Summertime means sun, and fun in the sun means it's time to slather on some sunscreen. All sunscreens are definitely not created equal, and if you're looking for something a little kinder to your skin and the environment than the usual suspects, Elemental Herbs has literally got you covered with their All Good products.
We used their sport sunscreen and kid's sunscreen, essentially identical products, and their Coconut Sunstick – basically an oversized chapstick, great for finicky kids and pocket transport – on a recent warm weather gearfest in the Bahamas. I know, tough job. All did a fine job of preventing burns, at least as good as anything else in the SPF 33 class. This in spite of the fact that some of us (OK, me) are notorious under-appliers. In particular, I am morally outraged by having to re-apply sunscreen at any point during the day. Even with my less-than-optimal strategy I managed to avoid burning over the course of a week of exposure.
The All Good products use good ole zinc, 22.5 percent to be exact, with a mix of various all-natural and organic oils, herbs and even veggies (hello avocado!). They are reef safe, and the company participates in 1 percent for the planet so good on them.
The products all go on fairly easily, although keep in mind this is a zinc based product so it takes a bit more effort than non-zinc liquids, but the results are worth it. Likewise it did look a little white immediately after application, but after a few minutes it was clear and we noticed our skin felt noticeably softer. They do have a distinct odor, not necessarily unpleasant, which we admit took a little getting used to, but after a few days we were completely used to it. Overall Elemental Herbs provides a great all-natural socially and environmentally conscious product that will protect even this fish-belly white man in the sun.