Go Natural with Badger Sunscreens for Protection and Peace of Mind

Last year, I purchased a tube of sunscreen from Badger for my kids.  After reading EWG’s Guide to Sunscreen, it was clear that Badger produces one of the safest sunscreens around.  It came with broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection, had excellent stability under the sun and it contained only zinc oxide as the active ingredient, which made it a physical sunscreen.  Using a physical sunscreen on kids was important to me, because I did not want to run the risk of chemicals absorbing into my kids’ skin.

The Badger sunscreen I purchased last year was Badger Baby Sunscreen SPF34 in Chamomile & Calendula.  Upon using however, I found the consistency very thick and slightly oily.  Although it provided excellent coverage, my kids did not really like the strong smell from the sunscreen upon application.  Granted it wasn’t sticky and greasy, but the initial smell from the sunscreen was a slight put-off.  Also, its thick consistency did not allow the sunscreen to glide on the skin as easily as I would have hoped, a factor worth considering since I need to be time-efficient in the mornings when getting both kids out and ready for school.

However, I kept using this sunscreen because I loved it for the peace of mind it gives me.  It’s a great sunscreen with organic ingredients that I know are safe to be used on my kids, whilst providing them with the sun protection they need.  Of course, an added bonus is that it contained ingredients which I am not allergic to, and we ALL know how sensitive my skin is, right?  It’s only apt that I use a sunscreen on my kids that I am not allergic to, since I am the one doing all the sunscreen application on them!

I secretly hoped I would be able to find another sunscreen with all the benefits of this Badger sunscreen though, but without the strong smell and with a thinner consistency.

Well, my prayers were answered when Badger recently was kind enough to provide me with their latest range of sunscreen protection for kids and babies.  I was delighted to find out that they have since changed their formulation from the one I had purchased and have also included a sunscreen lotion to the mix.

These are the sunscreen lotions/creams I was provided with for consideration:

• Kids Sunscreen Lotion SPF30
• Baby Sunscreen Lotion SPF30
• Kids Sunscreen Cream SPF30

All of Badger’s sunscreens had been reformulated to be much lighter, less greasy and easier to apply.  They are now Sunflower Oil based as opposed to Olive Oil and they have NO Cocoa or Shea Butters weighing them down.

At a glance, the green tubes are for babies and the orange tubes are for kids.  However, both can be used interchangeably albeit they smell different, oh..and the green tubes come with a label that says “Pediatrician tested & approved safe for babies”.  It must be stressed that sunscreens are to be used on babies aged 6 months and over only; under 6 months, either limit the time baby is in the sun or get advice from your pediatrician.

The sunscreen lotions (taller tubes) are for everyday, non-swimming use, whereas the thicker sunscreen creams are made especially for use in the water.

The orange sunscreen tubes (for kids) are Tangerine and Vanilla flavored, and the green tubes (for babies) are Chamomile and Calendula flavored.  I’ve tried both of these on my kids and hands down, they prefer the Tangerine and Vanilla scent, as do I.  It’s a bit like applying orange ice cream on your body, if you may. 🙂  It doesn’t contain any hint of that chemical-like sunscreen smell which I detest.

The sunscreen lotions are runnier in texture compared to the creams, but both go on extremely easily.  I’ve even used them on my face and I did not feel the sticky, greasy feeling at all.  Here’s a quick pictorial comparison of what each of these sunscreens look like on the skin.

1. Kids Sunscreen Lotion SPF30 (Tangerine & Vanilla)
2. Baby Sunscreen Lotion SPF30 (Chamomile & Calendula)
3. Kids Sunscreen Cream SPF30 (Tangerine & Vanilla)
4. Baby Sunscreen SPF34 (Chamomile & Calendula) (discontinued and reformulated)

You can see that the creams (3 and 4) are thicker, whereas the lotions are smoother.  The chamomile and calendula formulations also show up a little more yellowish compared to the tangerine and vanilla one, but both absorb to almost nothing on the skin.  Also, note the difference in texture between the new formulation of the cream (3) and the old formulation of the cream (4).  It’s obvious that the greasiness has been reduced substantially, while maintaining the effectiveness of the sunscreen.  The old formulation looks a little “curdly” too.  Awesome job on reformulating these sunscreens, I’d say!  I love them!

On that note, I am also pleased to say that these sunscreens leave close to nothing, if not nothing on the face/skin after application.  So even though it is a zinc oxide sunscreen, we do not get the characteristic of that “whitish cast” after application.  This makes it good to apply on the face under makeup too!  Yay! 🙂

As a matter of fact, the active ingredient in Badger sunscreens is uncoated, non-nano zinc oxide.  This is where the peace of mind comes in, for although Badger sunscreens leave no whitish cast, almost none, depending on how fussy you are, it consists of non-nano zinc oxide, which means there are NO nano particles which will potentially be absorbed into the skin.

I’d recently discussed the concern of nano particles in zinc oxide sunscreens, and I am very happy that Badger sunscreens somehow managed to formulate an excellent sunscreen that does not pose that concern. 

Quoting the Badger website:

A nanoparticle is a particle smaller than 100 nanometers, or 100 billionths of a meter. Defining whether a powder is non-nano or not is actually rather difficult as it is virtually impossible to ensure that a product is 100% nanoparticle free. Furthermore, many particles are not spherical in shape and thus are difficult to measure. The FDA has declined to weigh in on this controversial issue and does not currently define ‘nano’ or ‘non nano’ at this time. In the EU, non nano is defined as, “the primary particle size is greater than 100nm” (this is a somewhat vague definition). Australia defines non nano as “more than 90% of particles are above 100nm”.

Badger has chosen to define non nano as “the primary particle size is greater than 100nm with no more than 10% falling within the upper nanoparticle range”. Badger’s definition for non nano is in line with the most stringent international definitions.

Another feature I really liked about these Badger sunscreens that is really unique is the fact that it states the critical wavelength results on the back of the tube, which is a nice touch since most sunscreens I have come across don’t state this.  The FDA’s new sunscreen regulations require a critical wavelength test to be performed on all sunscreens to validate it as a “Broad Spectrum” sunscreen.  A sunscreen can only be considered a “Broad Spectrum” sunscreen if the critical wavelength results are greater than 370nm.

Source: Badger Company

As you can probably tell from what I have stated, I am absolutely in LOVE with this line of sunscreens from Badger.  I love using them on my kids and the sunscreens are so good, I sometimes steal a little to use on myself too! LOL.

It would be a good addition, however, if Badger came out with an unscented version of sunscreens for kids and babies.  I do prefer using unscented products on my kids.

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What I love:

• These sunscreens contain non-nano, uncoated zinc oxide as their primary active ingredient.
• They smell great!
• Non-greasy and non-sticky, great for the face too!
• Does not leave a discernible white cast on the skin.

What could be improved:

• An additional option of an unscented version of sunscreen for kids and babies would be great.

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Badger sunscreens can be purchased directly from the Badger website or from selected stores, online and physical.