage and skin cancer. SPF levels are misleading and inaccurate. When people see an SPF 50+, it tends to cause them to misuse the sunscreen by not reapplying it as much as needed. The best sunscreens have a rating between SPF 30 and 50.
Lotions or Sticks Only. When it comes to the lotion versus spray sunscreen debate, the answer is straightforward: spray sunscreen is not safe, no matter which brand it is. Not only are spray sunscreens flammable and hard to apply evenly (increasing your child’s risk for burns), but it is unsafe for adults and children due to the risk of it being inhaled. Titanium dioxide, for example, can cause lung damage when inhaled. If you use spray sunscreen, you (and your baby) can inhale the ingredients and the FDA hasn’t properly tested this for safety. Just don’t do it. Choose lotion or stick sunscreen and apply an extra layer if you use a stick.
Baby or Adult Sunscreen? It doesn’t really matter. According to the Clean Label Project, it is unclear what makes baby sunscreen different from adult sunscreen; it does not contain different ingredients, work differently, or safer/cleaner in any way. It’s just a marketing term; just choose a sunscreen with the best ingredients and it should be suitable for your whole family.
Watch out for allergens. Sunscreens tend to use a lot of food-based ingredients. Unfortunately, applying these directly through the skin can trigger or aggravate allergies. For example, one mineral sunscreen brand contains sesame seed oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, and almond oil; these can all be allergenic. Please be cautious when looking at ingredients and patch test sunscreen if you suspect that your baby may be sensitive to food or chemical ingredients. I left out all sunscreen brands that included tree nut oils.
An important question we need to ask is if sunscreen prevents cancer. While Americans continue to purchase sunscreen and use it diligently, the rate of melanoma has steadily risen over the past 30 years.
According to the CDC, the risk factors for skin cancer are family history, indoor tanning, fair skin, freckles, moles, ultraviolet radiation, and severe sunburns.
We know that UV exposure can cause cancer, and some research indicates that regular sunscreen use can lower the risk of certain cancers. But, there is a lot of confusing info on whether sunscreen prevents cancer. This may simply be because it can take decades for cancer to develop. For example, basal and squamous cell cancers may be related to UV exposure over a period of several years. And melanoma risk may be tied to the number of sunburns a person has had, particularly during childhood.
The evidence that sunscreen use can reduce skin cancer is inconclusive, in part due to the decades that may separate exposure from cancer.
Every major public health authority – the FDA, the National Cancer Institute and the International Agency for Research on Cancer – has concluded that the available data do not support the assertion that sunscreens alone reduce the rate of skin cancer.
Environmental Working Group
So this doesn’t mean that sunscreen isn’t important. Or that you shouldn’t use sunscreen on your baby. Not at all! Sunscreen is an important part of your sun-safety toolkit.
It’s completely normal to be afraid of the sun when you think about how scary skin cancer is.
You might think that staying indoors — away from the sun’s harmful rays — is a safer bet, but that’s not a good choice either. Why? Because your body needs the sun. Your body needs vitamin D. And so does your baby.
You can get most other vitamins from the foods you eat — but not vitamin D. The Vitamin D your body needs mostly comes from daily sun exposure, because very few foods contain vitamin D. You can take supplements or give one directly to your baby (or even give cod liver oil with your doctor’s approval), but the only way to produce vitamin D naturally is by exposing bare skin to the sun, without sunscreen — regularly.
Vitamin D is essential. It strengthens the bones, boosts the immune system, reduces inflammation, and reduces the risk of several cancers such as breast, colon, and kidney. It can play a role in your baby’s mood and influence his cognitive function. In fact, it is estimated to play a role in over 3,000 functions in the body. Vitamin D deficiency can be very serious and has been linked with over 100 diseases.
Which mineral baby sunscreen did you choose for your baby? I know it can seem like there are many options and things to consider. Just do the best you can and choose the one that seems to be the best for you. Remember – you want one that works well and protects your baby from getting a sunburn.
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