How to Choose a Safe Sunscreen for Your Baby or Child

Sun protection is one of the most important things we can do for our children's skin, and yet standing in the sunscreen aisle can feel surprisingly overwhelming. The front of the bottle says "baby," "kids," "pure," or "natural," but those words are not regulated the way we might assume, and they do not always tell us what is actually inside. My intention with this guide is to help you read past the marketing and feel confident choosing a sunscreen that protects your little one and aligns with your family's values, without any added stress or guilt.

In this article, you'll learn why a child's skin needs special consideration, the difference between mineral and chemical sunscreens, the ingredients I tend to be mindful of, what makes a great baby and kids formula, and how to handle sunscreen for young babies.

Childhood is a meaningful window when it comes to lifelong skin health (1). Most sun exposure habits, and a good deal of cumulative sun damage, begin long before adulthood.

• Early sunburns carry long-term weight. In a large meta-analysis pooling data from 51 study populations, a history of sunburn was associated with a meaningfully higher risk of developing melanoma later in life (1).
• Little ones cannot tell us when they have had too much. Babies and young children rely entirely on us to manage their shade, clothing, and reapplication, so a thoughtful sun protection routine does the protecting for them.

A note on outside time: None of this is meant to make the sun feel like the enemy. Time outdoors is wonderful and important for children. The goal is simply to enjoy it well protected.

You might like these articles, too: 

• 5 Nutrients That May Reduce Your Risk of Sunburn
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Every sunscreen works through its active ingredients, and understanding the two main types of sunscreen formulations makes everything else easier to navigate. The active ingredients are listed in the "Drug Facts" box on the back of the bottle, which is the first place I look.

• Mineral sunscreens use zinc oxide (and sometimes titanium dioxide). These minerals sit on top of the skin and form a physical barrier that scatters and reflects UV rays. Zinc oxide is naturally broad-spectrum, meaning it helps shield against both UVA and UVB, and research shows mineral filters are not meaningfully absorbed through the skin (2).
• Chemical sunscreens use chemical filters. Ingredients such as oxybenzone, octinoxate, homosalate, octocrylene, avobenzone, and octisalate absorb UV rays and convert them. The trade-off is that these filters are absorbed into the body. In an FDA-funded clinical trial, all six of these filters were detected in participants' bloodstreams and surpassed the FDA's plasma threshold after a single day of use (3).

It is worth being clear about what that absorption does and does not mean. Finding these ingredients in the bloodstream is not the same as proving harm. What it tells us is that more safety data is needed. In fact, when the FDA reviewed the 16 active ingredients in sunscreen available in the United States, it proposed that only two, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, be "generally recognized as safe and effective," while 12 organic filters were flagged as needing additional safety information rather than being declared unsafe (4). 

For my own family, that data gap is reason enough to lean mineral, especially for children whose skin is thinner and who often wear sunscreen day after day.

There are a few sunscreen ingredients that are perhaps especially worth a closer look, particularly for young, sensitive skin. As with everything in this guide, these are points of awareness, not hard rules, and most conventional sunscreens contain at least one of them.

For babies and kids, the chemical filters are the ingredients I am most mindful of, and they are the simplest thing to scan for on the label. Look in the active ingredients box for names like oxybenzone, octinoxate, homosalate, octocrylene, avobenzone, and octisalate.

• Chemical UV filters are absorbed into the body. As noted above, an FDA study found these filters entered the bloodstream and exceeded the agency's threshold for requiring further safety study after just one day of use (3).
• The safety data is still incomplete. The FDA has asked manufacturers for more information on 12 filters before granting them "safe and effective" status, which simply means the questions have not yet been fully answered (4).
• Oxybenzone carries additional considerations. Beyond absorption, oxybenzone has been studied for its effects on coral, where even low concentrations were shown to be toxic to coral larvae (5). It is also a more common cause of skin reactions, something worth weighing for little ones.

