Why You Need Beautycounter’s Mineral Sunscreen

First, it’s clean beauty. Second, clear ingredients. Third, it’s SPF 30. Wait?! How is SPF 30 enough? Isn’t the rule, the more SPF the better? Short answer: No. Long answer: keep on reading.

Okay, so the idea behind SPF is to help protect you against UVB and UVA rays. What are UVB and UVA rays?

Maybe you’ve heard of the term ‘physical sunscreen’? I am just learning about this too, but basically it’s another word for mineral sunscreen, which works like a shield by reflecting and scattering UV rays to prevent them from penetrating or damaging rays.

Do you know the difference between mineral sunscreen and chemical sunscreen?

Mineral sunscreen uses clean ingredients such as zinc oxide. When applied they sit on top of your skin and protect it by reflecting away UV rays.

Chemical sunscreen has many awful ingredients. Ingredients that should never be used. When applied chemical sunscreen penetrates through your skin, absorbing sun rays.

Chemical sunscreens employ a potent combination of chemicals like oxybenzone, octinoxate (octylmethoxycinnamate), homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene, and avobenzone, many of which are hormone and endocrine disruptors. This is the reason I switched to Beautycounter.

Countersun created their mineral sunscreens with clean, safer ingredients so that they are perfect for everyone – for you, for me, and our kids. It’s formulated with non-nano zinc oxide, the mist sits on top of your skin and bounces the sun’s rays away from the skin. Also, it’s air powered – no aerosol. Meaning, no bad stuff stored in this bottle. It won’t irritate your skin or your baby’s.

So, why is SPF 30 enough?

Beautycounter recommends you reapply sunscreen after 80 minutes of swimming, sweating or at least after every two hours. More SPF does not mean you don’t need to reapply more often. People often make a mistake of assuming that if they have SPF 50 that they don’t need to reapply sunscreen. Always apply sunscreen 15 minutes before sun exposure and always make sure to reapply at least every two hours.

Don’t get fooled by higher SPF as they overpromise protection and often cause overexposure to sun. You would think that applying SPF 100 would give you double the protection of SPF 50, but in reality SPF 50 blocks 98 percent of UVB rays while SPF 100 blocks 99 percent. Also, the higher the SPF the more chemicals are added for filtering out the sun rays. That’s why I am happy I discovered Beautycounter.

Also, most companies add Vitamin A to their sunscreen. According to studies, Vitamin A may trigger development of skin tumors and lesions when used on skin in presence of sunlight. EWG recommends avoiding sunscreen that contain Vitamin A.

Think about that the next time you are heading outside – check the ingredients on your sunscreen. The key is to reapply sunscreen and not let yourself burn. Wear sunglasses, hat, etc.

At Beautycounter, we say no to nanoparticles because they are so tiny that they may penetrate the skin’s defenses and make their way into the bloodstream, causing adverse health effects. Although there isn’t enough data to know for sure, it’s not worth the risk. So, we steer clear of them and those alike.

I am so glad I discovered Beautycounter and became part of this beauty movement. You have no idea what all goes into makeup/skincare until you start reading, and researching and you feel like your head just blew up. I am happy to share all my finds with you, and it’s up to you to choose what you do with that information.

This is definitely a ‘must bring’ on our trip to Europe this Summer. We will be spending so much time outside, in the water, taking on adventures and I want to make sure we are protected safely.

The Get Sun-Set Event

I just want to say this, I am no expert and certainly don’t claim to be one. But, I want to share everything with you. I feel as I owe it to you guys for all the support you show me. I wouldn’t be here without you, nor would Motherhood Charm exist.

I decided to switch to Beautycounter because I want cleaner and safer products, and because I have just seen/heard too many stories that scare me. I am slowly switching to non-toxic products. It’s definitely a lifestyle change, just like clean eating but it’s worth it.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to message me. I am an open book, I promise.

Xoxo,

Vesna