Vegan sunscreens are becoming a more popular choice amongst many. And for several reasons. They can protect your skin just as regular sunscreens.

Lesser harsher chemicals are mostly used which serves as a great bonus for those who have sensitive skin.

Not only are you protecting your skin, but you can also have a clear conscious due to the fact that most contain environmentally-friendly ingredients as well.

We put together a list of top summer vegan sunscreens for you! So, read along as we bring you some of our favorite best.

Overview

• EXAMPLES OF CORAL REEF SAFE VEGAN SUNSCREEN
• EXAMPLES OF VEGAN KOREAN SUNSCREEN
• EXAMPLES OF PLASTIC-FREE VEGAN SUNSCREEN
• BEST VEGAN SUNSCREEN FOR KIDS AND BABIES
• WHAT MAKES A VEGAN SUNSCREEN
• DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VEGAN SUNSCREENS AND THOSE THAT AREN’T

Examples of Coral Reef Safe Vegan Sunscreen

Most people don’t understand that some sunscreens carry chemicals that cause death to coral reefs.

Coral reefs play an important role to the marine ecosystem in many ways. Providing protection and nutrients to marine wildlife.

Chemicals such as: oxybenzone and octinoxate are known to cause bleaching and death to coral reefs in scientific studies.

That is why the state Hawaii will begin banning companies that carry these chemicals in them starting 2021. Their aim is to protect their coral reefs.

We got the Here we got the best coral reef safe vegan sunscreens for you:

All Good Sport Sunscreen SPF 30

For those living an outdoor active lifestyle this All Good Sport Sunscreen is a perfect one for you.

It is lightweight to apply and carries many plant-based nutrients to protect your skin. Rose hips, olive oil, and organic green tea are a few of these ingredients found.

Benefits

• 80 mins water resistant
• Cruelty-Free
• Lightweight
• Oxybenzone-Free
• Paraben-Free
• Green tea, olive oil to repair skin damage

Cons

• Some people claim they still get burn when using

Block Island Sunscreen SPF 30

You can beat Block Island is a great company when it comes to meeting the vegan and coral reef friendly standards.

Founded in Rhode Island this company is run by a husband and wife. They use non-nano zinc along with many other organic and natural ingredients. Green tea, shea butter, and coconut to name a few.

Benefits

• 80 mins water resistant
• Cruelty-Free
• Lightweight
• USA made
• Paraben-Free

Cons

• Contains coconut oil which often isn’t recommended for those who have oily skin

BRC Sunscreen SPF 30

BRC sunscreen is completely vegan and coral reef safe. Besides non-nano zinc for protecting your skin from UV rays and it’s made with essential oils.

Myrrh helps with skin again and carrot seed oil helps with reducing wrinkles. This company is a mom and pop shop run by Rebecca.

Benefits

• SPF 25
• Paraben-Free
• Essential oils
• Ideal for sensitive skin

Cons

• Only SPF 25 option

Examples of Vegan Korean Sunscreen

Are you a K-Beauty (Korean Beauty) fan? Because I am! And I blame my Korean friend who once introduced me to this branch of cosmetics.

K-Beauty products have been a popularity amongst the American culture due to their cute packaging and natural ingredients.

Unfortunately, there doesn’t exist many vegan sunscreen products out their at the moment. I have only found one so far that is completely: vegan and cruelty-free.

PURITO Centella Green Sunscreen SPF 50

The PURITO is one of the few Korean vegan sunscreens products that I have found. It contains no parabens, no artificial fragrance which is a plus for my skin that tends to be acne prone and oily.

You don’t have to worry about having a white cast for it won’t leave any and it glides easy on the skin. It is also coral reef safe.

Benefits

• SPF 50
• Can be applied after make-up foundation
• Lightweight
• Artificial Fragrance- Free
• Paraben-Free

Cons

• Some people claim breakouts when using, but I haven’t personally experienced with using

Examples of Plastic-Free Vegan Sunscreen

Plastic plays a huge role in pollution across the world. From the oceans to the landfill it has made its way and it often takes many years to decompose.

So, buying from companies that are finding alternative ways of using plastic allows us to decrease its demand.

These are our favorite amazing companies that make not only their products vegan but plastic-free as well.

Fuka Eri Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50

This Fuka Eri sunscreen is completely biodegradable. This sunscreen isn’t packaged with plastic and completely vegan.

The company was founded in Galicia, Spain. Through surfing inspiration from living in Bali the idea of this product was created.

It uses Candelilla Wax instead of beeswax which also offers the same hydrating skin properties as beeswax.

Benefits

• 80 mins water resistant
• Cruelty-Free
• Coconut oil
• Candelilla Wax
• Paraben-Free

Cons

• Comes in a tinted shade. Not ideal for those who like tint in their sunscreen.

SunButter Sunscreen SPF 50

SunButter is a Australian company. Only 4 ingredients are used non-nano zinc oxide along with coconut oil, castor oil, and candelilla wax.

It is coral reef safe along with plastic-free. This sunscreen is even suitable for babies and those with sensitive skins. It is water resistant up to 4 hours.

Benefits

Cons

Tidal Wave Organics Sunscreen SPF 30

Tidal Wave Organics is one of a kind sunscreen. It is packaged in aluminum tin that can be reused and recycled.

Contains plant based ingredients such as raspberry seed oil and carrot seed oil. It also has a little bit of shimmer to give a finished glow.

