The Best Non-Toxic, Clean Sunscreens for Kids
Our baby’s and kid’s skin is so delicate and we want to make sure we’re protecting it from the sun. One of the biggest questions we get is which sunscreen is delicate enough for our kids skin but also strong enough to protect them. So we have rounded up our favorite natural mineral based sunscreens that have naturally-derived minerals that are free of the controversial ingredients in traditional chemical based sunscreens.
The Best Non-Toxic, Clean Sunscreens for Kids
Written by: Jessica Diamond MPH, RDN
Our baby’s and kid’s skin is so delicate and we want to make sure we’re protecting it from the sun. One of the biggest questions we get is which sunscreen is delicate enough for our kids skin but also strong enough to protect them. So we have rounded up our favorite natural mineral based sunscreens that have naturally-derived minerals that are free of the controversial ingredients in traditional chemical based sunscreens designed for babies and kids over 6 months.
Babies under 6 months: The American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends using physical barriers such at UPF clothing, hats, tents/umbrellas over sunscreen for babies under 6 months old. With that being said, with direct sun exposure a little sunscreen to prevent burning at this age is better than none but you really want to make sure it’s a mineral based, non-toxic sunscreen. We also recommend bringing our favorite potable clip on fan to keep baby and kids cool in the summer heat.
Sunscreen application: Need the best parenting hack? Try applying sunscreen to your baby or kid using a makeup brush! This ingenious trick makes it so easy to cover their faces (little nooks and crannies) and prevents the sunscreen from getting all over the place. We love this brush – it’s easy to clean and throw into your beach bag. You want to reapply sunscreen every 2 hours or more if you baby or child has been wet or you notice redness on their skin. For babies, avoid putting too much sunscreen on their hands as they end up rubbing their eyes or putting their hands in their mouth and we don’t want them ingesting the sunscreen.
Sunscreens: We know that sunscreen is already expensive, so we did some digging to see how the more natural sunscreen compares to the standard sunscreen. It turns out that not all of them are that much more expensive, especially if you use the subscribe and save option on Amazon.
| Brand | Cost Per Ounce |
| Standard Sunscreen | $2.00 |
| Pipette | $2.83 |
| Earth Mama | $4.99-$5.99 |
| Badger | $6.20 |
| Thinkbaby | $6.66 |
| BeautyCounter | $7.94 |
| Erbaviva | $9.20 |
| California Baby | $9.30 |
| Supergoop! Sunny Screen Lotion | $9.30 |
Earth Mama:
- Earth Mama Baby Mineral Sunscreen
- Earth Mama Kids Mineral Sunscreen
- Earth Mama Kids Uber Sensitive Sunscreen
Badger:
Thinkbaby:
- Thinkbaby Baby & Kid Sunscreen Stick
- Thinkbaby Clear Zinc Sunscreen
- Thinksport Body and Face Sunscreen Stick
California Baby: (available at Walmart)
Pipette Sunscreen: (available at Walmart)
Supergoop!
For more information on all the top baby and kids sunscreen, check out the EWG sunscreen guide. And you can shop all our favorite swim essentials here.
