Average Cost: $12/6oz can
Official URL: http://www.bananaboat.com
Rating:

All sunscreens are not created equal. And all “Tear free” sunscreens are not necessarily tear free. Banana Boat Ultramist Baby SPF50 is one of the few “tear free” sunscreens that I have managed to find that actually fits that description.

SCENT

Due to the spray-nature of this sunblock, when you first spray it on it smells a bit like aerosol. After it dries it has a lightly perfumed scent. Unlike other spray sunblocks, this does not have alcohol in it, which is a refreshing change. The scent is not overwhelming or overly perfumey although it does distinctly say “I have just applied sunscreen and am on my way to the beach”.

APPLICATION

Application is simple. You spray all areas of the body other than the face, and then you spray your hands to apply to the face.

It says that you don’t have to rub it in, but I find that it works best when I use my hands to spread it out. Since my hands will end up gunky anyway when I apply it to my face or my son’s face, it doesn’t make much of a difference anyway.

TEXTURE

This sunscreen is quite oily. It sprays out like a clear oil. Once it dries you can typically see a bit of a sheen to the areas that it has been applied to. It’s definitely not as “cake-y” as some other sunscreens, particularly the lotion varieties. However, since you need to apply it to facial areas with your hands I would plan on applying it near a sink so that you can wash your hands afterwards. It does tend to cake on your hands a bit even though it doesn’t effect any other area that way. Probably due to the fact that you have to spray large amounts onto your hands in order to properly apply it to your face.

HOW IT WORKS

Ultramist Baby makes use of Banana Boat’s AvoTriplex photostable UVA technology which stabilizes the broad spectrum chemical sunscreen agent Avobenzone. This ensures that both the sun’s UVA and UVB rays are blocked. This is important as these rays can increase your risk of sunburn, skin cancer, and premature aging.

While using this sunscreen neither my son nor I have burned or even shown signs of sun exposure. This is quite amazing considering he plays outside multiple hours a day in the sun on the highly reflective concrete and sand that make up NYC parks.

SENSITIVE SKIN?

Most sunscreens make my son break out with at least a few small zits or areas of rash that resemble small bug bites. He does not have any reaction to Banana Boat Ultramist Baby SPF50 sunblock. I find that I can use this myself as well, as long as I wash my face carefully at the end of the day. If I forget to wash I find that I break out the next day.

Overall this sunscreen seems to be one of the better options for those of us that break out easily or that are prone to sensitivity to sunscreens. Do a small spot test before using it all over your child’s body, of course.

INGREDIENTS

Active Ingredients: Avobenzone 3.00%, Homosalate 15.00%, Octinoxate 7.5%, Octisalate 5.00%, Octocrylene 2.40%

Inactive Ingredients: Isobutane, water, isohexadecane, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Caprylyl Glycol, PEG-8, C30-38 Olefin/Isopropyl maleate/MA Copolymer, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Staeralkonium hectorite, Propylene carbonate, glycerine, topopheryl acetate (vitamin E), socium ascorbyl phosphate, retinyl palmitate (Vitamin A), socium citrate, sodium chloride, Aloe barbadensis (aloe vera) leaf juice, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, propylparaben, isobutylparaben, Disodium EDTA

SAFETY

While you don’t want to inhale this or rub it directly into your eyes, this sunscreen seems to be quite safe. The stabilizers added to the avobenzone increase its stability and make it less likely to break down under sunlight which both stretches its effectiveness and lowers the risks associated with chemical sunscreens. I love how this does not make my son’s eyes horribly irritated if he rubs his face 5, 10, 15 minutes after the sunscreen has been applied. I also love that I can apply this to his body using my hands, rinse them off, and insert my contact lenses without my eyes burning or my contacts ending up a greasy mess.

Sunscreen should not be used on infants under 6 months of age.

BOTTOM LINE

I was originally going to give this sunscreen a 3 star rating. I’m not a fan of the aerosol spray smell and generally find spray sunscreens to be a bit annoying to apply. However, after trying out a few other brands of sunscreen I keep coming back to this one for one reason: my son’s eyes do not end up irritated. With other sunscreens I have to carefully avoid getting any on his hands at all (which means that they are left exposed to UV rays), because otherwise if he rubs his eyes 15, 20 minutes later or even after multiple hours, they will become bright red and inflamed and he will start shrieking in pain. Half the time even when I am careful to avoid his hands, the sunscreen ends up stinging his eyes anyway if he sweats or plays in the water.
Banana Boat Ultramist “Tear Free” baby sunblock, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to irritate his eyes even when his hands are thickly coated with the sunscreen. This alone has been unique enough to keep me coming back to this sunscreen over and over despite the few things I dislike.