Best Pregnancy Sunscreen. Protect Your Skin and Your Health!

A lot of things change during pregnancy, including your skin.  Your skin becomes extra sensitive and prone to sunburn during these nine miraculous months. This requires you to take extra care in order to keep yourself and your precious bump safe from harmful UV exposure.

How do you do that? By applying lots and lots of sunscreen!

However, you need to be very careful when it comes to choosing your sunscreen. With all of the new information coming out about how some sunscreen ingredients may not be pregnancy-safe, you need to choose wisely. You definitely should not go for sunscreens with questionable chemical ingredients — particularly oxybenzone. Do not worry; there are many pregnancy-safe options readily available on Amazon that you can use while you are pregnant, and after delivery.

We have curated a list of the best pregnancy sunscreens available. They are all mama-safe, baby-friendly options. Let’s start with our favorite sunscreen— Blue Lizard Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen.

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Best Pregnancy Sunscreen

Blue Lizard’s Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen offers an SPF value of 30+ and is designed for sensitive skins. Not only is it free of chemicals that get absorbed into the skin, but it is also environment-friendly. This is hands down the perfect sunscreen for all expecting moms.

This sunscreen is repeatedly recommended by dermatologists, as it offers broad-spectrum protection from both UVA and UVB rays, is known for using safe ingredients, and is gentle enough to be used on the most sensitive of skins.

It has the perfect lotion-like consistency, which is why it is smooth on the skin. Even though it is a mineral sunscreen (which is notorious for their white sheen) using it in moderation will keep your skin from feeling greasy and allow the whiteness to fade away after a while.

It prevents any and all sun allergies from rearing their ugly heads. It is perfect for those with skin allergies like eczema as it does not aggravate the skin. And the best part is that it is fragrance-free, so it’s unlikely to bother those who are sensitive to fragrances.

It also has a UV detecting bottle that reminds you to cover up your precious skin even on overcast days. Blue Lizard’s sunscreen offers perfect protection from UV exposure. What more do you want from a mineral sunscreen that is safe to use both during and after pregnancy?!

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Runner Up: Best Sunscreen for Pregnancy

Thinkbaby’s Safe Sunscreen is consistently top-rated by The Environmental Working Group (EWG). It is highly water-resistant and is coral reef friendly. It offers SPF protection of 50+ and is free of harmful chemicals. Also, it has over 2000 reviews on Amazon, and a majority of them only had positive things to say about this product.

It has non-nano zinc oxide as an active ingredient, which allows your skin to reflect sun rays rather than absorb them in your bloodstream. No oxybenzone to be found here.

Why is it our second favorite pick instead of our top choice? It has a slight papaya fragrance to it, although the smell is quite pleasant to many.

Even though it does have a whitish appearance once applied, it is certainly less prominent than most mineral sunscreens.

It is smooth on all skin types and is moisturizing. It is also safe to use on sensitive skin. Plus, it is cruelty-free, vegan, and gluten-free!

You can easily use it under your makeup since it is breathable if applied sparingly. Plus, it does not make your eyes water, like most sunscreens tend to. So your makeup will be well protected.

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Budget Choice: Sunscreen for Pregnant Women

Earth Mama’s Mineral Sunscreen is the most budget-friendly sunscreen on our list. It was clinically tested for skin irritation and is thus safe to use on sensitive skins. Earth Mama’s mineral sunscreen is made of organic ingredients that facilitate skin protection and skin damage recovery.

This Zinc Oxide sunscreen has a creamy texture, which leaves a slight whiteness on your skin. But you can easily counter that by thoroughly rubbing it. The consistency is a bit thick, so it stays on your skin and protects it underwater as well. However, it can be a little oily for some skin types.

Like the others on our top list, this sunblock also a non-fragrant and reef-friendly sunscreen. And, its organic ingredients make it an ideal choice for pregnant mothers. It gives adequate protection for the amount of SPF value it has.