A note on comfort: In the same FDA absorption study, the most frequently reported side effect was a skin rash (3). Mineral filters tend to be gentler for reactive skin.

Fragrance is one of the more common triggers for skin irritation, so it is worth considering for babies and children with reactive skin.

• Fragrance is not necessary for sun protection. If your child has eczema or skin that flares easily, a fragrance-free formula may feel gentler and lower the chance of irritation.
• Many great sunscreen options come unscented. You do not have to compromise on a clean mineral formula to find one without added fragrance, which makes this an easy preference to honor when it matters for your child.

To learn more, read this article: Meet the 10 Essential Oils Handpicked for Our Skincare Line

The format of a sunscreen matters too, mostly because of how it is applied rather than what is in it.

• The concern with powder and spray sunscreens is inhalation. The main caution with sprays and powders is breathing in fine particles during application, which is why this format calls for extra care with kids (2).
• A simple workaround. If you love a spray, spray it into your hands first and then rub it onto your child, and keep sprays away from the face entirely.

To learn more about skin care for babies, read this article: 5 Common Toxins In Skin Care Products

Now for the encouraging part, because once you know what you want, the choice gets much simpler. Here are the green flags I look for in sunscreen for children.

Kids swim, sweat, and run through sprinklers, so staying power matters. Water resistance helps the protection last through the fun.

• Check the water-resistance minutes. Labels list water resistance as 40 or 80 minutes, which tells you when to reapply during water play.
• Reapplication still rules. No sunscreen is waterproof, so plan to reapply after swimming and towel drying regardless of the time the bottle states.

A "reef-friendly" or "reef-safe" label on the front of the bottle is a handy shortcut for busy parents, because of what it tells you about the ingredients inside. It points you toward the kind of formula we want on a child's skin.

• Reef-friendly signals an oxybenzone-free, mineral formula. Reef-friendly sunscreens leave out oxybenzone and octinoxate, two chemical filters restricted in places like Hawaii in part because of evidence that oxybenzone can harm coral (5). When you spot that label, it is a fast way to confirm you are likely holding a zinc oxide sunscreen.

The best sunscreen format is the one you will actually use on a wiggly toddler. We know that many powder and spray formulas are not ideal, but beyond that, there are different formats that shine in different moments.

• Sticks are wonderful for faces and touch-ups. They travel well and apply quickly on cheeks, ears, and the backs of hands.
• Lotions and creams cover the body efficiently. For full-body application before a beach or pool day, a lotion or cream usually goes furthest.

For infants under 6 months, we should focus on sun protection through other means beyond sunscreen, using sunscreen only as a last resort.

• Shade and clothing come first. The FDA and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend keeping babies younger than 6 months out of direct sunlight, using shade along with lightweight long sleeves, long pants, and brimmed hats to shield from the sun instead (6, 7).
• A small amount of mineral sunscreen can fill the gaps. When shade and clothing are not enough, a minimal amount of sunscreen can be applied to small, exposed areas like the face and the backs of the hands (6).
• Baby skin needs extra gentleness. Young infants are at greater risk of skin reactions, which is why a check-in with your pediatrician is a good idea before using sunscreen on a baby under 6 months (7).

Once your baby is older than 6 months, you can apply a broad-spectrum mineral sunscreen more generously to all exposed skin, being careful around the eyes (6).

A great sunscreen only works when it is applied well, and a few small habits make a big difference. Here is the routine I rely on.

• Apply before you head out. Put sunscreen on about 15 minutes before sun exposure, so it has time to set.
• Be generous. Most people use too little sunscreen, so apply a generous amount to all exposed skin (6).
• Reapply on a rhythm. Reapply at least every 2 hours, and always after swimming, sweating, or towel drying (6).
• Patch test new products. For sensitive or eczema-prone skin, dab a small amount on the inner wrist and wait a day to watch for any reaction.
• Stack your protection. Pair sunscreen with hats, UPF clothing, sunglasses, and shade, and aim for shade during the strongest midday hours.

