Our opportunity to create the first natural, organic, vegan mineral sunscreen

What is the problem right now in the world of SPFs?

There are two types of sunscreens:

Chemical sunscreens which use synthetic chemicals to deflect the sun's rays back. There are often over 30 ingredients in a typical chemical sunscreen, and almost all are synthetic chemicals which your skin simply doesn't need. They can play havoc with your skin externally and also enter your bloodstream through your skin.

Chemical sunscreens penetrate directly into the skin absorbing the UV rays and turning them into heat that’s released by the skin. Some active chemical ingredients like Oxybenzone and Avobenzone have been linked to hormone disruption as well as possible allergic reactions.  This is before you also get into the usual cocktail of synthetic chemicals contained in water based products - preservatives, emulsifiers and other harmful chemicals.

We will be uploading a video to Instagram soon that really sums this all up from Kevin: 

Mineral sunscreens more often are made using zinc oxide (made using zinc and oxygen which is created into a fine powder).  Titanium dioxide can also be used.  

While both titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are mineral sunscreens that effectively protect against UV rays, zinc oxide generally offers broader spectrum protection, particularly against UVA rays, making it a better choice for comprehensive sun defence, whereas titanium dioxide may be preferred for its lighter feel and less noticeable white cast, but may not cover the full UVA spectrum as well as zinc oxide does.

As zinc is a mineral it sits on top of the skin and deflects back the sun’s UVA and UVB rays. It is not absorbed into the skin like most chemical sunscreens. Zinc oxide is thus referred to as a “physical barrier substance” rather than a “chemical substance.” 

However, even some of the products claiming to be natural, mineral sunscreen still have lots of water and chemicals in them. Mineral sunscreens can also leave your skin looking white as they are quite thick and can take time to rub in to your skin. 

Coraline has sensitive skin and on a trip to Australia in 2018 we chose a child-friendly, supposedly natural, mineral sunscreen for her and her face went bright red in reaction to the ingredients in it.

So, what's the opportunity for us?

Over the last 10-15 years there’s been more data coming out about the need to wear SPF on a daily basis, even on overcast and cold days. For us, if you’re wearing it everyday, as with all the other skincare we produce, it’s important that it’s as clean as possible. 

Well we have the grand opportunity to make the first natural, organic, vegan mineral sunscreen which feels luxurious but blends in to the skin easily and doesn't leave a white caste.

We have the potential to create a mineral sunscreen which is completely natural, benefits your skin and has no chemicals which can enter your bloodstream or the environment. You can trust that it will be completely natural due to Kevin's unwavering integrity for ingredients and passion for our health and that of the planet.

Kevin has researched what is out there long and hard, and has been unable to find a natural, organic, vegan sunscreen. 

He can find a natural, vegan sunscreen but it is not fully organic, meaning it still potentially contains chemicals. He can find a natural, organic sunscreen which is reef safe but it is not vegan (as it is made using beeswax).  He has yet to find all three elements in a sunscreen: natural, organic and vegan.

Many mineral sunscreens are thick and heavy and the skin is left looking white.  We are creating an SPF with maximum protection, but with a lighter feel that blends in easily.

We have a chance to change the face of sunscreens.

And there's a lot of interest!

A natural SPF is one of the most asked about products by our customers

A North Devon surf shop is ready to stock our sunscreen as surfers are continually asking them if they sell a reef safe sunscreen

Many of our customers are keen to wear a sunscreen to help protect their skin from the sun and to minimise the visible effects of agieng. Zinc oxide as a sunscreen can really help due to its ability to protect skin from UVA and UVB rays and thus help reduce and minimise the visible effects of ageing.     

Practical steps: it won't be easy!

So what are the risks and challenges about how Kevin is going to solve the issue of not quite natural sunscreens which make our skin turn white?

How is he going to make this sunscreen?

Kevin has in fact been developing our SPF for the past two years using zinc oxide and oil and it sits beautifully on the skin.

We had testing rounds where friends and family used it in the UK in summer 2024, and he refined the formula based on their feedback. He arrived at a beautiful formula which blended in, as tested by Liz and her relatives in Australia in January 2025 as well as UK Coraline Skincare customers. All of the testers loved it. But he hit a snag when he confidently submitted his formula to our regulatory cosmetic chemist. It didn't quite achieve the minimum SPF30 we were after (any SPF above 30 only gives about 1% more protection against UVB rays).

The hugely encouraging news is that our cosmetic chemist who determines our sunscreen's SPF are on our side and are encouraging him to keep tweaking the formula. We have received truly expert counsel from them which is going to be game changing for us. They believe in him. Kevin learned so much from their feedback and has taken huge amounts from it. 

As Kevin tweaks the formula the great challenge is whether he can achieve SPF30 whilst  keeping the formula waterless. He can tell if this is going to work or not, as he will see if his formulation "splits" when he make it or not (i.e. separates in its container).

The risk is that Kevin will need to introduce a preservative to the product to stop it splitting. He would also need to introduce water for such a recipe. So far, he has managed to keep Coraline Skincare's range entirely waterless (read our blog post on this to see how we are often paying for water in our skincare and how, as soon as water is added to a product a chemical preservative is required and emulsifiers to stop liquids separating in the product).

The other challenges we face are that regulatory costs to get the sunscreen approved will be around £2000-3000, on top of what we have already spent.

And that ingredients get cheaper when you buy in bulk, which makes development expensive as Kevin is not buying huge amounts of ingredients yet. Also the packaging he is thinking about, which is sustainable, is more expensive and needs to be included in the product price. 

But, like the cosmetic chemist, we have belief. We've already got a name for our sunscreen, "Protect the Asset". We can picture it on our shop shelves and on our website (the image of the label above is not finalised - just a placeholder for now so watch this space too)!

Promise

If there's one thing we know about Kevin, he's persistent; the hallmark of a true entrepreneur. The challenges simply make Kevin redouble his efforts, with his goal in mind. He will keep trying out new formulas. Our customers are behind us, our family and friends are behind us and the cosmetic chemist is behind him. Kevin is driven by his passion for ingredients and his absolute commitment to do the best for all our health and the environment. He is determined and dedicated. He is excited and energised.

When he gets it right, it's going to be one mighty achievement. 

We are ready to make history!