The only major drawback about this particular sunscreen is that there is not enough of the product in the tube, but the quality of the sunscreen and the protection it offers more than make up for it. Plus, finding such a good quality mineral sunscreen at this price it is next to impossible.

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Pregnancy Sunscreen Buyer’s Guide

In this section, we’ll consider some of the common questions that come up when shopping for pregnancy-safe sunscreens. And we will note that there is another option for tanning while pregnant: self-tanners.

What Should You Look for in a Pregnancy Sunscreen?

A high SPF level is obviously essential, but that is not all. There are some key factors that you should be mindful of when choosing the best sunscreen for pregnant women.

Broad-Spectrum Protection

The sunscreen you choose should have a broad spectrum range of protection. What does that entail? It has the potential to guard you against UVB and UVA rays. It’s vital to reflect both of these away from your skin since they collectively cause sunburn, premature aging, and skin cancers.

As this article on the benefits of tanning and sun exposure discusses, proper protection from both UVA and UVB rays is critical to sun safety.

High SPF

SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. You need to invest in a sunscreen that has a high SPF value. Sunscreen needs to be 30 or above to protect you from harmful sun rays.

Mineral Sunscreens

Mineral sunscreens are the best for pregnant women. They have titanium oxide and zinc oxide as their active ingredients. They are supposed to rest on your skin instead of getting absorbed in it. These sunscreens work great for sensitive skins as well.

These mineral sunscreens tend to leave a white-ish cast, but they are baby-safe, and do not get absorbed into the skin. They’re not found in the bloodstream or in breast milk, making them safe sunscreen option for breastfeeding women.

Organic Ingredients

Try to look for sunscreens that are mostly made of organic ingredients since chemical-based sunscreens are obviously going to cause harm to you and your unborn child. Plus, they are bad for the environment as well.

What Sunscreen Ingredient Should You Stay Away From During Pregnancy?

You should stay a mile away from any sunscreen that has oxybenzone. It’s commonly present in chemical sunscreens. It can enter your bloodstream and reach your fetus, thus affecting the health of your child.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently issued a recommendation that all pregnant and breastfeeding women avoid sunscreens containing oxybenzone.

It is highly unsafe since it’s apparently connected to potential birth defects and developmental problems. It can also reach your breast milk, post-pregnancy, so it is better if you stay away from chemical sunscreens altogether.

Be sure to see our mega-list of the best sunscreens for everything to get a birds-eye view on sunscreen.

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Pregnancy Sunscreen Reviews

In this section, we’ll orient ourselves with a comparison table to get the lay of the land. From there, we’ll dig into individual reviews. We’ll conclude with our favorites.

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Mineral Sunscreen Lotion SPF 25 by Earth Mama

Key Points at a Glance

• Reef-friendly sunscreen
• Clinically tested for skin irritation
• Water-resistant
• UVA/UVB protection
• Infused with Certified Organic Red Raspberry seed oil and Organic Argan oil

The Details

Earth Mama’s high-quality mineral sunscreen is a non-fragrant sunscreen with a creamy and smooth texture. It has organic Argan oil, which is highly moisturizing and helps your skin recover from sun-inflicted damage. It also has organic Red Raspberry seed oil, which has the highest SPF value of all the plants on the Earth.

This physical sunscreen works really well to keep the sunburn at bay, even on awfully hot and sunny days. Just give it some time to properly settle on your skin before stepping out in the sun and make sure to reapply it every two hours for maximum protection. The size of the tube makes it super easy to carry it in your purse or handbag.

Shake the tube thoroughly before application, otherwise, you won’t get the perfect creamy consistency. And don’t expect this gloop to completely absorb in your skin. It’s formulated with zinc, an active ingredient that will sit on top of your skin instead of being absorbed. This is a good thing for your health, though perhaps not for your look!

The organic ingredients used by Earth Mama make this sunscreen safe to use for children and pregnant or breastfeeding moms. It is perfect for sensitive skin as well; it does not cause breakouts or rashes of any sort since the ingredients are gentle on the skin.

