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Mineral Sunscreen Review: Butterbean Organics

I put my heart and soul into finding the best natural mineral sunscreen over the last 10 years. My family of 6 has personally tested over 120 reef-safe sunscreen options, putting two on our bodies every time we are in the sun.

Top Recommended Safe Natural Mineral Sunscreens - Over 100 Brands Tested by One Real Family!

Our a/b tests have been stringent, and we really know what mineral sunscreens are effective, rub in well, and last a long time.

Of all those well over 100 choices, we only have about a dozen that we love and this brand is one of them.

If you’re looking for one of the best natural sunscreens, you’re in the right place!

As you’ll read in the full review below, this zinc oxide sunscreen covers all the bases and keeps your family safe from sunburn. It uses pristine ingredients to the highest standard, goes on smooth, and actually lasts.

If you’d like to see how it stacks up against other natural mineral sunscreen brands that use reef-safe zinc oxide, then head over to my ultimate guide to natural mineral sunscreens for the complete list of safe sunscreen reviews.

Butterbean Organic: Original and Simply Healthy Sunscreen
Overall
4.1
  • Ease of Application
  • Clean Ingredients
  • Water Resistant
  • Effectiveness

Details:

UPDATE 2024: We are guessing Butterbean is no longer making sunscreen, since it has been out of stock on their site for quite some time. We have tried to reach out to them with no response.

Price Range: $$$$ Butterbean Organics Sunscreen

EWG rating: 1

SPF: 30

Active ingredient(s): non-nano uncoated zinc oxide (22%)

Other ingredients: * Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, *Cera Alba (Beeswax), *Butyrospermum Parkii (Fair Trade Shea) Butter, ), *Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Tocopherol (Sunflower Vitamin E), Polyhydroxystearic Acid *Certified Organic

Antioxidants added: coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, Vitamin E

Where to purchase: Butterbean (15% off with code Katie84133) 

Ease of application: + the tub is nice because it’s easy to keep dipping your fingers in. Cream is very thick and takes a bit to rub it in. After a few months in storage it was very thick, like fudge, and verging on gritty. UPDATE 2016: The new tub’s formula is very smooth and over-wintered wonderfully! I turn to it as a quick reapplication option because you can get a lot on a kid in a short amount of time.

Scent: neutral, kind of earthy

Water Resistant? Lab tested to 80 minutes (highest allowed)

My experience: This sunscreen is…okay. I wanted to love it because the ingredients are so great, but the texture is a little off-putting. It took a LOT to cover an adult’s body, so I feel like the tub wouldn’t last all that long. ???

We also tested the spray, which I believe is now sold as the pump called “simple formula.” It’s much much much thinner, almost too thin, although it was very easy to apply.

It still gets white when wet, such a strange feature. We had one minor burn with the spray after a few hours of swimming, but that may be because we didn’t use enough. Just because it’s thin doesn’t mean you should skimp!

UPDATE 2016: I got a sample of the new pump, which is easy to use and I noted that it’s super nice to give it to kids and know that they can’t GLOP it on, squirt too much out of the tube on accident or scoop a huge fingerful out of a tub. My husband burned slightly on his face with it but we realize that it may have been because he was swimming and wiped it off with his hands. I’m curious to experiment more with it this summer.

We also tested out the Sport Stick and we are huge fans. The cardboard tubing is so unique and eco-friendly. We keep it in our diaper bag and use it often on faces – it’s quick to apply! And honestly, because there are a few drawbacks to the pump and the tub, I kept going back and forth on whether to put Butterbean in the highest level or not. The stick definitely belongs there – let’s just say this brand is knocking on the door of top tier!

UPDATE 6/13/16: The 90-degree sun watching soccer was too much for our family this weekend! Everybody burned, no matter what we wore. 🙁 A note that the tub of Butterbean felt a little more white and greasy/shiny to my husband, but it did keep his arm less burned than the Raw Elements stick (which we are theorizing couldn’t get through his arm hair to his skin!). So what are we thinking about Butterbean in general? I want to test its effectiveness more, personally!

Star Feature: The ingredients speak for themselves, and the small company speaks to my WAHM heart.

Don’t forget to use code Katie84133 to get 15% off your order on the Butterbean site!

Pros

  • Great ingredients, mostly organic
  • Neutral scent
  • Sport Stick is top tier awesome!

Cons

  • Some difficulty in applying tub and pump formations

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!

Have you tried this sunscreen? Was your experience similar to mine?

Unless otherwise credited, photos are owned by the author or used with a license from Canva or Deposit Photos.