THE BEST NATURAL SUNSCREENS FOR FACE

I’m very excited to introduce you the best natural face sunscreens I know. Besides protecting from the sun and wrinkles in an environmentally friendly way (hello coral reefs),  these products also hydrate and even out the skin tone. Whether you want a matte or radiant finish, I got you covered.

Also: You can forget everything you think you know about organic/natural/mineral/physical sunscreens. These products don’t leave a white cast and they are not sticky, I promise. I’ve also noticed that natural sunscreens, being physical sunscreens, actually protect me better than chemical ones. I think it has something to do with the fact that they reflect the sunrays away from your face, rather than absorbing them, like chemical sunscreens do.

If you’re looking for the best sunscreen for your face, here are four awesome natural options!

 

Best natural sunscreens for face

And hey, if you’re shopping from Finland, I have links here.

Alga Maris Tinted Sunscreen SPF 30 – Tinted, lightweight, mattifying

alga maris tinted face sunscreen spf 30

Alga Maris Tinted Sunscreen is the most lightweight, liquid physical sunscreen I’ve tried. It’s also the only one on this list that mattifies the skin. That’s definitely a bonus, since most natural sunscreens are more on the creamy and glowy side. And even though it leaves more of a matte finish, it still doesn’t look or feel dry. The consistency is easy and quick to apply just with your fingers.

The product has some tint to it so it evens out the skin tone really nicely. You can also build it up a bit on the areas where you would like a bit more tint (coverage), since it dries down to a matte finish. I love to use it instead of foundation. It comes in three colors: Ivory, Beige and Golden. Beige is a better shade match for me, but I usually mix Beige and Golden together, because I want a bit more color and I do rock self tan most of the time.

Alga Maris Tinted Face suncream SPF 30 Beige VS Golden Swatch

Alga Maris tinted sunscreen is suitable for all skin types, but since it’s mattifying, I would choose another product for dry skin. My recommendation would be Madara’s cream. I have to also note that this has coconut alkanes in it, and some acne-prone skin types don’t take coconut oil that well. That said, with my hormonal acne background, I can use this product without problems. If your skin can’t take coconut oil, check the Mossa option below.

This product has a very subtle vanilla scent. Also available in SPF 50.

Alga Maris Tinted Sunscreen SPF 30

alga maris tinted sunscreen on face beige
Wearing Alga Maris Tinted sunscreen shade Beige.

 

alga maris tinted face sunscreen spf 30 golden
Wearing Alga Maris Tinted SPF 30 sunscreen in Golden & Beige. Note that the lighting is different, sunlight gives me glow.

 

Mossa 365 Days Defence Natural Sunscreen SF 30 – Tinted, lightweight & fruity

mossa 365 days tinted susncreen for face

Mossa’s tinted sunscreen has to be one of my favorites. It has a lightweight creamy consistency that is a joy to apply. Or maybe it’s the subtle sweet fruity scent that gets me?

This cream is tinted and the color is perfect to give a sun-kissed look for fair skin. The shade is warm and a bit yellow. As most tinted creams, it blends nicely with your own skin tone. I love to use this instead of foundation in summer.

Mossa Face Sunscreen SPF 30 color swatch - Madara Face Sunscreen SPF30 color Swatch

Since the consistency in this is light and it absorbs nicely on the skin, it’s ideal for all skin types. If you have oily skin, I would choose either this or the Alga Maris option.

Mossa 365 Day Defence Natural Sunscreen SPF 30

mossa tinted face sunscreen sf30

 

Madara Plant Stem Cell Age-Defying Sunscreen SPF 30 – Lightly tinted, nourishing, glowy

best natural face sunscreens madara spf 30

Madara’s Plant Stem Cell Age-Defying sunscreen is the thickest, creamiest option out of all these and feels the most nourishing on the skin. This also leaves the most beautiful glow on the skin. (And might I add, this was the first natural sunscreen I tried and fell in love with.)

This has a very subtle tint to it. It might look dark once you first squeeze it out of the tube, but once you spread it, the color is barely there. It’s just enough to give your face a wash of color. And that evens out the skin tone ever so slightly.

This has a subtle citrus scent to it. Since it’s moisturizing, it works for most skin types. I would think dry or mature skin would especially benefit from it. Though having combination skin I still love it, because it gives a beautiful glow. I notice grabbing either this or the SPF 15 CC-cream when my skin feels dry. I also like to mix this to my foundation.

Madara Plant Stem Cell Age-Defying Sunscreen SPF 30

madara sun spf 30 face sunscreen
Wearing Madara’s SPF 30 sunscreen on the face, no foundation.

 

Bybi Beauty Day Defence SPF 30 Moisturizer – lightweight, perfect for under makeup

Bybi’s Day Defence SPF 30 Cream is perfect for those, who want a sunscreen that just feels like a day cream. This has no tint, though it comes out of the tube very pale yellow (but I think that’s better than white, since it has zinc oxide and we don’t want a white cast). This cream is moisturizing and non greasy. It absorbs well onto the skin making it ideal to be used under makeup.

Not always do I want a tinted sunscreen, so this is handy for those days. Also, I can use it on on my hands, neck or shoulders if I’m on the go and need to have some product with me. For oilier skin it might be enough just as itself, but for dry skin I would use a regular day cream first.

Comes in a simple yet pretty packaging.

Bybi Beauty Day Defence SPF 30

bybi beauty spf 30 day defence

How to remove physical sunscreen from your face?

