Screening your skin from the sun - naturally

Colorescience Sunforgettable

Having written quite a few sunscreen posts in my time, it occurred to me that the natural sunscreen market is proliferating, with varying degrees of success, as people fight back against an industry that plays on people's fears (i.e., people are so scared that their skin will be damaged by the sun that they will pay whatever price the big companies ask for their sunblocks - regardless of what these may contain). This has been helped enormously by the mineral makeup industry, which seems to find it easy to integrate natural sun protection factors into its powders, foundations, primers and concealers. And as I've said in a recent post, different people have different priorities, meaning that there are many wishing to seek out these alternatives.

My favourite natural SPF-integrated makeup brands have to be as follows:

• Colorescience - their Sunforgettable range also offers excellent coverage for the face for those of us who can't quite face the world without makeup. Its bronzers, primers and so on also contain SPF.
• Arbonne - the only brand my auntie's oncologist endorsed following her cancer scare.

Perhaps the first natural sun cream I tested was by Liz Earle, and to be honest, I wasn't that keen - it was extremely thick and stiff, difficult to apply and rub in, and didn't have a good shelf life either. (They've since shelved the idea - presumably until they can get it right - for now only offering an aftersun gel.) But the situation has improved massively since then - I recently tested a tinted moisturiser from Spa Technologies, and while it failed on that front (given that it offered no coverage whatsoever...) it also had a natural SPF of 45, and felt more like a luxurious face cream than a chemical sunscreen. Fantastic news for everyone wanting a more natural alternative to the market mainstays.

And there's plenty of choice too - listed below are just some natural sunscreen brands available in the UK (and while my two favourite brands, listed above, are a little more costly, going 'au naturel' does NOT have to break the bank). As I haven't tried all of these, your feedback would be greatly appreciated. Leave a comment if you have!

• Bears Beauty 22% Zinc Sun Lover's Cream, from £2.65
• Bubbles for Hope Natural Sunscreen Stick, from £3.31
• Rocky Mountain Sunscreen Face Stick SPF 60, £3.74
• Bare Ends Sunscreen SPF 25, from £3.97
• Seasonal Remedies Home Made Natural Sunscreen, from £3.97
• Evergreen Helios Sunscreen Milk, £4.40
• Naturela Face Sunscreen, £4.43
• Purely Esssential Organic Sunscreen, £4.63
• Simple Life Mom Natural Sunscreen Lotion SPF 40, from £4.64
• Bare Earth Natural Sunscreen SPF 30, £5.29
• Little Granolas All Natural Sunblock SPF 30, £5.30
• Heavenly Hands Natural Solid Sunscreen, £5.30
• Alba Botanica SPF 45, £5.44
• Lavera Organic Sunscreen SPF 15, £5.75
• Alba Hawaiian Green Tea Sunblock, £6.37
• Lotus Herbals Sunblock Cream SPF 20, £6.44
• Terravana All Natural Sunscreen, £6.62
• Nature's Gate Face Sunscreen SPF 25, £7.42
• Uriage Bariésun SPF 50 Fragrance Free Cream, £8.22
• Lush Solid Sunscreen Wash SPF 30, £8.95 
• Jason Sunbrellas Facial Natural Sunblock SPF 20, £10.19
• Eco Cosmetics Sunscreen SPF 30, £10.89
• Mommy Care Facial Sunscreen SPF 15, £11.12
• Mustela Very High Sun Protection Lotion, £11.49
• Goddess Garden Sunny Body Natural Sunscreen SPF 30, £11.51
• Apicita Sun Cream Face and Body, £12.50
• Green People Scent Free Sun Lotion SPF 30, £12.99
• Antidote Skin Care Mineral Sunblock Lotion, £13.06
• Hang Ten Natural Sunscreen, £13.07
• Moraz Face Sun Saver SPF 50, £13.16
• Louis Widmer Sun Screen 25+, £13.70
• Apivita Sun Face and Body, £16.38