You might like this article, too: A Guide For Bathing Your Baby

If you would like a quick reference to screenshot and keep on your phone, here is the short version. As always, this simply reflects our preferences for ingredient quality, and if your child is thriving on a product that is not on our love list, there is no need to change a thing.

Sunscreens we love (all mineral zinc oxide):

• Earth Mama
• Two Peas Organics
• Badger
• Thinkbaby
• All Good
• Suntribe
• Raw Elements
• Attitude

Sunscreens we avoid:

• Coppertone
• Neutrogena
• Alba Botanica
• Coola
• Aveeno Baby
• Blue Lizard

The products on our avoid list are popular and easy to find, and we skip them for a few different reasons. Some rely on chemical UV filters, while others are mineral but include added fragrance or other inactive ingredients we prefer to leave off our children's skin.

For a child's sunscreen, look for zinc oxide as the active ingredient and avoid chemical filters like oxybenzone and octinoxate. Choose a broad-spectrum formula with an SPF of 30 or higher, in a format your child tolerates, and keep sprays and powders away from the face. For babies under 6 months, rely on shade and clothing first, and use a small amount of mineral sunscreen on exposed skin only when shade and cover are not enough, after checking with your pediatrician. 

Apply sunscreen about 15 minutes before sun exposure, use a generous amount, and reapply every 2 hours and after swimming or towel drying. Consistency matters more than any single product, so the best sunscreen for your child is the mineral one you will reliably use and reapply.

1. Dennis LK, Vanbeek MJ, Beane Freeman LE, Smith BJ, Dawson DV, Coughlin JA. Sunburns and risk of cutaneous melanoma: does age matter? A comprehensive meta-analysis. Ann Epidemiol. 2008 Aug;18(8):614-27. doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2008.04.006. PMID: 18652979; PMCID: PMC2873840.
2. Schneider SL, Lim HW. A review of inorganic UV filters zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed. 2019 Nov;35(6):442-446. doi: 10.1111/phpp.12439. Epub 2018 Dec 10. PMID: 30444533.
3. Matta MK, Florian J, Zusterzeel R, Pilli NR, Patel V, Volpe DA, Yang Y, Oh L, Bashaw E, Zineh I, Sanabria C, Kemp S, Godfrey A, Adah S, Coelho S, Wang J, Furlong LA, Ganley C, Michele T, Strauss DG. Effect of Sunscreen Application on Plasma Concentration of Sunscreen Active Ingredients: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2020 Jan 21;323(3):256-267. doi: 10.1001/jama.2019.20747. Erratum in: JAMA. 2020 Mar 17;323(11):1098. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.1950. PMID: 31961417; PMCID: PMC6990686.
4. FDA. (2021). Questions and Answers: FDA posts deemed final order and proposed order for over-the-counter sunscreen. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/understanding-over-counter-medicines/questions-and-answers-fda-posts-deemed-final-order-and-proposed-order-over-counter-sunscreen
5. Downs CA, Kramarsky-Winter E, Segal R, Fauth J, Knutson S, Bronstein O, Ciner FR, Jeger R, Lichtenfeld Y, Woodley CM, Pennington P, Cadenas K, Kushmaro A, Loya Y. Toxicopathological Effects of the Sunscreen UV Filter, Oxybenzone (Benzophenone-3), on Coral Planulae and Cultured Primary Cells and Its Environmental Contamination in Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 2016 Feb;70(2):265-88. doi: 10.1007/s00244-015-0227-7. PMID: 26487337.
6. AAP. Sun Safety: Information for Parents About Sunburn & Sunscreen. (2019). HealthyChildren.org. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-play/Pages/Sun-Safety.aspx
7. FDA. (2021). Should You Put Sunscreen on Infants? Not Usually. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/should-you-put-sunscreen-infants-not-usually