Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen

Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen is a pretty smart sunscreen. It currently has a 4.5 rating on Amazon, and carries the badge for "Amazon's Choice." While the most people love it, is it truly biodegradable? Let's check it out. 

Item Specifics

Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen is an eco-friendly, biodegradable sunscreen. Biodegradable sunscreen is fairly self explanatory. Just like any other biodegradable product, the best biodegradable sunscreen is able to breakdown naturally into organic components. In terms of sunscreen, this happens after it is exposed to moisture, heat, and natural micro organisms. This makes the best biodegradable sunscreen very environmentally friendly because it minimizes the impact that the sunscreen has on plant and animal life. How do biodegradable sunblocks do this? Well, it is actually rather simple. The biggest difference between the best biodegradable sunscreen and regular sunscreens is the ingredients and chemicals that are used. More specifically, biodegradable sunscreens do not include environmentally harmful ingredients, some of which are hormone disrupters.

Ingredients

Here is where Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen takes a hit. To tell if a product is truly biodegradable and reef safe, you have to look at the ingredients. So, in full transparency sake, here is the full list of ingredients for Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen. Zinc Oxide 10%, Titanium Oxide 5% IN Beeswax, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetyl Dimethicone and/or Cetyl Dimethicone Copolyol, Chlorphenesin, Disodium EDTA, Ethyhexyl Palmitate, Ethyhexyl Stearate, Hexyl Laurate, Hydrogenerated Castor Oil, Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Octododecyl Neopentanoate, PEG-7 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, phenoxyethanol, Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate, Propanediol, Purified Water, Sorbitan Oleate, Stearic Acid, Tocopheryl Acteate, Trimethylated Silica/Dimethicone, VP Hexadecene Copolymer.

Unlike many other biodegradable sunscreens we have reviewed, this one does not feature a natural formula. While the majority of the ingredients do not include harsh chemicals, they are not natural. In fact, there is one ingredient that makes us not entirely like Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen. That ingredient is Phenoxyethanol. This is a chemical, and while it is relatively safe for use around reefs and in natural pools, the risk it poses is to your body. If used constantly and you allow it to accumulate in your body, it has the potential to have an effect on the brain and central nervous system. Not to mention it can also irritate the skin and eyes, while also has the possibility to cause blistering on the skin. Now this can only happen if the ingredient is used a lot and often. Small amounts probably will have no effect. But nevertheless, it is still something that most other sunscreens have avoided. 

Features

There are a lot of great features that Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen has. For starters, this biodegradable sunscreen covers a broad spectrum, which includes both UVA and UVB rays. This way you are protected for both types of solar rays, which is always great to have. It is also completely safe for kids. Due to its mineral nature, the ingredients are not absorbed into the skin, which means you do not have to worry about your child coming in contact with any harsh chemicals. 

The formula is made out of sensitive ingredients and contains no irritating parabens or fragrances. So if your body is highly sensitive to irritants, odds are that this sunscreen will be a saving grace come summer. Oh, and it is water resistant for up to 40 minutes. 

One very unique thing about this sunscreen is that it is a mineral based sunscreen. Unlike conventional sunscreens, which contain ingredients that are absorbed into the skin, this mineral sunscreen sits on the skin’s surface. Its unique formulation nourishes the skin as it protects. Free of parabens, phthalates, and other questionable chemicals, this sunblock is non-allergenic, safe for all skin types, coral and reef safe, and biodegradable. 

Another pretty interesting thing about this sunscreen is the bottle. If you are outside and you have this bottle on you, will literally change color if it senses harmful UV rays. So if this bottle changes from white to blue, better apply that lotion. I wonder if you put the lotion on the bottle, if it will sense when the sunscreen no longer becomes effective. Would be a cool way of knowing when to reapply. 

About This Company

Unfortunately, there is not an "About Us" section on their website. However they do give an insight into their products. Each Blue Lizard Australian sunscreen product is made without parabens or fragrances, is water resistant, however the amount of resistance changes, and is made with zinc oxide, while the amount of that changes depending on which sunscreen as well. 

Their sunscreen products are quite expansive. They have available 6 different kinds of sunscreen, all differing in range of SPF strength, water resistance, care level, and ingredients. Their products include Baby, Sensitive, Kids, Active, Face, and Sport. 

Pros:

Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen is free of a lot of bad stuff. Some of the chemicals it is free of include PABA, Parabens, Phthalates, Phosphates, and fragrances

It is made out of skin sensitive ingredients. Meaning that if you are highly allergic or sensitive, this sunscreen will not make you break out at all. 

It's mineral design allows for nourishment of the skin, along with protection from the sun. It also does this without use of any chemicals. 

This product is 100% safe for your children. Since it is a mineral sunscreen, there is no need to worry about harmful chemicals being absorbed into your little one's body. 

Cons:

Since it is a mineral sunscreen, it does not "rub in" to the skin as a lotion would. This is a complaint that various people had, but many did mention that while they did not like how it did not rub in like they are used to, it was an effective sunscreen.

The presence of Phenoxyethanol is a bit troubling. This, while being an anti-bacterial agent, can cause some issues in the brain area and nervous system. However, low levels of the ingredient are not harmful.

Final Thoughts:

The SPF level of this sunscreen is pretty great, 30+. It covers a broad spectrum of UV rays and the bottle will even tell you when the rays are harmful to your skin, which is pretty awesome. While the presence of phenoxyethanol does bring down the value a bit, every source has stated that low levels of the ingredient are virtually harmless. Trouble only arises if you use the product each and every day. That being said, it is uncertain if this sunscreen is truly biodegradable. If it definitely safe for use around coral reefs, but due to the nature of its ingredients, it may not be biodegradable. 

This is a bit of a toss up. While it is unknown if Blue Lizard Australian sunscreen is truly biodegradable, we know it is reef safe. However it does have phenoxyethanol, which while not entirely harmful, it can be. Usually better safe than sorry. That being said, if you want to try it out for yourself, you can find it on Amazon for $14.17. Pretty cheap if you ask me. But if you want to know any other information, including the best biodegradable sunscreen, you can check out the rest of Green and Growing.  

Here are some top questions that I found for people seriously considering buying the Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen.