5 Reasons Why I Hate Mineral Sunscreens

We all know sunscreen is a must whether it is winter, cloudy, or rainy which means it is something that needs to be applied almost every single day. But if applying sunscreen becomes a chore rather than a joy we might want to skip it thus exposing our skin to harmful UV rays. This is one point I feel mineral sunscreen manufacturers miss. And this is why no matter how many reasons they come up with, I can never get behind them. Mineral sunscreens are just not it. 

Here are 5 reasons why I hate mineral sunscreens:

They leave a white cast.

This is the number one reason why most people with medium to deep skin tones would hate mineral-filter-only sunscreens. I am honestly not sure they would look better on white skin either but it definitely doesn't suit brown or black skin. Even sunscreens that are supposed to have zero white casts still leave a slight white cast on my skin.

They are thick, greasy, and hard to apply.

Most mineral sunscreens are zinc oxide based and these formulas are usually quite thick, heavy, greasy, and are sometimes quite hard to spread evenly, making the application goopy. Imagine wearing something thick, goopy, and greasy under the hot sun. It's quite uncomfortable, doesn't look pretty, and makes you want to skip wearing sunscreen. And the more the percentage of zinc oxide, the thicker and goopier it is. Formulas which come with better textures that are not as thick are quite rare and can be expensive.

They are drying.

Most people don't complain about this but zinc oxide acts as an astringent. From my experience, it feels like it sucks out all the hydration from my skin and even though the formula has some hydrating and moisturizing ingredients it still doesn't stop it from drying out my skin. My skin is combination, dehydrated, and sensitive to begin with and mineral sunscreen is not helping it. The ones with more percentage of zinc oxide are definitely the worst but I find that combination sunscreens containing zinc oxide are still drying.

They are not exactly pregnancy or coral-reef safe.

There is a post with a video by Michelle from Lab Muffin Beauty Science that explains why mineral sunscreen is not exactly pregnancy safe especially since they are mixed with unregulated/unsafe chemical sunscreen-like filters while marketing themselves as 100% mineral. Another of her posts/videos explains how or why zinc oxide is not safe for coral reefs either.

They are not good for the planet.

Zinc mining is not really safe for the environment. This research article explains why. 

I switched to chemical sunscreens with new-age chemical filters that are more photostable and less irritating compared to older ones and I couldn't be happier. If I have to use a mineral sunscreen I'd prefer a combination sunscreen with new-age chemical filters and titanium dioxide. Such formulas don't tend to be drying in my experience. And I would look for ones that have titanium dioxide lower on the ingredients list so that there would be minimal to no white cast. As for zinc oxide-based mineral sunscreens, I just refuse to use them in any form or shape whatsoever.