[Part of my challenge to give something away every day for 29 days]
So I’ve been on the search for a good sunscreen for a while, and recently, a company called Caribbean Solutions wrote to say their stuff’s biodegradable, petrochemical-free, and non-greasy. Send it! I said, and they did — along with Natural Onyx Tanning Oil.
Meanwhile, Summer’s been talking for months about how she’s really going to get tan this summer. So I told her I’d give her this organic oil to help the beauty cause!
I ran it over this afternoon, and finally actually looked at the ingredient list. The stuff wasn’t organic — just “natural”…. Still, this oil — being pretty much all oil — sounds a lot better than the other tanning oils on the market that are full of parabens and fragrance and all sorts of other crazy stuff.
I know some readers are gonna be against tanning, period. Take it up with Summer; here’s her blog :P
I’m just using the sunscreen. So about the Natural SolGuard 25 SPF: The good news: is that made with Environmental Working Group-approved active ingredients: titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Although titanium dioxide and zinc oxide tend to turn people a ghostly pale (unless you’re already quite pallid — Hi Summer!), this sunscreen wasn’t too bad once I took the time to rub it in. It wasn’t sticky, and it smelled like pina colada.
The bad news: Only the active ingredients are listed — and my request for a full ingredient list has so far gone unanswered, which has me wondering if something bad’s hidden in there — especially since the pina colada scent could point to synthetic fragrances. The natural oil bottle, in contrast, had the full ingredient list….
I’ll continue to await a reply from Caribbean Solutions for now. In the meantime, here’s a nice roundup review of 4 good sunscreens that Jasmin the Worsted Witch wrote for Treehugger a lil while back.
View my page on 29-Day Giving Challenge
Very interesting! I hope your get the list you requested. Enjoy your weekend! Cindi
Comment by Cindi — April 19, 2008 @ 9:51 am
Hi Siel — here’s the ingredient list for Caribbean Solutions SolGuard 25, which I should have sent you, but alas, I am an idiot and your email got buried. I apologize.
Organic Aloe Vera Leaf; Natural Titanium Dioxide; Natural,Transparent Zinc Oxide; Wild Pansy Extract; Green Coffee Bean extract; Hibiscus; Cucumber and Melon extracts; Sunflower Oil, Potassium Sorbate, Essential Oil Fragrance.
The maximum SPF 25 sunscreen contains 9% Titanium Dioxide and 3.5% Transparent Zinc Oxide. These numbers go down for SPF 15, 8 and 4.
Onyx Oil ingredients include Squalene Oil (derived from Olive Oil) from Italy; Sunflower Oil; Rosehips Oil; Ginger Root Extracts; Apricot Oil; Kukui Pod Oil; Camellia Nut Oil; Passion Fruit Oil; Pot Marigold LS; Macadamia Nut Oil from Hawaii; Grapeseed Oil; Natural Vitamin E; Essential Oil Fragrance.
The tropical flowers and plants in Onyx Oil (such as marigold) contain natural photoreceptors, which add a few points of sun protection, but as fair as your friend Summer is, she should use SPF 25.
One of the interesting things I’ve learned in the process of marketing this product is that an SPF above 25 doesn’t add much protection. In a commercial sunscreen with petrochemical sun absorbers like oxybenzone and cinnamates, SPF 25 protects you from something like 94 percent of the sun’s rays; 30 protects you from 97 percent and doubles the amounts of chemicals to do so. That’s why those higher-number SPF lotions smell so strange.
There’s nothing artificial in either product, which is not the case for a lot of sunscreens sold in the health food channel. Check the labels. It’s pretty shocking.
Thanks for saying such nice things about it! Look for Caribbean Solutions at natural products stores in SoCal, or call 866-460-7363 to find out where it’s sold near you.
Comment by Lisa Everitt — April 23, 2008 @ 8:04 am