Plus, this sunscreen is reef-friendly! What exactly does that mean? It has no harmful chemicals, parabens, and artificial fragrances, all of which are damaging to coral reefs. Also, it has non-nano zinc particles. Hence, it is safe to use on the skin.

It is quite thick and stays on well even underwater. Although this sunscreen is moisturizing, it might be a bit too greasy for some skin types, so the amount of cream you use should be based on your skin type and requirements.

Make sure that while applying the sunscreen, you rub it in nicely so that it does not leave any white residue on the surface of your skin. It also rubs in well compared to other mineral sunscreens.

The protection Earth Mama provides from sun rays matches its SPF value. However, the amount of sunscreen in the tube is pretty small, and will not last that long when applied consistently

The Bottom Line

If you are searching for a zinc oxide sunscreen that is also odorless, safe to use, and has natural non-toxic ingredients, this is the perfect brand for those on a budget!

Since it is a mineral sunscreen, it will scatter sun rays, reflecting them off the surface of your skin, without the use of toxic chemicals.
The organic ingredients are gentle on the skin. The texture is silky smooth and creamy. It is water-resistant yet moisturizing—it is truly the best of both worlds!

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Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen – Sensitive Sunscreen, SPF 30+

Key Points at a Glance

• Mineral Sunscreen
• Environment-Friendly
• Ideal for sensitive skin
• Water-resistant
• No chemical active ingredients
• Smart Bottle Technology

The Details

This mineral sunscreen by Blue Lizard is specially formulated for sensitive skin. It is both paraben and fragrance-free. It’s recommended by dermatologists for its broad-spectrum UVA/UVB SPF 30+ formula. With Zinc Oxide as primary active sunscreen, this formulation provides absolute protection from 97% of the harmful sun rays.

Both Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide reflect UV rays away from your skin. This sunscreen has 10% zinc oxide in it.

The bottle is designed to turn blue under harmful UV light. This is an outstanding feature! Most people don’t put on sunscreen when it is overcast, even though the sun rays are still damaging their skins. This color-changing bottle works well in reminding people to protect their precious skins.

Cleverl

This sunscreen has a rating of 1 in toxicity according to Environmental Working Group (EWG), which is the best score you can hope to get. Hence, it is a pretty safe option for expecting moms and people prone to skin irritation.

Applying it is easy because the texture is pretty lightweight and it rubs in well just like a lotion. However, make sure to use very little at a time.

It does not leave you looking pale, though it does have a whitish sheen when applied. But the sheen fades over time and is not that bad compared to some other mineral sunscreens.

However, it takes a while for your skin blend with this sunscreen.

If you are looking to get tanned, then this sunscreen is not for you! It works wonderfully to protect you from the rays, so much so that you typically don’t tan at all while wearing it. However, it might be a bit too thick and greasy for some people, which is why it is not good for everyday use.

Just make sure to use it sparingly; otherwise, it will make your skin look pasty!

Blue Lizard sunscreen does not use MIT or Methylisothiazolinone, a powerful preservative that is known to cause severe allergic reactions in some people. Hence, this sunscreen is uber safe for sensitive skin types and well worth the price. Plus, it does not stain clothes, unlike many chemical sunscreens.

The Bottom Line

Blue Lizard’s sunscreen is ideal for sensitive skin since it contains no chemical ingredients that react badly with the skin, and it is designed to be odorless. Dermatologists recommend this sunscreen to people who are super susceptible to sunburns. It actually works at keeping your sun allergies at bay and does not exacerbate your preexisting skin allergies.

It’s the ideal sunscreen for pregnant women and nursing moms.

The consistency is not thick like a cream; hence, it is easy to apply. However, don’t make the mistake of putting too much of this sunscreen on your skin; it will make you look white and will make your skin feel greasy and thick. Use it sparingly and rub it in nicely.

