Sunscreens for skin prone to eczema
(Disclaimer - not sponsored by brands mentioned)
Over the years I've had more than my fair share of reactions to sun creams and my skin doesn't care if it's a natural product or one loaded with undesirable ingredients. When you have eczema prone skin you just have to go with what works. On more than one occasions I've been on holiday, experienced a reaction and had to throw all my principals out the window because the the risk of skin cancer far outshines them at that moment in time. Does this make me a bad person? No but I feel incredibly guilty however I do wish more brands would look at their ingredients and help us sensitive folk out.
When I spent time in Australia (long before I was interested in natural products) I used Sunsense. Randomly the other day on Twitter I saw this brand recommended several times to a Mum who's child had eczema. I didn't realise it was still available and accessible in the UK so it must be highly regarded as I used it in 1999! The only remaining high street brands that don't flare my eczema are Ambre Solaire and Avene. It breaks my little eco heart to use these because ingredients are questionable and lets not even go down the rabbit hole of animal testing. Every summer I explore the world of natural and organic sun protection as it is always evolving in terms of formulations and new products. The most common complaint for natural sun cream is the 'white cast' which comes from the UV filters titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Even on pale skins like mine it can be very noticeable so I can only imagine how frustrating that must be for those with darker complexions. I do believe over the years formulations are improving so don't let it put you off.
When I spent time in Australia (long before I was interested in natural products) I used Sunsense. Randomly the other day on Twitter I saw this brand recommended several times to a Mum who's child had eczema. I didn't realise it was still available and accessible in the UK so it must be highly regarded as I used it in 1999! The only remaining high street brands that don't flare my eczema are Ambre Solaire and Avene. It breaks my little eco heart to use these because ingredients are questionable and lets not even go down the rabbit hole of animal testing. Every summer I explore the world of natural and organic sun protection as it is always evolving in terms of formulations and new products. The most common complaint for natural sun cream is the 'white cast' which comes from the UV filters titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Even on pale skins like mine it can be very noticeable so I can only imagine how frustrating that must be for those with darker complexions. I do believe over the years formulations are improving so don't let it put you off.
For several years I relied on Lavera products so that's always top of my recommendation list. In 2014 I made the switch to Green People after discovering their scent free sun creams and last year I tried Odylique whilst on holiday in Greece (I've linked my reviews). I've yet to try their sunscreen products but I can point you in the direction of the following brands - Jason, Organii, Lovea and Biosolis.
As with everything I recommend I can't guarantee it will work in the same way for you as we all know skin prone to eczema can be difficult to manage. Always patch test your product (preferably before a holiday so you can seek an alternative if it fails) and look for travel/sample sizes so you don't waste money if it ends up being unsuitable.
If you have natural and organic sun cream recommendations then please leave them in the comment section below as it helps other readers and I might find something new to try.
Sarah x
As with everything I recommend I can't guarantee it will work in the same way for you as we all know skin prone to eczema can be difficult to manage. Always patch test your product (preferably before a holiday so you can seek an alternative if it fails) and look for travel/sample sizes so you don't waste money if it ends up being unsuitable.
If you have natural and organic sun cream recommendations then please leave them in the comment section below as it helps other readers and I might find something new to try.
Sarah x