Best Non-Toxic Sunscreens(in Canada) for Babies

Last November Nitin, Evan and I headed to Mexico for Evan’s first beach vacation. We had taken Evan on an airplane the month prior so we had an idea of what to expect when traveling with an infant. However, as we quickly learned, packing for a snowy getaway in Banff versus preparing for the beach brings on an entirely new set of questions for first-time parents. Just as I had researched and purchased all of Evan’s winter gear I had to quickly switch modes from jackets and mittens to swimwear and most importantly, sunscreen!

Evan turned 6 months while we were in Mexico, and while sunscreen should not be applied to infants under 6 months of age I checked with one of my girlfriends who is a nurse and she confirmed that applying a thin layer of sunscreen on Evan was completely fine. And so my hunt began for the safest baby sunscreen on the market.

Chemical vs Mineral Sunscreen

First off, it’s important to understand that there are two main types of sunscreens; mineral (aka physical) and chemical, with the main difference being found in the ingredient list. Chemical sunscreens are more common between the two and will often contain at least a couple of these no-no ingredients: oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate and octinoxate. These chemicals are absorbed into the skin making them unsafe for babies, and have been known to cause hormone disruption. Mineral sunscreens are made using zinc oxide/ titanium dioxide. Unlike chemical sunscreens which seep into the skin, mineral sunscreens sit on top of the skin and reflect UV rays. There are some sunscreens that contain zinc oxide and chemical ingredients, so I recommend always checking the ingredient list.

Ingredients to Avoid

Oxybenzone
Avobenzone
Octisalate
Octocrylene
Homosalate
Octinoxate
Nanoparticles

Are all natural sunscreens safe?

There are tons of natural/organic baby sunscreens on the market, many produced by some of my favourite brands. However, just because a sunscreen is labelled as mineral or organic it doesn’t mean it’s the right choice. One of the most useful tools I found while searching for a non-toxic baby sunscreen is this one. Just type the name of your sunscreen into the EWG search field and you will receive a full rating of your sunscreen. There were some brands I couldn’t find on the EWG site, and others that were listed there but not available to purchase in Canada.

Thinkbaby is my sunscreen of choice for Evan (this isn’t sponsored, I just love their sunscreen). Although it’s a mineral sunscreen it’s easy to rub into Evan’s skin and it doesn’t leave behind a white residue. I searched a Thinkbaby sunscreen on EWG and below is an example of the information you will receive: