Review of California Baby No Fragrance Sunblock Stick SPF 30+

I needed to find a good facial sunblock for our trip to Florida. Because of all the hype currently surrounding the safety of ingredients in sunscreen, I searched the ewg.org website looking for a sunblock that would protect my face, and not make me break out. (For those who don't know--Environmental Working Group is a group who rates, on a scale of 1-10, the safety of the ingredients in a product. The lower the score, the safer the product, according to them.) I chose to purchase California Baby No Fragrance Sunblock Stick SPF 30 due to it's low score. I ordered it from American Discount Beauty Supply, and paid $18.94 (that included shipping) for the .50 oz. stick. Pricey, but worth it if it worked.

What they say:(from the bottle)

"Non-chemical sunscreen, tear-free, no PABA, no fragrance, UVA-UVB Broad Spectrum Protection, no nut oils, gluten, soy, oat or dairy. Contains organic and sustainably grown ingredients, not tested on animals, eco-friendly. No parabens, sodium benzoate, benzoic acid, benzyl alcohol or phenoxyethanol." Their website, californiababy.com, also claims the product is non-comedogenic.

What I say:

This product comes in a cylindrical tube, and is about 1 inch wide. It has a picture of a smiling sun, and features the words "no fragrance" and "SPF30+ Sunblock Stick" prominently on the bottle.

You take off the cap sleeve to reveal a twist-tube product. You twist the bottom, and the stick comes up. The product is white, and has no discernible scent.

I applied the stick by drawing lines across my face, then blended them in with my fingers. I found that the product applied easily, and was about the consistency of lip balm. The product turns a funny light purplish color on the skin, so you know where it is. After a while, the color takes on a more light-pink cast. Later in the day, it becomes sort of white-ish. Remember...I reapplied several times, so it may not be as noticeable later in the day if you haven't globbed this stuff on like I did.

I found this product very hard to remove. I had to wash my face twice, then use a facial scrub to get my face squeaky clean! I know that sunblock that has staying power is supposed to be a good thing, but I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if someone used this on their baby. Again, maybe I used too much.

While I love the fact that this product absolutely protected my face (including my lips), it did, in fact, make my skin break out. It was fairly minor, and since it protected my facial skin 100%, I was okay with that even though the company claims the product is non-comedogenic.

I loved the fact that my facial skin did not appear to have been exposed to the sun at all during our entire trip. I could have done without the breakout, but maybe that's because I used so much. (Note: my husband used this on his face, did not reapply, did not get burned, and did not breakout.)

This stuff is definitely pricey, but a little goes a long way, and is great at protecting delicate skin from the sun. I would recommend this product to those seeking a sunblock featuring "safer" ingredients. For more on the debate of the safety of ingredients in sunblock, I stumbled across this article, in case you're interested: http://www.skincancer.org/content/view/339/13/