IN WITH THE NEW: Tinted Moisturizer With SPF
Welcome to my weekly featured ”IN WITH THE NEW” CLEAN SWAP! This week we are taking a closer look at Tinted Moisturizer with SPF!
I’m always fielding questions from clients and friends about how they can swap out some of their favorite products for safer, toxin-free options without a loss in quality, taste, or performance (depending on the product). Every week, I cover food, cosmetics, personal care, cleaning and laundry products, and even behavior, so if you enjoy these Clean Swaps, please follow me on Instagram and sign up for my 360° OF WELLNESS Newsletter (⬅️by clicking on this link to the left) so that you never miss a new one.
LET'S TALK TINTED MOISTURIZER w/SPF👩🏽☀️
Whether it’s summer or winter, you have to protect your skin from damaging UV rays. And what better way to do it than with a one-step product that moisturizes, protects, tints and evens your complexion, and even gives you a beautiful glow all in one step. That’s why tinted moisturizers with SPF (otherwise known as BB Creams) have become so popular.
So what’s the downside? Take a peek at the ingredient list and if your BB cream does NOT contain zinc oxide, toss it in the garbage. IMMEDIATELY!
Want to know more about sunscreens and how to choose the safest ones for you and your family?
Read my blog: The Not So Sunny Side of Sunscreen
SO WHAT’S SO BAD ABOUT tinted moisturizers with spf (A.K.A. BB CREAMS)? 💁♀️
There are two types of sunscreens: physical blockers and chemical blockers. Chemical blockers have names like Avobenzone, Homosalate, Octisalate, Oxybenzone, and brand names like “Helioplex” (for Neutrogena products), “Hexiplex” or “Mexoryl” (for Loreal products), Aveeno’s “Active Photobarrier Complex” or “Cell-OX Shield” (for La Roche-Posay). The vast majority of drugstore sunscreens, face lotions with SPF, or tinted moisturizers/BB creams all use these chemical blockers.
Chemical blockers work by absorbing rays and preventing them from penetrating your skin. Sounds great? Not if you understand how toxic these chemicals are (see below). But that’s not the only issue. You see, chemical blockers break down in sunlight and become ineffective after a only a couple of hours of sun exposure. So if you’re at the beach and constantly reapplying your sunscreen, that’s ok (I guess), but what about those ultra sheer SPF tinted moisturizers and lotions that are supposed to go underneath your makeup? After a couple of hours, Poof! Your sun protection is GONE! 😳😡
However, when you use a physical blocker, like titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, it physically sits on top of your skin and protects from damaging rays by reflecting or scattering light away from skin, like a mirror. Zinc oxide is preferable to titanium dioxide because it’s the only sun filtering agent (physical or chemical) that offers “broad spectrum,” which means that it is able to block both deeply-penetrating UVA rays and shorter-wave UVB rays.
So now that we know what to look for, let’s take a closer look at the ingredients in many tinted moisturizers that you want to avoid:
🚫 RETINYL PALMITATE (VITAMIN A PALMITATE) may speed the development of skin tumors and lesions when applied to the skin in the presence of sunlight. Vitamin A can spur excess skin growth, known as hyperplasia, and in sunlight, retinyl palmitate can form free radicals that damage DNA.
🚫 OXYBENZONE has been rated an 8 (on a scale from 1-10, with 1 being the safest and 10 being the most harmful) on the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) toxicity rating scale. This means that it is one of the most toxic ingredients found in cosmetic and personal care products. It has been linked to hormone disruption and has the potential to damage cells that may lead to skin cancer. Because it may mimic hormones, oxybenzone can cause endometriosis and can pose a risk to reproductive systems. It has also been increasingly linked to early puberty in girls, low sperm count and male infertility, and an increase in hormone-related cancers. Researchers state that oxybenzone may be even more estrogenic than BPA, and it was named “Allergen of the Year” by the American Contact Dermatitis Society in 2014. And don’t forget that oxybenzone is not only toxic to our bodies, but it destroys coral reefs, which is why it has been banned in places like Hawaii and Key West.
🚫 PROPYLPARABEN & METHYLPARABEN are preservatives that can trigger skin allergy and irritation, and have been linked to hormone disruption & breast cancer.
🚫 OCTYL METHOXYCINNATE is used to filter UVB rays & associated with a variety of health problems including endocrine disruption, cell proliferation by estrogen responsive cells, reproductive system toxicity, sperm count reduction, & cellular changes.
🚫 OCTINOXATE is made with sulfuric acid and methanol, a petroleum by-product. It's readily absorbed into your skin & is an endocrine disruptor that mimics estrogen. It can lead to developmental and reproductive toxicity, and poses serious risks to humans & coral reefs.
🚫 FRAGRANCE, which should just be listed as “hidden toxins,” can hide hundreds of ingredients bc they are considered “trade secrets.” However, they are packed with dangerous, synthetic chemicals, such as phthalates, which are powerful hormone disruptors linked to pre-term births, birth defects, decreased sperm counts, reduced female fertility, and a worsening of allergy and asthma symptoms.
Click here to learn more about sunscreen safety and the right products to choose for you and your family.
READY FOR the CLEAN SWAP?🙋♀️
Check out Beautycounter's Dew Tinted Moisturizer With SPF20. It is an Allure Best of Beauty award winner and EWG rates it a 1 on its toxicity scale (a scale from 1-10, with 1 being the safest and 10 being the most harmful).
It's also my everyday go-to. In fact, it’s one of only three make up products I wear daily: the Dew Tinted Moisturizer (I go between colors #2 and #4 depending on the season), my Brilliant Brow Gel (can’t live without it!) and the peppermint lip conditioner which keeps my lips soft and moist (and because I’m addicted to the peppermint).
The Dew is wonderfully moisturizing. It evens skin tone but goes on super light (so it looks totally natural, like you’re not wearing anything at all) and has this gorgeous dew (something our skin loses as we age) that just makes you look glowy and youthful. Yes, please!👋
And most importantly, it’s safe!!! Its ZINC-BASED sun protection and its ingredients help protect & care for skin. It contains Black Currant Seed Oil, which evens skin tone and enhances radiance, Sodium Hyaluronate, which supports water retention & nutrient absorption, and Vitamin C, which brightens skin & reduces the appearance of fine lines.
Worried about picking the right color?
Don’t sweat it. It’s so sheer that it’s hard to go wrong… and if you do, Beautycounter has amazing customer service as well as a 60-day, no-questions asked, return-shipping-free return policy.
So if you’re like “HELL YES, let’s make the switch!” but need some help picking the products that are right for your skin type, just fill out this quick skincare quiz and I’ll get back to you with personalized recommendations.
And if you subscribe to my weekly NewYousletter (below) and/or contact me to get discounts on Beautycounter, as well as some of my other favorite clean products, and I’ll show you how to get FREE SHIPPING, product credit, and even a FREE GIFT on your first Beautycounter purchase.
Do you have a favorite clean brand?
Send me a message or leave a comment below and share what it is. If I feature it, I’ll give you credit and may even send you a free gift!
If you enjoyed this weeks’s Clean Swap, share it with a friend and sign up for my 360° OF WELLNESS Newsletter (below) so you never miss a new one.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Victoria Gregory is an Integrative Nutritionist and founder of NEWTRITION NEWYOU. Her focus—whether with private clients, readers of her blog, or her followers on social media— is whole body wellness, incorporating whole-food nutrition, supplementation, exercise, toxin-free living, and mindset coaching. Victoria’s personal mission is to help make the world a healthier place, one person at a time, and she has helped thousands of people find joy and self-love through better eating habits and mindfulness. Learn more about Victoria.