The Best Zinc Sunscreens in Australia, as Voted by the Crazy Arms Team

The best zinc sunscreen says SPF 50 or 50+ and broad spectrum on the label, lists zinc oxide as its active ingredient, carries an AUST L number, and feels nice enough that your family will put it on every day. Zinc and chemical sunscreens both protect. The TGA's own advice is to choose the one you prefer, because you're more likely to use it.

The Crazy Arms team often get asked what sunscreens we recommend for those parts of the body that can’t be protected by clothing.

With so many to choose from on the supermarket shelves, it can be a daunting task to pick one. The reality is that using any of the available sunscreens is better than no sun screen on high UV days.

But if you want to be a bit fussier, below are the top 3 choices we use on ourselves and our family.

What should you look for on a zinc sunscreen label?

Turn the tube over. Everything that matters is printed on it.

• SPF 50 or 50+. Cancer Council's SunSmart advice is SPF50 or 50+ for any skin you can't cover with clothing. The plus means the sunscreen tested higher than SPF 50: the TGA only allows it when the result is SPF 60 or more.
• Broad spectrum. It means protection from both UVA and UVB. The TGA says every sunscreen sold mainly for sun protection has to provide it and say so on the label.
• Zinc oxide under active ingredients. That's what makes it a zinc sunscreen. Some mineral sunscreens use titanium dioxide as well, or instead.
• An AUST L number. It means the sunscreen is listed with the TGA and can be legally sold in Australia. You can look the number up on the TGA's website, and the name it shows should match the name on the tube.
• Water resistant, if you swim or sweat. SunSmart says water resistant sunscreens are less likely to be washed off.
• The expiry date. SunSmart says sunscreen may no longer be effective once it expires. (Yes, that includes the tube that has been rolling around the boot since last summer.)

Past that, it comes down to feel. A sunscreen that stays in the cupboard protects nobody, so pick the one your family will actually wear.

Zinc or chemical sunscreen: what's the difference?

Both chemical and mineral blockers do the job. Chemical sunscreens work through chemicals which absorb the UVB and UVA.

The TGA puts it the same way. Mineral sunscreens, also called physical sunscreens, use zinc oxide or titanium dioxide to reflect or scatter UV. Chemical sunscreens absorb UV and turn it into heat, which is then released from the skin. Both protect.

The difference you'll notice is the feel. The TGA says mineral sunscreens can feel thicker and heavier, while chemical ones are generally lighter and less greasy. Its advice is to choose the one you prefer, because you'll use it more often.

Mineral blockers like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide work differently, by sitting on top of the skin and deflecting UV rays. The Crazy Arms team tend to use these products when we are out and about with our families. These mineral blockers are famous for the 'white' look.

(The bright zinc stripe across the nose is optional these days, though the kids may still ask for it.)

Which zinc sunscreens do we use?

Ok, we’re not chemists or dermatologists. However, we do read what is written on the packs and their corporate websites with a critical eye. We have spent a bit of time analysing the ingredient lists, as well as trying and testing on ourselves and our kids under the Australian sun.

While all three brands offer SPF 30 versions, we strongly recommend the SPF 50 for long days in the sun.

Here's what each label says: size, SPF and the active ingredient, with our price.

On or in the water? Sunbutter

Sunbutter is our pick for the beach and the pool. Sunbutter SPF 50 sunscreen comes in a 100g tin, and there's a 120g tube too, both SPF 50 with zinc oxide as the active ingredient.

Most importantly, our 11-year-old really likes the feel and enjoys using it on her face before school. It rubs on smoothly and easily.

If you're in and out of the water all day, SunSmart's advice holds: reapply at least every two hours, and a water resistant sunscreen is less likely to wash off.

Sport and play: people4ocean

Our pick for sport and social days is the people4ocean SPF 50+ Mineral Bioactive Shield, in an 80g size. people4ocean describe it as a pearlescent, moisturising mineral sunscreen, vegan and waterless, with non-nano zinc oxide (227.5mg per gram) as the active ingredient. They also say it replaces their earlier SPF 50 Vegan Sunscreen, with improvements to the formula and packaging.

We love P4O for its non-greasy, easy to rub in properties. There's a slight granular feel that feels like a gentle exfoliation, and the light coconut oil fragrance rounds out the feeling of a mini-spa treatment in preparation for the sun.

For kids: Little Urchin

Our kids love the Clear Zinc sunscreen - especially the no fuss application using the Zinc Stick to top up the highly vulnerable areas like noses and cheeks.

Little Urchin is SPF 50+ right through the range, with zinc oxide as the active ingredient: the Little Urchin Natural Clear Zinc Sunscreen in 100g and a 300g family size, a Kids version, a 50g face sunscreen and a 20g zinc stick for the kit bag.

You'll find all three brands in our zinc sunscreen range.

Which zinc sunscreen is best for your face?

The same kind you'd use on your body, in a size that lives in your bag. Faces, ears and necks are the hardest bits to cover, and SunSmart points out that caps and visors leave large parts of them exposed. A wide brim hat and sunscreen work together there.

Little Urchin's Natural Face Sunscreen is 50g, SPF 50+, with zinc oxide. And Sunbutter is the one that goes on a face before school in one of our houses (see above).

How much sunscreen do you need, and how often?

More than most of us use. SunSmart's advice is to cover up whenever the UV Index is 3 or above, to put sunscreen on 20 minutes before you go outside, to reapply at least every two hours, and that most adults need 7 teaspoons for one full body application.

That's a lot of rubbing in on a Saturday at the cricket, which is where we come in. Cover the arms with UPF 50+ arm sleeves and the sunscreen goes where the sleeves don't: face, neck, ears and hands.

Crazy Arms sleeves are made from ARPANSA tested UPF 50+ fabric, which blocks at least 98% of UV. (UPF is the rating for fabric, the way SPF is for sunscreen, and ARPANSA is the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency.) A sleeve doesn't replace sunscreen. It sits alongside your hat, shade and sunscreen for everything it doesn't cover.

If you're wondering how UPF on a sleeve compares with SPF on a tube, our post on the best fabric for sun sleeves explains it.

Zinc sunscreen questions

What is the best zinc sunscreen in Australia?

One that says SPF 50 or 50+ and broad spectrum, lists zinc oxide as the active ingredient, has an AUST L number, and that your family will happily wear. In our houses that's Sunbutter for the water, people4ocean for sport and Little Urchin for the kids.

Is zinc sunscreen better than chemical sunscreen?

Not for protection. The TGA says mineral and chemical sunscreens both protect against UV, and suggests choosing the one you prefer, because you're likely to use it more often.

What is zinc sunscreen?

A mineral sunscreen, sometimes called a physical sunscreen, with zinc oxide as its active ingredient. The TGA says mineral sunscreens protect by reflecting or scattering UV, while chemical sunscreens absorb it.

What are the downsides of zinc sunscreen?

Mostly the feel. The TGA says mineral sunscreens can feel thicker and heavier than chemical ones, which are generally lighter and less greasy.

Can zinc sunscreen be clear?

Yes. Some are made to go on clear and say so in the name, like Little Urchin's Natural Clear Zinc range.

Our blog articles are based on our own experience and research.