Alba Botanica Hawaiian Suncreen

I have been loving the long hot sunny days we have been enjoying the last few weeks. It has been a great excuse to get outdoors and also a great excuse to try out some new sunscreens. Although I normally purchase mineral based sunscreens, I was interested to try the Alba Botanica Hawaiian Sunscreen range. On my list were the Revitalizing Green Tea SPF 45 and the Nourishing Coconut Oil SPF 15. Both of these products are

• broad spectrum
• water resistant
• biodegradable
• gluten free
• paraben free
• phthalates free
• 100% vegetarian
• against animal testing

Not a bad place to start. I tried them both out over a couple of weeks with the final test being at an outdoor birthday party.

The Hawaiian Sunscreen Revitalizing Green Tea SPF goes on very easily. It has a small amount of titanium dioxide, which probably explains why  there is not too much of a white residue left on the skin. Overall it applies well and does not leave the skin feeling greasy. Great coverage and it appeared to last well on the skin even after it was submerged in water. It claims to be water resistant for  80 minutes and I would agree with this. There is a gentle aroma, which is actually quite nice. I have sensitive skin and I found it worked well on my skin and I did not burn while I was using this product. I also found that it did not flake off my skin when my skin sweated.

The Hawaiian Dry-Oil Sunscreen Nourishing Coconut Oil SPF comes in a bottle with a spray. The smell is distinctively coconut… funny that…. which I personally love. I also like the dry oil formulation. Yes it leaves the skin slightly more greasy in texture, but it glides on so beautifully. It contains Certified Organic coconut oil along with shea butter and vitamin E, which all play a part in keeping the skin feel nourished.  Like the SPF45 above, this did last well and my skin did not burn.

Unlike some of the other Alba Botanica Suncreens, these are not natural sunscreens in the true sense.  Yes, they do contain more natural ingredients than many of the mainstream sunscreens however they do still include synthetic ingredients. I like that the SPF45 includes a small amount of titanium dioxide but I would refer more natural sunscreens as a barrier to UVA as opposed to the chemical ones that lead the ingredient list.. These products are nice products and still in front of some of the more chemical laden ones out there…just. My concern is that they are marketed as natural and the SPF dry oil does not contain any natural sunscreen.  They apply well, last well and smell good. That said, I would be interested to try out some of the Very Emollient range of sunscreens that they do, as these appear more natural.

Revitalizing Green Tea SPF45 
Ingredients:- Homosalate 10%, ehthylhexyl methoxycinnamate 7.5%, octocrylene 7%, ethylhexyl salicylate 5%, butyl methoxybenzoylmethane 3%, titanium dioxide 1%, water, glycerin, cetyl alcohol, glyceryl stearate SE, dimethicone, VP/hexadecene copolymer, caprylic/capric triglyceride, hydrogenated pal kernel oil, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, calendula officinalis flower extract, chamomilla recututa flower extract, gingko biloba leaf extract, lavender flower extract, cetearyl alcohol, cetearyl olivate, leicithin, polysorbate 60, siliica, sodium chloride, sodium stearoyl glutamate, sorbitan olivate, tocopheryl acetate, xantham gum, alcohol, benzykl alcohol, ethylhexylglycerin, phenoxyethanol, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, citronellol, geraniol, hexylcinnamal, hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldeyde, limonene. linalool, fragrance.


Nourishing Coconut Oil SPF15 Dry Oil Ingredients:- Homosalate 10%, ethylhexyl salicylate 5%, octocrylene 3%, butyl methoxybenzolmethane 2%, ethylhexyl palmitate, safflower seed oil, coconut oil, shea butter, carrot seed oil, macademia ternifolia seed oil, tocopherol, tocopherol acetate, phenoxyethanol, benzyl alcohol, benzyl benzoate, courmarin. limonene, linaloo, fragrance.

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