Ok, am I the only one who is terrible about remembering to wear facial sunscreen? I mean I grew up in England where we see the sun for about 12 hrs a year (just kidding…sort of ;)), and just puttering around the yard on overcast days should be ok, right? WRONG! Oh if only I could preach to my younger self the need for sunscreen every single day. Now we all need some sun exposure to help absorb some Vitamin D, but too much unprotected sun exposure can lead to skin damage, eye damage, suppression of your immune system, and skin cancer. Even tanning is a sign that your skin has been damaged. So using a sunscreen is very important especially a broad spectrum that protects against UVA and UVB rays. But the irony of all this is that conventional SPFs use harmful chemicals like oxybenzone and others, that also can cause skin damage, eye damage, disrupt your endocrine system, and lead to cancer. UGH! So I began my search in the green beauty world for safer alternatives for conventional SPFs…only to be slightly disappointed.
One of the hardest things to find in the green beauty world is a good, safe SPF. Now, I have found many with squeaky clean ingredients, but I’m left looking rather ghostly. I’m not too upset by this for most of my body, since, frankly I’m not at the pool or beach trying to look like a model, but for my face, I truly don’t want to scare folks with a spooky appearance. Then there’s the challenge of most green beauty sunscreens being quite on the oily side that my makeup simply starts to slide off…also not a great look. So what’s a gal to do? I mean, all I’m asking for is a perfectly safe sunscreen with no toxic chemicals, no ghostly whiteness, and definitely not greasy. Well, guess what, I’ve found it.
Plumscreen® Broad Spectrum SPF 31 UVA/UVB/HEV PA+++
I had been using this brand, Le Prunier’s, facial oil for a while and I LOVE it so much! It is just one ingredient, plum oil, from a farm that is now run by three sisters. They inherited the farm from their father and grandfather and have produced this amazing facial oil from their organically grown plums. If you need a facial oil that is for every skin type, that will minimize pores, moisturize, reduce the appearance of wrinkles, help protect against free radicals and more, you need to check out this plum beauty oil! And the great thing is, the plum oil is also in the Plumscreen sunscreen (I just love the name!).
So the struggle is real in the world of zinc oxide and non-whitening. But Plumscreen shows up absolutely clear, there is no, I repeat, NO whitening effect at all. This is due to their non-nano technology that actually works compared to many others.
Plumscreen is so creamy and smooth, and applies like a dream. It has kept me from sunburn even while on vacation in Florida. It is a three-in-one product: it is skincare with the plum oil complex, it is, of course, a facial sunscreen, and also works as a makeup primer! I don’t use (or use much less) moisturizer when I use this product as it is very moisturizing for my combination/oily skin. I no longer use a separate primer for my makeup as this does it all. It has a plumping effect on my skin, and I’ve also seen an improvement in my dark spots lightening! The cost is a little more than your drug store sunscreen, but totally worth it considering the benefits, that I don’t have to use a makeup primer or much moisturizer any more. You get 2oz of product for $78, but you can subscribe and save more! That’s $39 per ounce compare to Crunchi’s Sunlight which is $48 per ounce. They offer free shipping on orders over $100, so I would highly recommend grabbing the plum beauty oil too! You can find them both here.
SKIN BENEFITS
- Lightweight & Non-greasy
- Alone or under makeup, this weightless SPF is ideal for all skin types
- Prevents Premature Aging
- Critical daily defense against damaging rays of the sun, plus blue light
- Invisible Finish
- Fast-absorbing, transparent cutting-edge zinc technology
- Non-nano
- Formulated without controversial nano-particles found in most sunscreens
- Nourishing Ingredients
- Antioxidant-rich Plum Superfruit Complex®, Zonaria Tournefortii Extract, Glycerin and more
- Beyond Reef Safe
- Ingredients and packaging not only safe for people, but also our coral reefs
The Lowdown on Plums
- Rich in powerful antioxidants that help replenish skin.
- Locks moisture without clogging pores and calms irritation.
- Naturally high in Vitamin E giving it a longer shelf life.
- Safe for all skin types with no artificial additives.
For more information, check out Le Prunier’s website for all the ingredient education and how to’s! www.leprunier.com
Is SPF 31 Enough?
There has been some controversy about how great an SPF factor should be used for true sun protection. According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30 should be used. SPF30 protects from 97% UV rays, and while one might think higher SPF numbers would be better, an SPF of 50 only protects at 98% and most do not protect 100%. Plumscreen uses leading non-nano zinc oxide to product as clear a sunscreen as possible for the best aesthetic with the highest recommended SPF for daily use!
And if like I was you still think, “I don’t really need a daily SPF, I don’t get outside much,” then I encourage you to take a look at some pictures of truck drivers on the internet. You can see one side of their face is much more wrinkly than the other, the side that was closest to the window with the sun coming through. If you are ‘just driving’ one day, you will still have UVA rays hitting you through the vehicle windows!
I am committed to wearing Plumscreen every.single.day as a protection from anti-aging and potential skin cancer. It’s a very small price to pay for my health, so that I can be around for many years raising and loving my family and friends, and making a difference in my community around me. And the wonderful thing now is that I have a safe sunscreen option, so I do not have to compromise my health for my sun-protection, or my sun-protection for my health! We now have the best of both worlds.
As always, you should not rely on sunscreen alone for sun protection, but in combination with other sun protection measures such as hats, shade, clothing, etc. Sunscreen can be one factor in the protection from potential melanoma risk.
Who else is committed to safe, sun-protection every single day? Together we can make a difference in our health and share what we know with our friends, loved ones and communities!
Blessings,
P. S. Update August 23, 2022: Crunchi recently reformulated their Sunlight SPF30 sunscreen in 2021, and for a while it was good. Then I started having a reaction to it. It causes my whole face to swell, especially the area around my eyes. I have not idea if they have ‘tweaked’ the ingredients, but something isn’t working for me and I cannot recommend it any more. So I found a replacement that, frankly, blows Sunlight out of the water. Sorry, but not sorry, as I’m committed to being fully transparent here. Also, Plumscreen is cheaper per ounce than Sunlight, and definitely a better product all around, IMO.
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