Coppertone Pure & Simple Baby SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen Stick Review

This sunscreen stick is a mainstay in my diaper bag because it offers a reliable way to touch up my daughter's sunscreen when we're outside.

More often than not, my daughter will say “no want to put on sunscreen” when she knows I’m about to come at her with some sunscreen before going outside in the morning. I usually have to wrestle with her a bit before she finally gives in to my persistent efforts to smear some on her. Since I don’t always feel too confident about how evenly I’ve applied her sunscreen, I’ve started relying on a sunscreen stick as an extra layer of insurance after we go outdoors. That means I’ll apply liquid sunscreen to her face before we go out, then add another layer of sunscreen via a sunscreen stick. She usually doesn’t mind the stick so much and says “baby sunscreen!” in a delighted tone whenever she sees me pull it out. She also likes applying it to her face after I’m done. Lately, I’ve been using Coppertone Pure & Simple Baby SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen Stick, and it’s been working out pretty well. Let’s see what my dad thinks of this product and then get into the nitty gritty of my personal review of this product.

Coppertone Pure & Simple Baby SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen Stick ingredients

Active ingredients: zinc oxide (20%)

Inactive ingredients: cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, behenyl behenate, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, theobroma cacao (cocoa) seed butter, polyhydroxystearic acid, ricinus communis (castor) seed oil, squalane, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed wax, butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), euphorbia cerifera (candelilla) wax, tocopherol, caprylic/capric triglyceride, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, aloe barbadensis leaf extract

My dad the chemist’s review of Coppertone Pure & Simple Baby SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen Stick

Dear Emily, I like all the ingredients except Castor seed oil, it may cause irritation. This formula may not have much water resistance, therefore if the baby’s body will be coming in contact with water for more than a few minutes, the sunscreen may not have enough on baby for protection. But if apply without being dip into the water, it may be able to protect baby from UV exposure.

This is an oil based sunscreen, but it doesn’t contain any polymer to coat it , (you may apply the sunscreen on hands let it dry then flush with tap water, some sunscreen may still stay on the hands but if you submerge your hands in water, with movement, the sunscreen won’t stay on skin completely and you may get sun burn as a result.

Love, Dad

Coppertone Pure & Simple Baby SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen Stick review

Coppertone Pure & Simple Baby SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen Stick does leave a bit of a white cast, but it blends in a bit more nicely if you rub it in with your fingers. My only complaint is that when you get to the bottom of the stick, the whole bottom portion might fall out when you open the cap. It’s also hard to know when you’re about to reach the end of the stick, so it’s taken me by surprise before. My advice is to always carry a backup sunscreen stick on you just in case you’re about to reach the bottom of yours.

As my dad noted, it seems like it may not have much water resistance, even though it claims to offer 80 minutes of water resistance. I haven’t used it for swimming, so I can’t verify how well it works. According to my dad, in order to be truly water resistant, it needs to contain a polymer to coat it, since it is an oil based formula. However, it doesn’t seem like it contains any polymers in the ingredients.

He also thinks that castor oil may cause irritation to some people. I haven’t noticed any irritation on my daughter’s skin, so I’m going to continue using it. She doesn’t mind the concistency (doesn’t seem too oily or thick), and I like that I can see the white smear it leaves behind so I know where I’ve applied it and where I haven’t. In combination with a hat, and another layer of (water/sweat-resistant!) sunscreen underneath it, I feel comfortable that my daughter is well protected from the sun. I’ve also used it on my own face and hands in a pinch when I’ve realized that I’ve forgotten to apply sunscreen. It was easy to apply, and I did feel a little oily on my skin, but it was no worse than your average sunscreen.

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