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- In my search for a safe and gentle sunscreen option for my baby, I ultimately chose Blue Lizard Baby Sunscreen after testing out a few options.
- This sunscreen is chemical-free, paraben-free, fragrance-free, and it’s reef friendly.
- The bottle changes color in UV light, which helps me remember to reapply even when it’s cloudy.
My daughter Ellie loves to be outside and so does my German Shepherd, so you can find us relaxing and playing fetch in the backyard pretty much every day. For that reason, it was important to me to find sunscreen that actually worked and was gentle on her skin.
There are a lot of baby sunscreens on the market, but just because it says baby on the label doesn’t make it clean or safe for kids.
I researched and tried out some different options, and so far, Blue Lizard Baby Sunscreen is my favorite. It’s a mineral sunscreen that doesn’t have any chemical sun blockers, parabens, or fragrances, so I feel good about putting it on Ellie’s skin.
One of the other sunscreens we tried was Babyganics and while I like it, it does include a chemical blocker (octisalate) as one of the active ingredients, so it’s not my favorite. I also tried the Aveeno Baby mineral sunscreen, and I like that it doesn’t have a chemical blocker as an active ingredient, but I found that it was harder to rub in than the Blue Lizard. You only really have a couple minutes to rub sunscreen into a baby or toddler before a meltdown ensues, so the easier it is to rub in, the better. Applying the Blue Lizard sunscreen to Ellie’s skin is quick and easy, and she’s ready to play outside before she knows it.
Ingredients
Blue Lizard has the minerals zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as the active ingredients, and these work as sunscreen because they sit on the skin and deflect the UV rays. Because one of the active ingredients is zinc oxide, this sunscreen provides broad-spectrum protection. With chemical sunscreens, the chemicals absorb into the skin, which means they work at a deeper level, letting the UV rays absorb into the top layers of the skin as well.
I love that the minerals in the Blue Lizard sunscreen don’t actually absorb into Ellie’s skin (like the chemicals in a chemical sunscreen would), so it’s gentler for her. I’ve never noticed any irritation on her skin from using this sunscreen.
Everyday use
Ellie has very fair skin, and she hasn’t gotten a sunburn at all while using this product (I always reapply every two hours). It’s also water resistant for up to 40 minutes, which is so helpful with a baby or toddler that loves to splash in the water.
It rubs into her skin easily and it doesn’t leave her with a white coating like some other mineral based sunscreens do. I’ve also found that it isn’t oily. Once I have it rubbed in, you can’t even tell it’s on.
The color-changing feature
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Blue Lizard sunscreen comes in a color-changing bottle (in some packaging, it’s the cap that changes) that turns pink when exposed to UV rays. If I open the diaper bag and see it sitting in there all bright pink, I know I need to put it on her. This feature really solidified this as an excellent product for me.
Before I had Ellie, I only really thought about sunscreen on trips to the beach or long days outside. I know I should use sunscreen whenever I’m outside, but it just doesn’t happen for me.
For Ellie, I want to do everything I can to protect her skin, and that means she gets sunscreen any time we’re spending more than a few minutes outside. I’m not used to this, so it’s easy to forget, but I love that the color-changing bottle reminds me. It’s particularly useful for cloudy days and times when we’re under the shade of a tree, too. I never realized how strong UV rays are even under these conditions until I had this bottle with the visual cue.
Cons
It’s a fragrance-free product, which isn’t a con in itself, but it does mean that you don’t get that summertime sunscreen smell — a small price to pay for a clean and safe product.
I also wish it came in stick form as well as traditional lotion. I think a stick would be easier to get on Ellie’s face without accidentally getting it in her eyes or mouth.
The bottom line
If you’re looking for a gentle sunscreen that provides great protection and happens to have a built-in feature to remind you to use it, then the answer is a resounding yes!
Unfortunately, this sunscreen isn’t cheap at $24.99 for an 8.75 ounce bottle. Babyganics is definitely a cheaper option if you don’t mind a chemical blocker in the active ingredients.
No matter what option you choose, please make sure you’re protecting your kids with sunscreen. If you can afford to splurge a little bit on a safe and gentle sunscreen, Blue Lizard Baby Sunscreen is a great pick.
Pros: mineral based, fragrance and paraben free, bottle changes color in UV light
Cons: no stick option
Buy a 3 fl. oz. container of Blue Lizard Baby Sunscreen for $12.99 from Buy Buy Baby
Buy a 5 fl. oz. container of Blue Lizard Baby Sunscreen for $18.99 from Target
Buy an 8.75 fl. oz. container of Blue Lizard Baby Sunscreen for $24.99 from Amazon
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Source: Business Insider – jwong@businessinsider.com (Alicia Betz)