The sunscreen rule almost nobody follows

It takes ten seconds in the aisle, and it’s the first summer swap I’d make.

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Sunscreen: read the label before anything else

The short hit

If you change one thing this summer, flip your sunscreen over and check whether it’s mineral or chemical. Mineral is the one you want. The same brand will sell you both, sitting right next to each other, so the label is the only thing that tells you. It won’t say “chemical,” but it will say “mineral.” No “mineral,” assume chemical. That’s the whole first step, and almost nobody does it.

Flip the bottle. This is the only word you’re checking for.

My picks (mineral only)

• Easiest, in stores: Badger Mineral Daily Sunscreen. Short organic ingredient list, easy to find, worked great for us. My top pick if you just want to grab one and go.

• For your face: I used Beautycounter for years and still reach for the face one (now called Counter) on all-day sun days. Lightweight, more like a lotion, absorbs fast.

• Face with coverage: Crunchi’s Sunlight Tinted Sunscreen. Hot take, I never loved Beautycounter’s Dew Skin, but this one I was hooked on. Less dewy, more coverage, higher SPF. I wear Medium Light or Medium depending on the season.

• Cleanest, order online (tallow): Sky & Sol. Rubs in easily, not greasy at all. Get 10% off your first order shopping through my link or with code KRISTENM.

• Also tallow: Primally Pure Sun Cream. A little thicker, smells great, no white cast. I love everything I’ve tried from them. Get $10 off your first order shopping through my link.

• Grab-and-go at the store: Sun Bum MINERAL, the white packaging not yellow (spray, lotion, roll-on), and Blue Lizard for sensitive skin (my kids love the stick). I find both at Ulta or Target. Heads up: Costco’s Sun Bum this year is the chemical one, but they’re carrying mineral Blue Lizard.

The deeper cut

There’s a lot of confusion in the sunscreen aisle, but it comes down to two types. Chemical sunscreen is what most of us grew up with, the sprays, the Coppertone, the drugstore brands. It soaks into your skin, and after everything I’ve learned in the last ten years, I’d rather it didn’t. Mineral sits on top instead. It’s what I reach for every time, and honestly I’d toss the chemical ones (yes, they’re expensive, but once I learn something I can’t unknow it).

The trap is that the same brand sells you both, right next to each other on the shelf, so read the label every time. The Costco Sun Bum I was so excited to find last year turned out to be the chemical one. Whomp whomp.

There’s also a diet piece I didn’t expect. When we cleaned up how we eat, more whole foods and fewer seed oils, my family’s skin stopped burning so easily. I don’t have hard proof beyond my own house, but I heard about it and then watched it play out. The idea is you can sort of eat your sunscreen: cut the seed oils, eat more real food, and you burn less. We run an 80/20 clean diet and our sunburns dropped way off. But I know that’s not always enough.

I actually think most people aren’t getting enough sun, not too much. We’ve been scared into covering every inch, every day. A little sun at different points in the day is good for you. Not high noon, not for hours, and never to the point of burning, because burning is what cancels out the benefit. When we’re out all day, we do faces, noses, ears, and pale spots early in the season. Once we have a base tan the burning mostly stops, but I still cover the sensitive areas. Factor in your own skin type, but for us it’s some bare sun early and late, and mineral only when we need it.

The tallow ones have to be ordered online, but they’re the cleanest and work best for us. We haven’t burned in a long time. My younger son used to react to the Beautycounter one even though it was clean, so he stuck with Blue Lizard Sensitive or Badger for a while. Now he can use the tallow ones too. Sometimes it just takes a few tries to find your one.

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Before you go

If you do one thing this week, flip your sunscreen over and check the label. Then hit reply and tell me what you’ve been using. I read every single one, and I’d love to know what’s been overwhelming you to research so I can help.

Talk soon,

Kristen ❤️