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Thinkbaby Safe Sunscreen SPF 50+

Key Points at a Glance

• Top-rated sunscreen by EWG
• No harmful chemicals
• Highly water-resistant
• SPF value is 50+
• Reef Friendly
• Certified Cruelty-Free, Gluten-Free, and Vegan

The Details

This is the Environmental Working Group’s top-rated sunscreen. It is free of harmful chemicals like avobenzone, oxybenzone, and parabens. It is highly water-resistant. It offers broad-spectrum coverage for UVA and UVB with its high SPF value of 50+. Its non-nano Zinc Oxide formulation is what makes it safe for pregnant women.

Check, check check!

Even though Thinkbaby is a fragrant sunscreen, the aroma is quite mild and pleasant. The natural scent used in this sunscreen is Papaya, but it tends to smell citrusy. But some sensitive types may react to the fragrances.

Thinkbaby safe sunscreen is easier to rub in than most other Zinc sunscreens. The white cast that is common with mineral sunscreens is not as prominent with this sunscreen on already fair-skinned folk. However, it might be a bit more pronounced on darker skin tones.

Don’t be alarmed if your sunscreen is too watery— just shake it vigorously before using and it will get that creamy texture which is perfect for application. It goes quite easily on all skins. It is not too greasy and is perfectly moisturizing, which is why it is perfect for slightly dry skin types.

Since it rubs all the way in, it is perfect to use under your makeup and does not affect it in any way. It does not cause redness or tearing of the eyes, which most sunscreens do. It is also perfect if you are looking for a sunscreen that does not stain your clothes.

It offers maximum sun protection but tends to stick to your skin. And it has a thick feel to it when applied on the skin. So make sure you don’t use too much of it, especially on your face. Apply just enough to cover the whole surface of your skin.

There is a negative trend of this sunscreen arriving at the buyer’s doorstep with an expiration date within a few months of purchase. This can certainly discourage buyers from buying this safe, high-quality sunscreen.

Check the expiration date when you receive it.

The Bottom Line

The safe ingredients make Thinkbaby’s sunscreen ideal for use during pregnancy. Also, it is super gentle to use. It does leave a white cast and can stay on your skin, but both these problems are not an issue as they can be resolved by thoroughly rubbing the sunscreen on your skin.

With this sunscreen, you get .3 ounces of mineral sunscreen with a high Zinc Oxide percentage in an affordable price range.

It works well for both kids and adults. Just make sure to apply it as directed and you will be good to go with no sun tanning or burning.

Just check the expiration date when you receive it, and request another if it’s a very short time away.

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Babo Botanicals Sheer Zinc SPF 30

Key Points at a Glance

• Spray-on
• Lighter than cream-based sunscreens
• No fragrance
• EWG verified
• Organic ingredients

The Details

This spray-on sunscreen by Babo Botanicals soothes, moisturizes, and protects your skin. The 100% Non-Nano Zinc sunscreen gives Broad Spectrum UVA/UVB protection. The Organic Shea Butter, Avocado, and Jojoba Oils help moisturize and protect your skin. The Organic Sunflower Oil, a key ingredient, helps soothe and repair dry and damaged skin.

Babo Botanicals’ sunscreen comes in an aerosol spray bottle, which is made of recyclable aluminum. It is both gluten and cruelty-free. This sunscreen is EWG verified with organic ingredients and zero fragrance.

Even though it is a spray-on sunscreen, you should rub it in after spraying it on, regardless. This helps to make certain that the sunscreen covers your skin evenly.

It rubs in quicker than the creamier physical sunscreens on our list and is also lighter than them.

But the lighter consistency affects its effectiveness as well, so it is best to use on a regular basis. This stuff won’t be as effective if you are at the beach as a mineral lotion sunscreen will be.

Although it is a spray-on sunscreen, it still has Zinc, so it has a whitish sheen to it. However, if you rub it in vigorously, the white cast goes away. You can also spray it on as a makeup setting spray. It won’t provide you with the same glow, but it will set your makeup nicely. Plus, it is water and sweat-resistant for up to 80 minutes!

Make sure you dry your skin before applying it to go underwater and reapply generously if you are using it at the beach. Applying it on wet skin will most likely not protect you, and will lead to sunburns.

