Paranting Reviews: Sun-care Edition
We review sun care products at different price points to tell you whether they're worth it. Plus, our Crowdfunder got extended!
Good morning paranters!
Here we are again on another Thursday morning, this time chatting about sun-care on possibly the cloudiest day of the week… Well, it pays to be prepared!
In the Paranting community we try to prioritise content that will help make your lives easier.
We want to make aspirational parenting actually attainable for people who aren’t rich.
It shouldn’t be that your kids only get the best of things if you can afford it, so we like to give you time-saving swaps, cheap alternatives, and healthy inspiration.
Sometimes that comes in the form of honest reviews about sun cream, and other times it might be us explaining the latest news event so that you don’t have to trawl through multiple news links trying to find out what happened.
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Thanks! Enjoy the review.
Paranting Reviews: Sun-care Edition
Words: Felice Southwell.
Hasn’t it been absolutely miserable weather-wise this week? So what better time to slather myself in multiple sun creams?!
Okay, we might be tempting fate a bit here at Paranting… but we’re still going to bring you an honest review of affordable sun-care products we think you’ll like—sun or no sun!
It’s not often that a political journalist (aka me) gets to try press samples of cream-de-la-cream products. But this week I’ve been trying sun creams and SPF products so we can pass on the knowledge.
And although we’ve been #gifted a few products, we’re not being paid to review them. It’s all our honest opinion.
A little about me: I have dry, sensitive skin and I don’t like things that sit on top of my skin or make it too oily.
What Paranters want
We sent out an Instagram story “This or That” poll yesterday, with very interesting results!
Sun spray is actually most preferred by you over sun cream, getting 66% of the vote.
You also don’t tend to trust SPF in your face cream and prefer to put sun cream directly on your face.
Again, 66% of you prefer sunglasses over sun hats, but the vote was more split between branded and cheaper own-brand sun-care products.
With all that in mind, it might give you some inspiration of where to look outside this review for other sun-care products—after all, paranters’ opinions tend to be trustworthy.
Grüum Skyda Daily Defence Lotion
50ml | £9.00 from gruum.com
Citing itself as a “clean” skincare company, Grüum sent us two products that are suitable for the face.
The daily defence lotion “Skyda” is my favourite. It feels really light on the skin and sinks in so there’s no white residue.
It also has SPF50, so there’s no need to worry about your face throughout the day.
I reckon I’d put it on before any makeup, if I was going out of the house.
According to the company, it also has vitamin E in the formula too, so I’d use it without moisturiser (cuts down on time in the bathroom in the morning, which we all know we could do with more of).
Grüum Altruist Face Sunscreen
50ml | £6.00 from gruum.com
The face sunscreen by Grüum is a little heavier, but I much prefer it to my usual brand of SPF 50 that I use on my face on really sunny days.
“Altruist” doesn’t sink in as much as the daily defence lotion, so you’ve got a nice barrier of protection, but it’s not exactly sticky either like my usual brand is.
They both smell like a normal sun cream, not too chemical-y; probably good for your kids too!
Odylique Natural Sun Screen
50ml | £15 from Odylique.co.uk
We also got sent a product from Odylique—I’d never heard of them before but I like the idea of a natural sunscreen!
It's also made in the UK, which always makes me feel better about supporting more local brands.
The ingredients include shea butter, karanja (which is a medicinal herb mainly used for skin disorders) and zinc.
Odylique makes products that are vegan, hypoallergenic and eco-friendly—it’s even Fairtrade approved.
There are no synthetic UV filters, preservatives, silicones, fragrance or colour and common allergens, making it the perfect sunscreen for sensitive skin.
In a glass pot rather than a tube, it’s definitely more of a solid creamy consistency than most other sun creams I’ve tried.
It’s a little more sticky on the skin, but in a nice moisturising way.
A little yellow-y in colour, it smells very different from chemical sun creams and much more like the chamomile ingredients.
The Body Shop Skin Defence Multi-Protection Lotion
40ml | £18.00 from thebodyshop.com
This is the one my partner swears by. It’s great for indoor and outdoor use, and they use it like an everyday moisturiser.
Even on their more oily skin, it’s not too shiny and it sinks in making your face all smooth without stickiness.
It also has SPF50, UVA and UVB protection, and it says it protects against pollution too. I’ve nabbed it while working in London, and I’d agree with that claim to be honest.
It’s the best smelling one but if you’re on a tight budget, the price may stop you from wearing it on cloudier, overcast days.
Solait Kids Moisturising Sun Lotion
200ml | £5.49 from Superdrug.com
Now—onto the cheaper stuff. Solait is the own-brand I’m most confident in, and have used for most of my life, so beware the bias here.
I was a child of the recession, and spending money on skincare has taken me a while to see the value in. That, and my budget often doesn’t stretch to luxuries for myself.
While there’s nothing wrong with going cheap on the suncream, I’d be lying if I wasn’t a little more impressed with the more expensive stuff. I guess we get what we pay for.
The Solait Kids SPF50 is water-resistant, absolutely does the job, and is great on my sensitive skin.
I don’t go for anything other than SPF50 because I can never be bothered to reapply more than once, but it glides on easily (even for wriggly toddler arms) and sinks in without leaving too much residue.
The bottle says its paediatrician approved and extra water-resistant, so it’s going to be a great one for beach days.
It definitely smells a bit more chemical-y than some of the others on the list but I like to believe that it’s a cucumber smell instead.
The Paranting Conclusion
Depending on how much you get through with your little ones, or whether you prefer to use linen cover-ups, it might be a case of prioritising a cheaper one for the body and a slightly nicer one for faces.
Hopefully we’ve shown you what you can get for different price points.
If your priorities are leaning towards more natural ingredients, the Odylique is a real step forward in sun-care.
If you just want top protection for as little money as possible, the own-brands are great.
Sitting somewhere in the middle are the creams specifically designed for your face, which can be worth forking out a little more for depending on your skin type.
If you’ve got any tips on navigating the sun-care maze this summer, get in touch with us on social media, where we’ll continue sharing affordable Paranting-approved products.
We’re going into extra time!
We’ve got a new deadline on our Crowdfunder, which gives us longer to hit our target and get Issue 5 fully funded.
If you haven’t pledged yet, you can do so here.
All our rewards are still available and we’re still a way away from our target, so any amount pledged means a lot to us.