And here in Norway, spring and Easter are approaching 🐣 And then it's SO good to have a safe and healthy sunscreen that protects against the sun by blocking both UVA and UVB rays with a natural, physical sun filter: 💫the sun's rays do not pass through the skin, but are reflected and scattered back out, thus protecting the skin well. In addition, ☀️🐝 Vossabia sunscreen provides nourishment and care from organic super ingredients such as sea buckthorn, Calendula , shea butter, coconut oil and jojoba oil, together with the wonderful beeswax.
Many people have reported for over 15 years (!) that the sunscreen protects very well, but also that sun dermatitis disappears, burning, watery eyes and other ailments that can be experienced with chemical sunscreens. ❤️ And I'm really happy about all the healthy things people get when they apply this to children and adults too 😊
Why natural sunscreen?
For your health and the environment's!
Conventional sunscreens with chemical filters have been shown in many studies to have harmful content for both people and the environment. It is actually banned in Hawaii, due to the damage it does to coral reefs! What about the health of us humans, wildlife, fish and other things in the environment and cycle that ingest residues from this?
In natural sunscreens you get physical protection (which comes either from zinc oxide, or titanium dioxide as we use), and it has been mentioned in several studies over the last 15 years as the only safe and healthy sunscreens for people and the environment, including in a report from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (2019).
I'm really passionate about this safe sunscreen thing, and I'm so shocked by the content of "regular" sunscreens, and when the FDA, as the authority they are, also signs off on it, I find it strange that chemical sunscreens aren't banned.
Vossabia sunscreen: Good for people and the environment! 🌼🐝🌍
SPF factor
For over 15 years, we have offered mineral sunscreens with “only” factor 10 and 20. Many people ask why we don’t have factor 30 and 50, as that is what people think is needed to avoid getting burned and damaging the skin. With our experience of over 15 years, which is also combined with continuous studies of reports about sunscreens, I am convinced that factor 20 is more than enough and it does not harm either people or the environment.
Several people have reported that factor 50 with chemical sunscreen has given sunburned skin, while our factor 10 has healed the skin, AND further protected without consequences like sunburned skin. And this is our own experience every year too. I use factor 20 on winter-pale Norwegian skin in the Easter Mountains in sun and snow, and throughout spring and summer I keep factor 10 for my skin.
☀️So, do mineral sunscreens protect better?
Mineral sunscreens protect in a different way than chemical sunscreens. Physical mineral sunscreens prevent UVA and UVB from penetrating the skin, as chemical sunscreens do. The mineral sunscreens we offer also protect immediately after application, which chemical sunscreens do not.
Many people think that factor means that the protection increases proportionally to the number on the factor, meaning that an SPF 50 protects more than twice as much as factor 20. This is not the case according to the literature and reports I find, for example from EWG – Environmental Working Group, which is an international independent research group that specifically works with sunscreen.
An SPF 15 sunscreen blocks about 93% of UVB rays, SPF 20 blocks about 95% of the sun's rays, SPF 30 97% and SPF 50 98%. So, contrary to what many people believe, the extra protection is minimal, so for me, and my always prioritized health focus, the content of sunscreens means more than a high factor (which can also give a false sense of protection, several studies show).
reference: https://medical.mit.edu/ask-lucy/2018/07/burning-question
The higher the factor, the greater the chance that the sunscreen contains chemical ingredients that are unfortunate, and possibly harmful to you and the environment. Sunscreens with a factor above 30 must contain chemical sunscreens and ingredients that have been shown to be harmful (hormone-disrupting for people and destructive to coral reefs, among other things), and when you reach factor 50, the content of these harmful substances is greater and more concentrated.
What many researchers see as more important than a high factor is that you apply enough sunscreen. Applying too little will reduce the actual SPF level. So remember to apply enough, and repeat after a few hours, or ideally take breaks from sunbathing if you are in strong sunlight for many hours.
As a final point, I would like to highlight that EWG believes that there should be a complete halt to the sale of high factor sunscreens. Hawaii has banned sunscreens with chemical sun filters. Australian authorities have set a cap on SPF 30. And I hear every year how much healthier people's skin is with healthy ingredients with our sunscreen and people avoid sunburn with our rather low factors 🌼🐝🧡
So for these reasons we offer Vossabia sunscreen factor 10 and 20 , and they are a loving and knowledge-based mix of organic super plant oils, plant butters and beeswax in addition to mineral sunscreen. We want you to experience protection and care and our mission is to offer a healthy and worry-free sunscreen!
PS If you experience yellowish stains on white clothes due to sunscreen, see washing tips:
Dampen the stains with a little lukewarm water, take out the baking soda and rub it well into the stains, wash as usual. Simsalabim!
