How the New Little Urchin Natural Sunscreen Stacks Up

Did you know that, like humans, sea urchins are sensitive to light and chemicals? Sea urchins are such clever little guys. They create their own natural sunscreen to protect their little ones from the sun's harsh rays. And that's what inspired the new Little Urchin natural mineral sunscreen. Little Urchin was developed when Chris Mathews’ daughter was at day care. The day care used sunscreens on the children, quite rightly in our Australian sun. But the sunscreens chosen weren’t great. So Sydney dad Chris decided to formulate his own, and Little Urchin was born. Chris worked with one of Australia's leading sunscreen formulators to develop a natural, mineral based sunscreen. The result is rich in nourishing oils, butters and antioxidants, as well as great sun protection. I received a tube of the Little Urchin sunscreen to review, and I was so impressed that we're now stocking it at Hello Charlie.

What I like about Little Urchin Natural Sunscreen

• SPF 30
• 3 hour water resistant
• Zinc based mineral sunscreen
• Doesn’t leave you looking like a ghost!
• Broad spectrum, UVA and UVB protection
• Non greasy
• No chemical absorbers
• All natural, no preservatives
• Safe for hypersensitive skin and babies 6 months and older
• Fragrance free
• TGA certified
• Reef safe and eco friendly
• Proudly made in Australia

I love a zinc based sunscreen. It's a physical sun barrier made from natural  minerals, rather than a chemical sun absorber. You can find out more about the difference between chemical absorbers and physical barriers in sunscreen here.

Little Urchin Ingredients

Active: Zinc Oxide 22%. Inactive: Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Grape Vine (Vitis Vinifera) Seed Oil, Silica, Shea (Butyrospermum Parkii) Butter, Candelilla (Euphorbia Cerifera Cera) Wax, Bees (Cera Alba ) Wax, Jojoba (Simmondsia Chinensis Seed) Oil, Vitamin E (Tocopherol), Aqua, Green Tea (Camellia Sinensis) Leaf Extract, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Safflower (Carthamus Tinctorius) Seed Oil, Cucumber (Cucumis Sativus) Fruit Extract, Glycerin, Rosehip (Rosa Canina) Fruit Oil.

I like the fact that it's zinc based, and that there's no titanium dioxide. It's preservative free, thanks to all the oils. And I love the addition of the green tea, cucumber and rosehip oil. Just the thing for sensitive skins like mine!

Review of Little Urchin Sunscreen

Like many kids, my two hate putting on sunscreen. They tolerated Little Urchin, because it's lightweight on the skin, and it doesn't feel greasy. It also doesn't leave a white film on your skin, as long as you rub it in well. So let's just say that I didn't notice a white film on my face, but both the kids did. I'm just happy that they put sunscreen on, so I'm not going to quibble too much about getting them to rub it in. Pick your battles, right? Like many oil based natural sunscreens, it can be thick coming out of the tube, especially on a cooler day. Knead the tube, give it a quick shake, and it's all good. We gave it to a friend's daughter to try. The daughter has sensitive skin and eczema, and often reacts to sunscreen. She had no reaction, and no sunburn, but did say she didn't like the smell. She's used to fragranced sunscreens, so I can understand that. But both my boys and I thought it just smelled like zinc (which I personally think is the smell of summer!). It's been a thumbs up from all who have tried it, so I think we can safely say that the Little Urchin sunscreen is a winner!

And finally...

Another thing that I love about Little Urchin is that they're a member of One Percent For The Planet. That means that they donate at least 1% of annual sales revenues to environmental organisations worldwide. And an interesting fact about sea urchins: these small creatures are known to live more than 100 years without showing any biological signs of ageing!

Little Urchin natural mineral sunscreen is available at Hello Charlie.

Images: Little Urchin