When I started doing these reviews it was to share the good and bad of natural cosmetics with my friends and students. They are often quite expensive and who wants to waste money on an unsuitable product? I never imagined I would end up including something like sunscreen into the mix but this summer I realised just how important it is to protect your skin and to try and avoid bad tan lines. Of course, I knew it was important to protect your skin from too much sun but I have been out and about more this year and the sun has not been kind to my fair skin. Covering up tan lines so you still look professional in your costume is just plain tedious!
As always – scroll down for the summary if you don’t have time to read it all.
What’s wrong with ordinary sunscreens?
There seems to be 2 main risks
- Many sunscreens do not protect against both UVA and UVB
- Many contain ingredients that are carcinogenic or hormone disrupters. (As wearing sunscreen is to avoid skin cancer then the addition of these ingredients is ludicrous!)
UV Natural Sunscreen sport SPF 30+ Broad Spectrum
Packaging
It comes in a 125g tube with a lid broad enough that it can stand up in your cupboard. The tube makes it easy to squeeze out the cream and apply it.
Wearability
I trailed this sunscreen at 2 swimming carnivals I was helping out with.
The packaging claims
- No artificial Fragrances
- Non greasy formula
- Preservative Free
- Moisturising
- Hydrating
The fragrance was pleasant! I had children asking what the nice smell was and wanting to use my sunscreen instead of the cheap ones offered for free by the schools. Regular readers know I am pretty sensitive to synthetic fragrances and I had no trouble with the scent of this at all – over all it was very nice.
It was definitely moisturising and hydrating in that it seemed to sit so heavily on the skin there is very little chance of any kind of evaporation of moisture from the skin. I have to strongly disagree with it being non greasy. I tried to rub it in but it just didn’t seem to absorb at all. 5 hours later my legs still felt sticky and fluff etc stuck to them. My skin felt suffocated. I had to scrub thoroughly with soap to get it off in the shower.
It lasted well in the water however and no one that used it got burnt despite being in the Australian sun through the heat of the day and it being summer. It was less sticky at the end of the day when swimming was involved as I guess some of it washed away.
This is a product I would recommend for someone that is going to be doing some serious swimming or sport and wants a natural product. It worked well as a sunscreen.
I would not recommend this to any dancers that are likely to be performing on the same day that you apply it. It takes some effort to get off and you don’t want to miss a bit and have your chiffon skirt sticking to you while you dance. It would also be a poor choice for outdoor day time performances, it was just too sticky and definitely not appropriate to wear under make up.
Safety
The EWG gives this product a 1 ie very low toxicity rating and gives it a good rating for UVA/UVB balance. Overall it has excellent safety credentials.
Ingredients:
· zinc oxide 24.8%
· zinc stearate
· grape seed oil
· macadamia oil,
· natural vitamin E
· green tea extract
· grape seed extract
· colloidal silica
· Australian sandalwood
· lavender
· patchouli
· iron oxide
My summary: 4/5
– but not good for dancing!
Product: UV Natural Sunscreen sport SPF 30+ Broad Spectrum
Wearability: 2.5
Effectiveness: 5
Packaging: 5
Safety: 5
Suitable for day wear: yes, but better for swimmers than anyone else
Suitable for stage: NO!
Price: $33.95 AUD online or instore from Kombu
Where can I buy it: Locals can buy it instore at Kombu wholefoods in Bellingen or online at http://www.kombuwholefoods.com.au. It can also be purchased through numerous other sellers. Internationally you can find other stockists through the UV Natural webpage at http://www.uvnatural.com
I have no affiliation with UV Natural.
Liked this review? Jade publishes natural make up reviews for home use and stage mostly on Mondays. Follow the blog so you can save money and buy what works best.
Do you have a preferred sun screen product for outdoor performances? Comment below?
Jade Belly Dance 
Feb 11, 2013 @ 14:17:59
Hi Jade, Thank you for your review! UV Natural is exactly that, a natural alternative sunscreen that does not contain water or preservatives. When applied properly, it is not greasy at all but rather a hearty solution that yes, definatley makes you feel protected inside and out!. If you slather a sunscreen that does not have water in it that evaporates on the skin, then you are using too much. UV Natural should be used like a moisturiser applied a little a time making sure the area to be protected is totally covered, allow to dry for 15 mins and it is flawless. Our School dance aerobics team use it all the time and love it, nothing sticks to us at all, no fluff on us :), not even sand at the beach heats! I am wondering if you tried different application methods before reveiwing this sunscreen. Cheers Sue
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Feb 11, 2013 @ 14:34:29
Thanks for your input Sue. I love it when I get such thoughtful feedback. I rubbed the sunscreen in for longer than I would regular sunscreen but didn’t have a stack of time as I was needed as a time keeper. I tried rubbing what was on my skin in more throughout the day but didn’t have much luck, it just didn’t want to sink in. It was extremely effective for my daughter however and despite being in the sun from 10 -2 and getting in and out of the pool 5 times, she did not burn. You have to be pleased with the kids that noticed the difference in smell! With all the action going on they noticed that my daughter and I didn’t have that awful chemical smell on us and wanted to be like us!! As I still have a lot left I will try and rub it in a lot more and see if that makes a difference – if it does I will update the review. I was wondering if one of the other UV Natural products may be a little less thick?
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May 26, 2014 @ 13:44:12
Hi Jade, just read this, and it seems you are using too much if you can’t rub it in. I have six children, and as you can imagine, budget is the most frequently used word in our house. When we first discovered UV Natural, I thought, my gosh, its too expensive. But when we learned to use it properly and just cover the skin using it a little at at time for the skin to absorb what it needs, it actually didn’t cost more than the many bottles of chemical ones we used to use and still works perfect. Three of my girls are dancers, they do out doors dancing and sport. Never had a problem with this sunscreen and we think it is the best. We tried both the Sport with the Sandalwood essential oil and the non fragrant ones. The kids like them both, I didn’t find the texture too different, but I did notice that they seem to have made them thinner in consistency now, so they are even more easy to use, the kids can use them on their own now. My choice is the Sport, I love the smell and it makes me feel good.
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