Vitamin E helps with skin damage. They also carry a Benefits

Cons

Best Vegan Sunscreen for Kids and Babies

For those parents who are looking for more eco-friendlier and safe sunscreens we piled a list for you.

Though there’s a lot of sunscreen that claim toxic-free ingredients you should make it a habit to look at the ingredients listed on the product.

You want to make sure that you understand what ingredients are being put in that bottle.

I have seen parabens and mica on some sunscreen brands. Which has scientific research to be considered cancer causing.

For instance, Australian Regular Mineral Sunscreen:

Contains chemicals such as: Ehtylparaben and Fragrance. This is also NOT vegan as well. This is just one example of some ingredients that can be found in your sunscreens.

Luckly, for us there are many good companies that are focused in creating toxic-free and friendly products both to adults and kids.

Below we got a list of our favorite vegan sunscreen companies.

Goddess Garden Kids Sunscreen SPF 50

For my friend who is a mother this is her go-to sunscreen for her child. Goddess Garden is a mineral based sunscreen for kids.

It contains lavender and coconut oil that help keep your babies skin moisturized. For those with sensitive skin types no fragrances are used.

Benefits

• 80 mins water resistant
• Fragrance-Free
• Paraben-Free
•  Phthalates-Free

Cons

• Contains coconut oil which isn’t recommended for oily skin types

Babo Botanicals Baby Sunscreen SPF 50

For those with little ones we have you covered with the Babo Botanicals. This sunscreen doesn’t contain any contains no harsh chemicals or irritants.

Some of their ingredients included are Calendula which is known to soothe sensitive skin. It is also coral reef friendly.

Benefits

• 80 mins water and sweat resistant
• Cruelty-Free
• Lightweight
• Fragrance-Free
• Fast-absorbing

Cons

• Have to rub several times to get it in

What makes a vegan sunscreen?

When you come across sunscreens/sunblocks that state that they are vegan they are indicating that their products: don’t include any animal products or are animal derived.

These are some names you want to look for if a product is claiming to be vegan:

• Collagen
• Cysteine
• Elastin
• Beeswax
• Allantoin

These ingredients are known to be animal derived. It’s important to mention as well that something vegan doesn’t necessarily mean it’s cruelty-free. 

For a product to be cruelty-free means that no animals were tested on their products.

A lot of American companies may claim that they are vegan, but might be required to test their products on animals if they plan to sell in other countries such as China. 

For many years the Chinese government required any foreign companies that planned on selling their cosmetics into their country must animal test their products first.

But, starting in 2020 this will no longer be a mandatory requirement in China.

In the United States of America there is no mandatory law that states that companies can’t or can do animal testing.

According to the U.S. Drug and Food Administration (FDA),

FDA is responsible for assuring that cosmetics are safe and properly labeled.

This mission is accomplished through enforcement of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), related statutes, and regulations promulgated under these laws.

The FD&C Act does not specifically require the use of animals in testing cosmetics for safety, nor does the Act subject cosmetics to FDA premarket approval.

Source: FDA

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VEGAN SUNSCREENS AND THOSE THAT ARE NOT?

In order to better understand the differences between sunscreens and sunblocks from those that are vegan we got to take a step back and first explain sunscreen.

Sunscreen originated in the 1930s. It served as a skin barrier protector amongst the sun.

The true inventor of sunscreen is often debated amongst many, but know that there would be 4 men who would play major roles: Milton Blake, Eugene Schueller (L’oreal founder), Franz Geiter, and Benjamin Green.

You can find out more of each man if interested, but just know that that they were all important. 

Some of the early FDA approved chemicals were: oxybenzone. Which where known to absorb UV-A and UV-B sunlight rays.

These sunlight ray are considered amongst many scientists to be harmful amongst human skin. So, in current sunscreens that are not considered vegan you can find the following names:

• Oxybenzone
• Avobenzone
• Homosalate
• Sulisobenzone
• Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethanes
• Mexoryl 
• Octyll Methoxycinnamate

They all absorb the UVA and UVB rays. In contrast, most vegan sunscreens carry: zinc oxide and titanium oxide in them.

According to  Science Direct,  these are known as deflectors of UVA and UVB rays.

Think of them as a shield. They don’t absorb the rays, but rather deflect them. 

Currently, on the FDA’s homepage there are a total of 16 approved sun protecting chemicals: 

• Aminobenzoic Acid
• Avobenzone
• Cinoxate
• Dioxybenzone
• Homosalate
• Meradimate
• Octocrylene
• Octinoxate
• Octisalate
• Oxybenzone
• Padimate O
• Ensulizole
• Sulisobenzone
• Titanium dioxide
• Trolamine salicylate
• Zinc oxide

Conclusion

If you are planning to head to the beach this summer then protect your skin with one of these vegan sunscreens. Afterall, your skin will love you along with the environment.

Companies such as: Babo Botanicals and Goddess Garden are perfect for those with babies and kids.

For those looking for zero-waste plastic-friendly vegan sunscreens you can’t go wrong with Fuka Eri.

If you are looking for some beaches to visit this summer. We got 13 beaches worth visiting in San Diego County. If you are more into hiking we got the best San Diego beach scenery hiking places for you: here.

Florida is also a perfect destination amongst families when planning a beach vacation.

Let us know in the comments below what are some of your favorite vegan sunscreens or any that you recommend. Until next time!