Thrive Natural Care Reef Safe Sunscreen SPF50 – Hawaii 104 Reef Act Compliant – Mineral Sunscreen Non-Nano Zinc Oxide – Vegan, (5.8 Oz (Pack of 1))

Best reef-safe sunblock
I tried around 8 different reef safe sunblocks. Australian Gold and Thrive were the best. The only reef safe sunblocks are those that use either non-micronized Zinc Dioxide, or non-micronized Titanium Dioxide. Any sunblock with other active ingredients may claim to be reef safe, but it isn’t.Why wear reef safe sunblock? All water goes to the ocean eventually, so I try to use this stuff as much as I can. But you especially should wear it if you’re going anywhere near a tropical coral reef. They’re vital ecosystems that are having enough trouble as it is. Hawaii has already banned a few of the most harmful ingredients, though there are still plenty out there that are still technically allowed.Thrive spreads more easily and evenly than anything else I’ve tried. If you’re concerned with the aesthetics of lotion that is visibly white, definitely go with Thrive. It’s pretty oily, but that oil allows the mineral sunscreen to be evenly distributed, even on hairy skin. This is from the perspective of someone who is relatively pale, so I don’t know about people with darker skin. My guess is that is would visibly lighten you a tiny bit, but since it spreads so evenly, the lightness will be uniform.I would also argue that Thrive, along with most other mineral sunblocks, is functionally better than chemical sunblock. It protects you for longer, and stays on longer while you’re submerged in water. That said, Australian Gold is king when it comes to being functionally the best (it’s also cheaper). Thrive is cosmetically the best, and will probably protect you just as well if you aren’t going in the water.One more word of warning, if you do try Australian Gold. Not all Australian Gold sunblocks are reef safe. They do make non reef safe, chemical sunblocks… make sure you buy the ones that say “botanical.” As far as I know Thrive does not make a non reef-safe sunscreen, so that’s another good reason to go with Thrive, to reward the company that has more responsible practices.

Good choice for a physical sunscreen
Healthier than most for your skin and the environment, and less greasy than other safe sunscreens. It’s lightweight, but like most physical sunscreens doesn’t entirely disappear.

Brown skin friendly!
This review is for the 4oz body sunscreen. This was a rather surprising find. I was not expecting this to be as elegantly formulated as it is. It works into the skin like a light-weight lotion and the price is great for the quality and amount you’re getting – it really compares in price to some drugstore brands whose mineral offerings are thick and messy to work with. This is an especially great product to use on kids in the summer – perfect for beach days – as it is water and sweat resistant and it also offers a high degree of protection with a 23.5% zinc oxide concentration.It is also harder for those of us with brown skin to use a mineral sunscreen due to the purple-grey overcast it causes. While chemical sunscreens are fine to use, they are not the best options for sensitive skin or children’s skin so it takes a lot of trial and error for those with deeper skin tones to find the right mineral sunscreen. This one has a very minimal cast – I would not say invisible but no non-tinted mineral sunscreen will be truly invisible due to the nature of zinc oxide. Because of how easily this one works into the skin it is totally worth it. It is very lotion-like in texture. This avoids the excessive rubbing that most other mineral sunscreens require, which can be harsh on sensitive skin. Also, kids won’t stay still long enough to rub in a thick gloopy formula into their skin – this is a consistency kids can even rub in themselves so that will make summer outings a lot easier. I will be reaching for this one as my go-to this summer.I cannot attest to how the body sunscreen will work on the face, as I intend to use this on the body, but I if you have medium brown skin and/or don’t mind a bit of a cast, I can imagine this will be just fine to use on the face. The formula however might be a bit too heavy for the face, particularly if you have sensitive skin. For deeper skin tones, in the summertime, I would recommend opting for a water resistant tinted sunscreen for the face.

Thick and greasy but at least it’s reef-safe
I scuba dive, so I got this because I want to be safe about what I have on my skin when I’m near the coral reefs. I didn’t get sunburned but I went diving on an overcast day, so I can’t really say much about its longevity and protection levels. I will say though that this feels like a very traditional old-fashioned sunscreen in the worst way (greasy, thick, leaves a white cast). I would never wear this sunscreen if I wasn’t at the beach. If I was just going to be in a pool or going about my day in the city, I will stick to my Asian hybrid mineral/chemical sunscreen which is way more cosmetically elegant and has a higher protection factor.