Physical sunscreens really stay on the skin, so it’s important to wash your face properly. I use an oil to remove it and do double cleansing. That means using an oil first – and then another face cleanser.  My favorite oil cleanser currently is Patyka’s Melting Cleansing Oil.

The best natural sunscreen for body

If you need a natural sunscreen for the body, my favorite is Alga Maris SPF 30 Sunscreen Spray. Other favorites listed here.

best organic face sunscreen

Have you tried any of these products?

How to tackle dry skin in 3 steps

Every now and then the story of my skin changes drastically. Usually because of the ever-changing climate. Suddenly I steer clear of most of my purifying products and I even reduce the use of my favorite serum. I get this new problem that I promise to tackle every single year: dryness.

Unfortunately some things you just have to let be. Such as, dryness when the climate changes. It’s inevitable and not always your fault. The dry cold weather is no joke. That said – I have found some great products that do help. Right now my skin is doing really good and I have this routine to thank.

These three steps have become crucial in tackling dry skin:

1.Changing your cleansers to milder ones.

2. Hydrating and moisturizing like your life depended on it and

3. Protecting your skin with the right products.

Products received in pr

How to tackle dry skin in three steps

patyka foaming cleanser lotus soothing lotion

Step 1: Change your cleansers to mild ones

I’m very strict about removing my makeup and cleansing my skin in two steps. For a skin that has large pores and sebaceous filaments, keeping those pores clean is important.

I recently found the makeup eraser*, which has changed my makeup removing game. That cloth is so soft yet effective, I’m amazed. I remove my makeup with the makeup eraser.

After that I wash my face with some product. Lately I’ve used Patyka’s Cleansing Perfect Foam*, which is suitable for a mature skin as well as for my skin, which is combination. It contains calming and moisturizing properties as well as some gentle fruit acids.

If your skintype is dry or normal, you might want to try Patyka’s own 3-step-cleansing ritual, which consists of an oil, this foam and finally their toner/hydrating mist. I’ve tried it, and it feels very luxurious, but too nourishing for my skin.

CLEANSING:

The makeup eraser*
Patyka Cleansing Perfecting Foam*

My favorite cleanser is still Lavera’s Cleansing Balm*, but right now I’ve ran out of it and I’m trying to use my other products.

Step 2: Hydrate & moisturize

I’m talking about both hydrating and moisturizing, because those are actually not the exact same thing.
Hydrating means bringing water to your skin – which it needs, to look radiant, soft and healthy.
Moisturizing means locking in that water and keeping it hydrated.

Basically what this means is that you should stack products. First your lighter water-containing products like toners, mists, essences or serums. Then your moisturizer. Korean skincare routine like.

Right now I’ve been loving BYBI’s Mega Mist, which contains hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is awesome for hydration, because it can hold onto a lot of water (and we just learned that our skin needs water!). I usually apply it on moist skin, just so it has some more water to hold onto (that’s a tip I learned from Nude blog).

I’ve also started to add Loccitane’s essence on top of that mist. I wrote about it here*.

After that, I apply my moisturizer. For day and night use, I have Patyka’s Sacred Lotus Soothing Lotion. I got it before winter and thought it wouldn’t work for me, but now I think the exact opposite. It’s an awesome moisturizer. It smells amazing and it works wonders – for my skin, anyway. It doesn’t leave my skin shiny nor matte. Radiant is possibly the right word. It contains natural oils such as almond oil and jojoba oil.

HYDRATING:

BYBI Beauty Mega Mist
L’Occitane Aqua Reotier Moisture Prep Essence*

MOISTURIZING:

Patyka Lotus Soothing Radiant Lotion
PURA D’OR Organic Moroccan Argan Oil

I also always apply argan oil in the evening. I apply it under the moisturizer, on top of it or mix it with my moisturizer (Patyka). It doesn’t really matter how I apply it – most important thing is to use it. Argan oil is the queen of oils, because it suits both dry, mature and oily skin. It should also help with scarring, so my acne scars are definitely getting their fair share of this. My sister, who has extremely dry skin, also swears by argan oil. Psst! She shared all her dry skin secret here in this post!

Step 3: Protect your skin

This is partially the same as moisturizing – moisturizer locks in the hydration, but it also protects the skin. It’s like a barrier between your skin and the world.

For my skin, I feel like makeup is enough to protect my skin from the harsh winter. Makeup is so much more than just something that makes you pretty – it actually can have skincare benefits and it does take care of your skin (as in, being a protective barrier).

However, on those days that I’m not wearing makeup, I like to wear a thick(ish) cream. If I’m going for a long walk or run outside, I like to apply a layer of Babe Balm* as my protector. It does leave my face a bit shiny, but I’ll take that instead of a red and dry poor skin. I’ve used that product for quite some time now and I think it’s become a holy grail product for me. It’s cuteness and luxury in one tube. It’s the best hand lotion as well and for dry skin you could possibly try it as a night mask. Oh – and this product has an amazing sweet scent.

Weleda’s Skin Food* or Skin Food Light is a good multi-use product option for the Babe Balm. I recently got to try Weleda’s Skin Food Light, which is a lighter version of their classic Skin Food lotion. Even that Light-version is super moisturizing for me, so it’s perfect for protecting my skin against cold. I also sometimes use it as a night cream, since it doesn’t matter if my skin looks a bit shiny in the evening. That product also works as a hand cream or body cream for dry spots.

MOISTURIZING & PROTECTING:
BYBI Beauty Babe Balm*
Weleda Skin Food Light*

*adlink

Thanks for helping with photos @pinjaelisa

What are your top product picks for winter?

Good reads:
Hyaluronic acid on Paula’s Choice

 

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