BEAUTYCOUNTER
Sun Protect
Sunscreens and Tinted Moisturizer
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Why Beautycounter?
I can't start a discussion about Beautycounter's products without first mentioning how much I love this brand. Beautycounter does an amazing job of balancing their social and environmental mission - to get safe products in the hands of everyone - and developing high end, gorgeous, and, most importantly, safe personal care and beauty products that actually work. The company is also leading the movement to change the way our country regulates the ingredients that go into our skincare and beauty products, which, at the moment, is barely at all. In fact, here is some deeply disturbing information about the regulation of the U.S. personal care and beauty industry that you should consider:
- 80,000: the number of chemicals currently used in the U.S., most haven't been adequately tested for their effects on human health
- 80: percent of personal care and beauty ingredients never tested for safety
- 1400 vs. 30: the number of harmful chemical banned or restricted in the EU vs. the US
- 1.5: the number of pages of federal law used to oversee the personal care and beauty industry in the US
- 1938: the last time Congress passed a law to regulate the personal care and beauty industry
- 400: popular lipsticks that tested positive for lead
- 6: the number of FDA inspectors to monitor 3 million international shipments of personal care and beauty products (some products that made it to inspection contained hazardous levels of mold and others were found to have dangerous levels of mercury, enough to cause kidney and nervous system damage).
Most personal care and cosmetics brands are taking full advantage of this incredible lack of government oversight by using dangerous, untested chemicals in their products, but not Beautycounter, which, as part of their mission, has voluntarily created their Never List™, which contains over 1,500 harmful or questionable chemicals that are never used as ingredients in their products. This includes the over 1,400 chemicals banned or restricted in personal care products by the European Union (the U.S. bans only 30!), plus additional chemicals found to be of concern. Moreover, they are completely transparent about every single ingredient in each product, never hiding dangerous chemicals under the guise of protecting a proprietary formula within the terms "parfum" or "fragrance." In fact, not only does Beautycounter list every single ingredient (Beautycouter products are scented with essential oils or fruit extract vs. hormone disrupting chemicals), but they go a step further and decipher every single ingredient used in their products—all of which are carefully chosen and assessed for safety through their groundbreaking Ingredient Selection Process—in their ingredient glossary, because scientists shouldn't be the only ones able to decipher the label on a personal care or beauty bottle... Read More.
Why these products?
Besides the fact that I can rest easy knowing that Beautycounter's sun protection products do not contain the most harmful substances found in sunscreens (chemicals that may very well be contributing to the sharp increase in skin cancer since the 80's), I absolutely love using them.
Unlike many of the "safe" sunscreens you may have tried, the All Over Sunscreen is lightweight and water-resistant, goes on easy and totally smooth. It blends into the skin quickly and seamlessly without leaving white streaks or milky residue, and even helps hydrate your skin while antioxidant-rich green tea and blood orange extracts fight free radical damage.
I personally love it because it's easy to apply, goes on streak-free, smells great, and lasts a long time (I've used it all summer for me and my family, in conjunction with the Protect Stick below, and still have some left). Most importantly, I know that it provides safe and excellent protection from the sun, offering water-resistant and well balanced broad spectrum protection from both UVB and UVA rays, for which it has earned EWG's highest rating of 1 (on a scale from 1-10, with 1 being the safest, and 10 containing the most dangerous ingredients) and my trust.
This is probably my favorite sunscreen product EVER, because of its original delivery method. Shaped like a deodorant, it glides on super easy without leaving any residue. What's great is that you don't need a mirror to apply it to your face, because there is nothing that needs to be rubbed in. It goes on completely clear (see video below) and is particularly useful for squirmy kids.
Although the Protect Stick for the Face and Protect Stick for the Body (shown below) are exactly the same products (the only difference is the size, 0.52 oz vs. 1.3 oz), I prefer the Face Stick for the following reasons:
- It's super compact and fits in even the smallest purses in the event of a sunny emergency.
- It's less expensive so I can buy a few of these and keep them in different bags/cars, so that I can apply and reapply as necessary whenever the need arises.
- The smaller size is better suited and more convenient to put on your face. However, if you have younger kids, the big one is fantastic for quick and easy application to the body. It's a snap, because you don't have to rub it in and they can even do it themselves (with supervision, of course).
In my opinion, the Protect Stick is worth every penny because it's so quick and easy to apply, smells great, and lasts forever! Like the All Over Sunscreen above, provides safe and excellent protection from the sun, offering water-resistant and well balanced broad spectrum protection from both UVB and UVA rays, for which it has earned EWG's highest rating of 1 (on a scale from 1-10, with 1 being the safest, and 10 containing the most dangerous ingredients) and my recommendation
The Protect Stick Sunscreen for Face and the Protect Stick Sunscreen for Body are exactly the same products, just made in different sizes for ease of use. The Protect Stick for the Face (above) is 0.52 oz and is more compact and better for applying to the face. The Protect Stick for the body is larger at 1.53 oz and allows quicker application to the larger areas of your body. If you are using the Stick mainly for your face, I'd stick with the smaller one. However, if you have younger children, I think the Body Stick will save you a lot of time and frustration during the sunscreen application process.
Since it's exactly the same product as the Protect Stick for the Face, I'll avoid being redundant and let you read the review above. Just like the Protect Stick for the Face, the Protect Stick for the Body provides safe and excellent protection from the sun, offering water-resistant and well balanced broad spectrum protection from both UVB and UVA rays, for which it has earned EWG's highest rating of 1 (on a scale from 1-10, with 1 being the safest, and 10 containing the most dangerous ingredients) and my accolades.
Let's get real for a minute. Lips burn! Then they get dry and cracked. Not pretty!
The Protect Lip Balm SPF 15 is packed with natural moisturizing ingredients (unlike every other lip balm with sunscreen which I am terrified to put anywhere near my or my child's lips), protecting lips from the sun's dangerous rays while moisturizing and leaving your smackeroos hydrated and smooth. It contains natural and organic ingredients, such as cocoa and shea butter, coconut oil, and acai fruit oil, and glides on easily without leaving any residue.
The EWG gives it it a rating of 2 (on a scale from 1-10, with 1 being the safest, and 10 containing the most dangerous ingredients). The rating of 2 vs. the highest rating of 1, like all the other products, seems to be based not on any questionable ingredients, but on the lower SPF of 15, which, according to the EWG, provides "moderate protection."
This gorgeous Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 and winner of Allure's 2015 Best of Beauty Award evens out your skin color while moisturizing and protecting from the sun, all while leaving out the most toxic ingredients. It's lightweight and leaves skin luminous and glowy, while providing sheer hydration and protection from sun damage. Black currant, peony flower root extract, and vitamin C reduce the appearance of age spots and enhance skin brightness, while sodium hyaluronate promotes firmer, smoother-looking skin.
I use it daily and love it because now I don't have to put harmful chemicals on my face every day to protect it from the aging effects from the sun.