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 100 reef-safe sunscreen options, putting two on our bodies every time we are in the sun.
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.
Raw Elements Eco Formula Sunscreen
Overall
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Clean Ingredients
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Ease of Application
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Water Resistant
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Effectiveness
Details:
Price Range: $$$$ (tub) or $$$$ (stick)
Where to purchase: Raw Elements (use the coupon code KS10 for 10% off entire order!!)
SPF: 30+
EWG Rating: 1
Active Ingredient(s): non-nano zinc oxide (22.75%), also non-micronized
Other Ingredients: 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 Rosemary Oil Extract, All Natural Vitamin E ***All Ingredients Marked Organic Are Certified Organic
Antioxidants Added: sunflower oil, green tea, black tea, cocoa butter, mango butter, Vitamin E
Ease of Application: +/- very thick, but still able to rub in decently well; stick is less messy to apply and glides on okay in warm temps
Scent: pleasant, strongly of cocoa butter (stick)
Water Resistant? Very much so! Water was still beading up after over 90 minutes in the sun and lake.
My Experience: The stick is surprising – it doesn’t go on white nor look overly brown (either the tinted or clear sticks). I really enjoy having them for faces, although the small size gets tedious (and expensive) if you try to do the whole body with them. My husband chimes in that the stick feels like a sticky mat of honey in a man’s arm hair. Definitely not ideal for full-body coverage! But the lotion is not difficult to put on either, so between the two, this brand makes great strides. You can see for yourself how the stick goes on in this video on Facebook.
The ingredients are fantastic, nothing synthetic at all, so I’m over the moon about that, and it weathered months in storage just fine. The sticks look a little gritty but they still glide on very clear, so no problem there.
The tinted facial cream is the adult’s best answer to not looking like Casper, and it even looks fine on very light skin (my husband). We had it around when a bunch of families with kids were together in intense sunshine on vacation, and other adults started asking me, “Where did you get this? This is amazing!” I even dropped the tub a bunch, it dented, and it popped back into shape and the threads even still screwed closed tightly (phew). I’m kind of becoming a super fan…
Raw Elements is working toward no plastic, so they have metal tubs of both their tinted facial moisturizer and larger tubs of the regular cream. They are seriously the best!
When I went on our Fox morning news in 2018 to share about the new Hawaii legislation, the anchor actually ordered some Raw Elements between segments! Here’s a facebook video review that includes this stick.
Pros
- super ingredients
- clear finish
- the ultimate in water resistance
Cons
- none
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!