Best eco-friendly sunscreens for your skin and the planet, tried and tested

For a beauty brand with exceptional green credentials, turn to UpCircle’s collection of organic, vegan, cruelty-free formulas that use by-products from other industries and are housed in recyclable packaging. A stand-out product from the brand is this mineral face SPF that we found surprisingly lightweight, moisturising and super blendable, leaving no white cast behind.

Infused with upcycled raspberry seed oil that’s left over by the juicing industry, the formula is also high in antioxidants to fight free radical skin damage. What makes this even more eco-friendly than its competition is, if you send the glass jar back to the brand, it will refill it for £22.39.

One pump of this, like all Hawaiian Tropic products, transports you to a tropical paradise – if you’re a fan of coconut-fragranced products, this one is for you. The ultra-light, and (you guessed it) “milky” texture, disappears in an instant on the skin, leaving a mineral shield of zinc oxide to protect you from the sun. We were super impressed with this accessible, affordable and effective offering from the brand, and all without any ingredients harmful to the ocean and sea life. Pair it with the face formulation, for the perfect holiday duo.

The banana bright eye cream and vitamin C serum from Ole Henriksen are so well-loved that we had high expectations for this new mineral SPF, but it still managed to exceed them. Perhaps it’s to be expected, when the UV filters are paired with powerhouse clinical-grade vitamin C in the formula: backed by science to not only protect skin from sun damage but correct it, too – making this is a powerful little tube.

It has a light, naturally zesty fragranced, and absorbs in an instant, without any ashy finish. Instead, it leaves behind a beautiful instant glow, thanks to its light-reflecting mineral pigments. It’s further enhanced with skin-hydrating and soothing niacinamide and aloe leaf juice. Meanwhile, vitamin C’s skin-brightening and rejuvenating abilities make this ideal for those concerned about dark spots or signs of ageing.

For those who like a pared-back routine, we found this mineral SPF so moisturising you could skip day cream and use it on its own during the summer months. The hydration comes courtesy of niacinamide and vitamin E, while antioxidants and non-nano zinc oxide work together to protect the skin. Super lightweight, the gel-cream formula absorbs in an instant and doesn’t leave any residue behind – making it ideal for all skin tones and types. We found it sits well underneath make-up, making it a great everyday base as well as one to pack for the beach.

B-Corp certified, Arbonne has a long list of ingredients that it doesn’t use in its products, including nano ingredients, so, this mineral formulation can be trusted to be eco-friendly. Suitable for the face and body, it’s fragrance-free – you won’t find any irritation with this suits-all-skin-types formula. It’s also vegan and Peta-approved, opting to use a botanical wax to improve product adherence, so you can even go swimming for up to 40 minutes before needing to reapply.

More plus points include how easy it is to blend the lotion, which leaves a sheer finish without any chalkiness. Meanwhile, the added botanical moisturisers make it feel silky soft on the skin.

Flying the flag for physical sun creams for many years, Green People has a superb mineral sunscreen offering, including this SPF 30, which is also certified organic. Just as the name suggests, its natural line-up is fragrance-free – a bonus for those with sensitive skin or those who suffer from inflammatory issues.

This formula is water-repellent, too, making it a great all-rounder if you’re looking for an option the whole family can use. Plus, we love that the brand gives 20p to the Marine Conservation Society for every bottle sold – a nice touch.

A cult-favourite Australian SPF brand, Ultra Violette has a first-rate range of sunscreens, or “skinscreens”, as it calls them. This mineral formulation is designed not only for sensitive but oilier, reactive skin types, too. A next-generation zinc-only sunscreen with a subtle tint and mattifying effect, it disappears quickly into the skin, leaving zero chalkiness and just a comfortable shine-free finish.

It’s infused with Aussie favourite Kakadu plum, which is rich in antioxidants and skin-protecting vitamin C. Plus, there’s no denying the bright blue and neon packaging adds to the product’s appeal (the brand is often spotted on Instagram).

For the beauty-savvy, this brand needs no introduction. If it’s yet to cross your path, you should know the brand’s philosophy is that its skincare contains no nasties. It avoids what it calls “the suspicious six”: essential oils, drying alcohols, silicones fragrances/dyes, SLS and chemical sunscreens. It’s therefore a given, then, that the brand’s SPF offering is a mineral formula and a cracking one at that – leaving skin glowing, thanks to the added antioxidants and virgin marula oil for nourishment.

It comes in a tinted and non-tinted formula, of which our tester prefers the former – you’re likely to too, if you have a light to medium skin tone, as the tint allows you to skip applying coverage on top of the sunscreen. However, those with very fair or darker skin tones should stick to the non-tinted version.

With more than 30 years in the sun cream business, Ultrasun has produced some outstanding SPF formulations over the years – including this mineral option. Simply work it into the body and watch it disappear, leaving a mattifying effect. Available in SPF 30 and SPF 50 versions, to protect you from skin-burning UVB rays, this product also provides a high UVA filter of 95 per cent, helping to guard against signs of ageing. On top of that, it promises to protect against infrared-A and blue light. This one covers all bases.

While this isn’t a mineral SPF, it’s still eco-friendly, as it only contains reef-safe chemical filters. Plus, extra green points go to Caudalie as it’s part of the 100 per cent plastic collect initiative – collecting and recycling as much plastic from the oceans as it generates as a brand.

The formula contains polyphenols, providing an antioxidant shield that comes from grape-seed extracts, as well as vitamin E to offer a light, fluid spray lotion that is easy to apply on the whole family (apart from children under three) and looks invisible in an instant. This one is for those who love a rub-free formula.