Looking for a reef-safe sunscreen that uses only zinc oxide as an active ingredient? You’re making a smart choice!
My family has tested over 100 natural mineral sunscreens over the last 10 years, so we know what really works. This brand is pretty good, but in my opinion, if you’re looking for the cleanest ingredients and smoothest application, then head over to my ultimate guide to natural mineral sunscreens and grab one of my top recommended zinc oxide sunscreens instead. My standards are really high though, so this one is still pretty good. 🙂
You can read all the details below to find out why this safe sunscreen brand did not make my top recommended list.
AllTerrain KidSport Spray SPF 30
Overall
-
Ease of Application
-
Clean Ingredients
-
Water Resistant
Details:
DISCONTINUED (only available in cream now)
Price: 2019 price estimate: $$$$
EWG rating: 3
SPF: 30
Active ingredient(s): zinc oxide (19%) *their website says “non-nano, uncoated” as does Amazon, but the EWG rates this product a “3” because of the zinc oxide size at “>100 nm” – ???
Antioxidants added: sunflower oil, grapefruit seed extract
Where to purchase: Amazon
Ease of application: + very thin so glides right on
Scent: neutral
Water resistant? Very promising – water really beaded up with this lotion, even after shaving with soap and water!
My experience: Just because it’s a spray, don’t expect the convenience of the old aerosol sprays from the chemical sunscreens. This bottle has a one squirt at a time cap, and it is quite thin and runny, so I don’t know that you’d want to put very much on before rubbing it in or it would be running all over the place.
To put on faces, we learned to squirt it right into our palms (because it runs through the fingers a bit) and use the other hand to dip and apply to the face.
Once you rub it in, it disappears completely and quickly, which is great. It’s a little greasy, but really not bad (and that comes in handy with the “water resistant” task). It’s completely transparent without rubbing the skin to death, so it’s actually very nice for faces because of that, in comparison with many zinc oxide based creams.
The unscented part means that it smells like plain lotion or fats, not all that attractive, but not terrible.
As for the ingredients, there are a few I had to look up to see what they were, which irks me. I’d rather everything be recognizable, but I think I’m willing to forgive the methylcellulose, rated zero at EWG with quite good data to go on, and maybe even caprylyl glycol, which is rated zero but with very limited data, only 20 studies. From jojoba oil to cucumber and sea kelp extract, the other ingredients seem very natural and well thought-out.
Star Feature: The spray definitely rations portions well since you can’t have an overzealous squirt and a full ounce comes out in your hand like a tube. Transparency cannot be underestimated here! Love that!
The only reason All Terrain is not in the “recommends” section is the price, mostly, and a tiny bit that I worry people wouldn’t use enough with the small squirt volume. It could easily pop back up there soon.
UPDATE 5/27/14: Oh no! After about 5-6 uses, we discovered that the squirt top gave out completely. I’d say it’s clogged in my non-expert opinion, and I couldn’t get it to start up again by fiddling with it. That’s a deal breaker in my book…and some reviews on Amazon cited the same problem.
This is how thin All Terrain’s spray is…
Pros
- Thin and transparent
- Good water resistance
Cons
- Unsure on whether zinc is non-nano
- Cap breaks easily
- So runny it can be hard to apply
Wondering if this one is the very best natural sunscreen for your family?
I organized alllll the sunscreens we reviewed in each one’s recommendation category – one page, at-a-glance to find out what is safe to buy AND works! Print it or save to your phone for reference!
The guide also includes answers to questions people ask me all the time:
- Which brand rubs in the clearest?
- What’s the best for all day outdoor sports?
- How do I save money on natural sunscreens?
- What looks good on ladies’ faces?
- Is there an option that is FAST to apply to wiggly kids?
I’ll send a copy to your email so you can see it right away and find it again later!