I'd never heard of the brandname Aubrey Organics when I was offered a tube of their natural sunscreen to review, but it turns out that they were the first company to launch an all-natural sun protection range in the 1970's. Their newest range is called Natural Sun and is desribed as a high-performing protection suitable for the whole family.
I received a tube of SPF30+ high protection sunscreen,which contains sun-deflecting minerals zinc oxide and titanium dioxide to protect from UVB and UVA rays. I love the fact that it is also bursting with other ingredients to help look after your skin - organic shea butter and jojoba oils, to replenish moisture and improve skin texture, and organic aloe, to soothe and rehydrate. The natural antioxidants also apparently fight free radicals and reduce the signs of ageing.
I love the variety of natural-sounding terms that come up in the ingredients list : seed oils, leaf juice, flower/leaf/stem extract, root ferment, bark extract. Nature's store-cupboard has provided a lot of the ingredients in the sunscreen. There are a lot of other complicated and vaguely worrying names that I don't recognise - for example glyceryl stearate, cetearyl alcohol, stearic acid and sodium cocoyl glutamate - but I assume that with such emphasis being placed on the natural origins of the ingredients that there is nothing sinister in there. A bit of investigation reveals the reassuring promise : "Founded more than 40 years ago by ecologist Aubrey Hampton, Aubrey Organics was the first brand in the world to receive organic accreditation in 1994. All products are made daily, by hand, using only the finest herbals, plant extracts and natural vitamins."
We received the unscented sunscreen which is ideal for children or anyone with sensitive skin. It does have a delicate fragrance that reminds me of oats with a slight undercurrent of green leaves - it may sound strange but it's not at all unpleasant.
Now, a word of warning - shake the tube well before applying the cream. I'm used to very thick high-factor creams so I didn't do this and when I gave the tube a squeeze, a huge dollop of very liquid and oily lotion with the consistency of curdled milk oozed out and dripped off my hand all over my Tshirt. Hmmm not a good start ! For this reason, I'd also make sure you keep it in a plastic bag or zipped-up make-up bag before putting it in your handbag or suitcase, just in case it leaks.
I was actually surprised at how runny the sunscreen was and this made me concerned that it wouldn't be as effective as thicker suncreams that I've used, which leave a thicker layer of product on the skin. The thinner consistency does make it easier to apply, especially on wriggly children, but I found it didn't really get absorbed into the skin very easily, leaving a white residue on the skin, so I'd be worried it would get instantly rubbed off on clothing or washed away in the swimming pool. It doesn't claim to be waterproof and says you should rinse with water to remove it so I'll be keeping this one for use on dry land rather than in the pool. The tube also says that you should apply it 30 minutes before exposure to the sun, presumably to give it time to soak into the skin.
I do find that it leaves me with nicely moisturised skin which is a definite advantage, but I think I'll be keeping this one for the early summer before we head off to the fierce sun of Turkey because I'm not sure it's resistant enough to deal with the constant jumping in the pool and rubbing down with towels that the kids will subject it to.
star rating : 4/5
RRP : £14.29 for 118ml
for more information : http://www.aubreyorganicsuk.co.uk/product/263/natural-sun-unscented-spf30-sunblock/
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