“My daughter gets terrible prickly heat and has had bad reactions to all the normal kids sensitive sun cream, we have just returned from a week in majorca and used this sun cream every day and it was brilliant on her skin, will definitely be buying some more.”
“Love the fact that this is organic and non-greasy. It is the least greasy sun screen I have ever encountered. I first bought it for my little girl, but now use it myself too. My only concern is the use of nano-ingredients. I am not entirely sure about this.”
Thank you for your review.
The titanium dioxide that we use is classed as nano-particulate as the individual particles are between 40nm and 80nm in size. Manufacturers use micronised or nano-titanium dioxide in sun lotions because it offers effective protection against UVA rays, the type of radiation that penetrates the skin and which is a leading cause of skin cancers including basal cell carcinoma and melanoma. The only other way of offering the same level of UVA protection would be to use synthetic chemical sun filters that have been shown to have harmful effects including the ability to mimic hormones in the body.
The concerns over titanium dioxide nanoparticles are two-fold - firstly that due to their greater surface area they have an increased ability to react with other molecules, particularly oxygen, and secondly that they may enter the body through the skin and thereby reach internal organs where they may cause damage due to their increased reactivity.
To counter these two potential problems, the manufacturers of titanium dioxide UV filters in cosmetics treat the minerals during production by coating each particle with a very fine layer of silicates - effectively they coat it in glass. This treatment has the effect of shielding the titanium dioxide from contact with other materials, including oxygen. This lack of contact prevents any potential reactions from taking place, and renders the mineral absolutely inert. It is therefore incapable of causing oxidative damage, the first of the two concerns.
Secondly, when nano-particles are incorporated into a cream or lotion they clump together, forming aggregations. These are held together by forces of molecular attraction that prevent the primary particles from becoming separated when applied to the skin. Therefore, although the primary particle size of the minerals is in theory small enough to be absorbed through the skin, in practice the aggregations that are formed in creams and lotions are too large to cross through the skin-blood barrier. Instead, they remain on the surface of the skin where they reflect and scatter UV light.
We share many people’s concerns over the advances being made in nano-technology, particularly in the creation of novel molecules such nano-spheres and nano-tubes. However, nano-particulate Titanium dioxide obtained by micro-fine grinding of the mineral has been safely used as a UV filter in cosmetics for over 30 years and there is a wealth of evidence to support that safety.
“My daughter's face has gone blotchy and her eyes have watered after usIng suncream from high street brands. She was absolutely fine when we applied this one. I've yet to have cause to check the sun protection (the weather's not been good enough!) but it's certainly gentler on her skin.”
“Sadly we were disappinted by using this product on our 2.5year old son because it created itchiness and rash. Applied as instructed but apparently some ingredients are not suitable for our son. We switched to a different organic brand and he was fine, no itchiness or redness. Unfortunately, we bought 2 of these as we have had a 2 week planned holiday in Spain which now sit in the cabinet. Toothpastes on the other hand, are excellent and the whole family loves them.”
Thank you for your review. We are sorry to hear your son reacted to one of our products. Every individual is unique in their chemical and biological make-up, it is therefore impossible to create skin care products that are suitable for absolutely everybody. We select our product ingredients with great care, to minimise the potential for allergic reactions and sensitivities. Even natural ingredients can cause reactions and some people can be just as sensitive to them as to synthetic chemical ingredients.
If you would like to return this to us we would be happy to provide you with a full refund or exchange. To do this please kindly complete our returns form or note which states your name, postcode, contact telephone number, reason for returning & whether you would like a refund or exchange and send back to FREEPOST GREENPEOPLE, this is all you need to write on the package, it is a Royal Mail service we have already paid for. For more information please contact organic@greenpeople.co.uk
“I loved using this sun cream on my baby, now toddler! It's lovely and thick and I felt confident about her being in the sun with it on. Never got any sun burn. Other sun creams give her a reaction similar to heat rash that doesn't disappear for weeks, but not with this! Very happy to have found something that's ok for her sensitive skin knowing there's no nasties in it.”
“We have used this cream for years. Love the fact that my son is protected with no nasties as he has sensitive skin & eczema. It is really easy to apply even after swimming.”
