After doing extensive research on sunscreens (which consisted of "product reviews", along with meticulously combing through EWG ratings), I decided to give this product a try. I do warn you not to make this same mistake. I'm very fair skinned, so sunscreen is an absolute necessity, yet here's the problem that I've always had, and I suspect that it's one that I share with many others: sunscreens (and, over the years, I've tried them all) either irritate my eyes terribly, they leave a bizarre and rather embarrassing white film all over my face, or they do not protect it from the sun adequately. Often, sunscreens will fall into two or even three of these categories--in particular, the first two. What's more, the more I research these sunscreens the more I learn about the quite astonishingly dangerous, often cancer causing chemical ingredients that constitute them--all in an ironic effort to fight cancer, no less! Facts that, unsurprisingly, the sunscreen industry dismisses wholesale. Surely, they wouldn't have any vested interest in doing that! Needless to say, I've been looking more and more into the so-called "natural" sunscreen alternatives.Which brings me to True Natural. Allured by the claims that it went on clear, was "truly natural", if you will (i.e. was gentle and non-irritating--perfect for sensitive eyes and skin), that it protected excellently against sunburns, and, given the fact that the few reviews online that I found were positively glowing (if you'll excuse the pun), I decided to give True Natural a whirl. Like I said, BIG MISTAKE! Colossal mistake, in fact!
So, here's how it went down: the first thing that I noticed, of course (and if you're foolish enough to actually purchase this product after reading this, you will, too), was that it is most certainly NOT clear. It goes on with a white film just like all of the other zinc oxide based sunscreens. I rubbed it in for quite a while (I'd say about 20 minutes was spent rubbing it into my face alone) before my wife and I headed to the beach, but it was still pretty white. So, first shot out of the bag, their claim regarding it being "clear" is simply a lie, and nothing more. The more pressing problem that I noticed immediately, however, was that my face began to itch pretty badly. It got worse and worse over the next few hours, and was almost intolerable at one point. Good fun while you're driving! It irritated my skin in this way pretty much for the duration of the day. Hence, their chief claim in regard to it being designed for people with sensitive skin was as egregiously violated as any misrepresented claim I have ever encountered. I have NEVER, with all of the hundreds of sunscreens that I have tried throughout the years, experienced anything like this, or anything remotely as uncomfortable. The sole bright spot that I can report was that I did not get burned (only figuratively), but I suspect that I would have had the same result had I smeared glue, peanut butter, or jet fuel on my face. Next, however, is the really fun part... All day, I had immense trouble enjoying the beach, as you can surely imagine, and I really couldn't wait to get home to wash this garbage off of my face. Now, I'm not embellishing when I tell you this (because I counted), but I actually had to wash my face a staggering and, likely, world record approaching 14 times (using up roughly a bottle and a half of facial soap--which are like $10 a pop, by the way) for this sunscreen to come off. I'm not kidding. For my sunscreen brethren and commiserators out there, you likely know that it often takes a little longer in the shower to wash sunscreen off than it takes to take an ordinary shower, but 14 washes??? Get outta here.
As you can surely imagine, I was compelled to return this item to amazon, and am back to square one insofar as sunscreens are concerned. The experience was so rediculous, frustrating, and painful that I felt that I had a duty to warn you. After all, the few reviews that exist are, as i said, absolutely glowing--which, given my experience, strikes me as rather suspicious, to be completely honest.
Good luck on your quest, and if you, indeed, have a dilemma similar to mine concerning these products, and you find one that meets all of the aforementioned conditions, let me know...
The True Natural sunscreen is great for anyone looking for a safe, effective sunscreen with a high SPF!To start with, the EWG SkinDeep database has given it a rating of 1 on a scale of 0-10, with 0 being the safest and 10 being the most harmful to human health.Furthermore, the database has rated this sunscreen's UVB/UVA protection and sunscreen stability as being excellent.Going by database information on product safety, I have ordered a total of four sunscreen lotions recently to try and have found only this one to have a nice lotion-like consistency that is easy to spread and ideally suitable for the face, as well as the rest of the body.(Badger Sport Sunscreen and MyChelle Replenishing Solar Defense were way too thick with a resultant mask-like feel after application to the face, and Alba Mineral Protection/Fragrance Free had a so-so consistency.)Also, this product is truly unscented and goes on clear as it claims.I have found other unscented products such as the Badger sunscreen mentioned above to actually have a strong scent.Shoppers, don't be deterred by the words "baby" or "sensitive" on the label, as this product is a choice pick for all age groups and all parts of the body!
Update:After having used it during the summer months, I do want to mention that after I got about halfway through the tube, the contents definitely separated somewhat.Whenever I squeezed the tube, a few drops of clear oil would come out first.I ordered two tubes, and this happened to both tubes even though they were kept at home most of the time and not exposed to temperature extremes.This did not deter me from using it and getting my money's worth, however.With each use, I let the oil drip out first and applied the remaining product which still prevented my very fair skin from even getting a tan.This separation of ingredients is the primary reason I have given this product 4 stars now rather than 5 stars as in my original review.
After reading other reviews, I examined the ingredients again and wish to alert shoppers that this product does contain coconut oil which is known to clog pores with a high probability.While this product did not encourage any acne at all in my clear, normal-to-dry skin, it might have a tendency to do so in someone who has oily or acne-prone skin.Also, this product contains ethylhexyl stearate which, although given an excellent safety rating by EWG, was noted as being a potential eye/skin irritant.This begs the question:Why is this sunscreen's labeled use for "sensitive" skin?I assume this is because the CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review Panel) deemed it minimally irritating to skin at most!Again, this product did not irritate my skin in any way, but I don't consider myself as having extremely sensitive skin other than for having occasional eczema, including on my face at times.
Bottom line:All in all, this product worked perfectly for me, although I'm not sure that I will buy it again next summer due to the separation of ingredients.The product seperates and when you squeeze out the sunscreen you get a lot of clear liquid (probably sunscreen) and some yellow grainy looking clumps.Tried kneading the tube first to mix it up and it seemed to make it worse.I don't know how to use this messy product.I really wanted to like this based on what I read it sounded wonderful.This product needs some redevelopment work.I truly wanted to like this sunscreen as my favorite natural sunscreen is questionable as far as safety concerns due to the controversy over nano zinc particles. True Natural comes out as separated clear oil and a white waxy cream which is very difficult to blend on your face and really doesn't absorb well. I hate the feel on my palms and it is difficult to wash off. It had such great reviews but I will have to look elsewhere after using it up.Like other reviewers, I too did extensive research on sunscreens to find the most natural healthy sunblock available.This one's ingredients and SPF 50 fell into the top 4 for me.Upon arrival and use, I noticed the consistancy was that of a pale orange paste with oil, but not blended like a cream, rather they are separate, and you need to try to mix them once applied. As to the clearness, it doesn't go on clear, it leaves a light white layer (not an issue for me), but this then seems to lighten after some time.Overall, I have tended to use a different type of sunscreen just because I don't like the consistancy, and the way it feels on my face.Not everyone has the same issues, so others might not consider this a problem for them.It is a bit pricy to get just for a trial run.
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