Going Deep Into the World Of Sunscreen
Y’all. You know us by now. When we investigate companies, we go deep! We do not scratch the surface. Some companies can be bothered that we ask “tough” questions. We think that asking where ingredients are sourced and how they are manufactured is pretty basic information, but it is amazing the push back we can get. With Goddess Garden, the moment we had questions, they went to great lengths to get us the answers we were looking for. They always welcomed our questions and digging and have shown us nothing but transparency. For us, this is just as important as the product itself. Before we get into our individual reviews on Goddess Garden, we wanted to give you some background and basics of the company and products.
Goddess Garden was started by the husband wife team of Nova and Paul. Although life long environmentalists, the catalyst to start Goddess Garden was birthed from their daughter who was allergic to chemicals in traditional bath and cosmetics products. Nova, with an herbalist background, and Paul, with a nutrition science degree, were inspired to develop safe skincare solutions, using the pure minerals zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as the active agents for sun protection. From there, Goddess Garden was born! How awesome is that? Us parents go to great lengths to not only make a way for our children but to help and solve a need for many parents and children out there. Massive props, Nova and Paul!
Their products basically fall into 3 different categories of Sunscreen, Sun Repair & Aromatherapy. We have not ventured into their aromatherapy so we are going to hone in on the Sunscreen and Sun Repair categories. The sunscreen that they offer comprises of options for everyday wear, kids, sport, baby and an organic facial sunscreen. Their sun repair options consist of eye cream, serums, after sun, facial primer, night repair and cleanser.
Ingredients & Manufacturing
After thoroughly looking into their product ingredients we were very impressed with the them but we were left with a few questions. These are the questions we asked them:
They were able to speak with their chemist who let us know that the tocopherol was derived from vegetable oil. The stearic acid is derived from coconut oil and the xanthan gum is fermented from soy protein and wheat starch. Initially the xanthum gum derivative was a turn off but we did learn that the soy protein and wheat starch are <10ppm and <5ppm respectively in the raw ingredient and present no allergy issues…sigh of relief. All of their products are manufactured in their small facility in Boulder, Colorado.
Onto Our Reviews
Kacy’s Review: Kids Natural Sunscreen Trigger Spray, Aloe Vera After Sun Gel
This was another great company that we were excited to meet at Expo West. Can I just say that I love finding a kids sunscreen that has non-toxic ingredients and is reasonably priced? Hallelujah! When I switched to a non-toxic sunscreen back in 2009, I used to pay over $40 for a jar of sunblock….worth it, but not budget friendly. I’m so glad that we found this option for my daughter! The Kids Natural Sunscreen Trigger Spray works great! We’ve used this on her for her afternoon, outdoor playtime with friends and pool days. It sprays out white like any normal looking sunblock and I normally reapply after she swims or if she is not in the pool, every couple of hours. It has worked really well. So well that she hasn’t needed to use the Aloe Vera After Sun Gel…but I have!
The After Sun Gel came in handy for me because being a redhead…well if you are not doing the above at all times, you get burned! I mistakenly was outside chatting with friends for about an hour on an OVERCAST day (people!) and I got uber burned! Like, really? Well, this sucker came in handy. I am crazy sensitive to products, many times even natural products, so I always wonder if something I put on me is going to keep me up at night because it revs my system up. Massive score that not only did that not happen, it worked really well! I just followed the directions on the bottle and bada bing bada boom! Within a couple of days there was no more lobster fest!
I give them a Sisters Certified stamp, but does my sister agree?
Kara’s Review: Kids Sport Natural Sunscreen Continuous Spray
Let me start by saying this sunscreen protects! It is SPF 30 and water resistant for 80 minutes. We have been to pool parties, water parks, played Little League games, gone to the beach, amusements parks and played outside for hours and this spray has held up.
Being a redhead reapplying sunscreen every hour is a habit, but not with my darker skinned husband. He tries to remember, but forgets all of the time, so when the boys came home after being at the pool for about 4 hours I did a sunburn check.
One of my sons has my coloring and one has my husbands. I went right for my older, more sunburn prone son, no pink, not even an inkling of sun exposure. Then came the confessions, they had been in the water almost that entire time, applying Kids Sport Natural Sunscreen Continuous Spray once before entering and reapplying one other time. These kids were in full sun, in the pool for about 3.5 hours and neither one had any sign of sun exposure let alone a sunburn. I don’t recommend going longer than 80 minutes before reapplying, but I’m glad they were protected for the two hours before they reapplied!
This sprays on white and then you must rub it in. It absorbs into your skin really well and unless you have extremely dry skin, it leaves no white residue. I used this on my face as well, spraying it into my hands and then applying to my face. If my face is very dry it can leave some white residue. With my kids it always rubs in clear.
Headed out for an afternoon at the pool!
Check out the ewg.org ratings for Goddess Garden products. This continuous spray has a 3 rating, my limit is usually a 2, so 3 compelled me to investigate further. I do want to add that the Goddess Garden Kids Sport Natural Sunscreen Lotion has a 1 rating.
After hearing back from the chemist on the specific ingredients used in Goddess Garden products and feeling confident that I wasn’t putting anything harmful on my body I wondered WHY is this sunscreen rated a 3? It is two fold, the reason the spray’s are rated more harmful is because the zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are airborne. Risk of inhalation and not enough research has been done to know if that is harmful to people or the environment. Erring on the side of caution it is therefore rated a 3. It has nothing to do with SPF performance or ingredients.
I too give Goddess Garden a Sisters Certified stamp!
You can find Goddess Garden products at Sprouts, CVS, Frazier Farms, Whole Foods, Mother’s Market and Kitchen, The Vitamin Shoppe, Amazon, of course the Goddess Garden website and many other locations in the USA and Canada. Check out the Goddess Garden Find Us page to find a retailer near you or shop online!
Goddess Garden would like to give our readers 25% off! Stock up for the summer folks with a product that is safe for your kids and you!
Go to the Goddess Garden website and use coupon code GG25 at checkout to get your discount!
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