Even though it is a good sunscreen, many customers have complained about its spray nozzle. The quality of the nozzle is subpar at best. It stops working after a few uses. It gets stuck or clogged, or breaks.

Furthermore, even though it is pretty easy to apply and rub in, it does get on your clothes, leaving either a white or rust-colored stain that does not come out easily.

The Bottom Line

Babo Botanicals’ non-fragrant sunscreen is super easy to use, as you just have to spray it on and rub it in. It is also lighter on the skin than the cream-based mineral sunscreens and requires less effort to rub into your skin.

Even though it is an effective, safe-to-use sunscreen spray, the quality of the spray nozzle is lacking. The company needs to work on improving this major manufacturing flaw.

A lot of the sunscreen remains unused if the nozzle stops working unexpectedly, and you can’t access it any other way since it is an aerosol spray bottle.

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Two Peas Organics SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen

Key Points at a Glance

• Certified Organic, biodegradable ingredients
• Safe for babies, kids, and adults!
• Chemical Free
• No Scent
• 20% Zinc Oxide
• Water-resistant up to 80 minutes

The Details

This sunscreen by Peas Organic is coral reef-friendly, waterproof, and unscented. It does not sting your eyes as most sunscreens do! It is organic and natural with a rating of 1 by the EWG. Hence, it is great for sensitive skin since it has no harsh chemicals. The use of natural ingredients prevents breakouts and allergies!

This sunblock is formulated with 20% Zinc Oxide, which is why this is one of the top sunscreens in terms of UV protection. But like all the others, this also means that you are left to deal with pasty skin after application. To minimize the whiteness, you need to rub the sunscreen in quite thoroughly.

The price is great for the amount and quality of sunscreen you get. Plus, many find that a little goes a long way. This will definitely help the product last longer. The best part about this sunscreen, though, is the percentage of active Zinc Oxide; it is rare to find a mineral sunscreen with this percentage in this price range.

Although it works well, Pea Organics sunscreen requires a lot of effort to blend in and absorb in your skin due to its thickness. But this thickness provides great water-resistance. Even though it might be too thick to use every day, it is ideal for a beach day.

It is a bit difficult to squeeze this mineral sunscreen out of the tube, but kneading the tube a little will help with that. It can make your skin oily after application, so maybe don’t use a whole lot of it if you already have oily skin because it might clog your pores.

Plus, the Pea Organics sunscreen has a shelf life of two years! You can easily check the expiration date on the front top of the tube. While it is not vegan-friendly, since it contains beeswax, it is gluten-free.

The Bottom Line

This is a great organic sunscreen with biodegradable ingredients! It is one of the safest sunscreens out there as it is chemical-free. Expecting moms can apply this sunscreen and step out in the sun without worrying about its damaging effects on their skins and babies.

It is comparatively cheaper than other mineral sunscreens out there, and you don’t need to apply a whole lot of it for sun protection. It also does not sting your eyes and has no artificial fragrance.

Just make sure you thoroughly rub it in your skin to avoid the pastiness and zombie-look that is commonly associated with mineral sunscreens. The thickness of this particular sunscreen makes it super waterproof and ideal for a day at the beach.

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Conclusion

Make sure to protect yourself and your precious unborn child from harmful UV rays by applying the best sunscreens available for use during pregnancy. Be smart about your choices!

If you want a sunscreen that provides safe protection from the sun, has a useful reminder bottle, and is amazing for sensitive skin, then try out the Blue Lizard sensitive Mineral sunscreen.

However, if you want a sunscreen that has a fruity but mild fragrance in addition to all the features that Blue Lizard’s sunscreen offers, then you could opt for Thinkbaby Safe Sunscreen.

And for those on a budge twho need a sunscreen that is safe to use during pregnancy, odorless, and made of organic ingredients, then Earth Mama’s Mineral Sunscreen is the option you have been looking for.

We hope our list of sunscreens will help you make the very best, safe choice for yourself and your unborn child.