How to Pick a Fragrance Free Sunscreen

Go out in the sun with a fragrance free sunscreen!

I hate the smell of sunscreen. I am not sure if I just hate because I hate it, or I have an allergy to it. Whatever the reason, once summer kicks into full gear, I smell it everywhere. I can't use anything that has that cloying and icky smell to it.

Luckily for me, just as there are fragrance free skin care products that do not contain sunscreen, there are sunscreens that are truly fragrance free! You just have to shop around. Here is how I do it.

Instructions

1. 

   Go to your local drugstore. Unscrew any of the tops of the sunscreens and dap a little dollop on your finger. Rub it in. Give it a minute or two and sniff. If you smell anything, go on to the next brand.

2. Sniff all the different types of sunscreen that certain brands manufacture. For example, all Neutrogena products do not smell the same. Some are quite smell-free while others make me die from their fumes.

3. Understand that everyone has their own special body scent. That scent mixes with sunscreen to produce odors or not. One sunscreen that pleases one person will not necessarily please everyone.

4. 

   Try Solbar PF which has an SPF of 50 or Solbar Shield sunscreen, SPF 40 with zinc oxide. Both of these are paba free (aka smell-free) and have broad spectrum protection and to my nose, are completely fragrance free. I also recommend Vanicream for a smell free sunscreen experience. My kids enjoy Blue Lizard Australian sunscreen, SPF 30 which is not only fragrance free but chemical free, too. They especially like that the bottle turns blue in the sun.

5. 

   Use a different sunscreen product for your face than for your body, especially if it is for daily protection and not for the beach. You can find face skin care sunscreen in a drugstore or your department store that are completely fragrance free with the same sniff test from step 1.

   I recommend Eucerin Daily Face SPF 30. It has had no smell for years, but they may have changed the formula recently. I also like Clinique face cream SPF 15. No unseemly odors there, either. Most salespeople will let you test their products especially in a department store. When you find one that suits you, buy large quantities of it!

Tips & Warnings

• Slather your suntan lotion liberally when you are doing outside summer activities, especially on the beach. Re-apply often when you sweat and when you swim. No matter the SPF, sun lotion only lasts a couple of hours and must be re-applied often.

• Go to online drugstores to find desired products. Ask for samples if you aren't familiar with the brands you find.

• Ask your dermatologist (if you have one) which sunscreen he/she recommends. The doctor might know of an odor-free one.

• Know that new sunscreen are being developed as I write this and we can hope that they will not be stinky!

• If you don't mind the sunscreen smell, you can just shop for the least expensive broad spectrum sunscreen you can find!

Resources

• Vanicream Sunscreen SPF 35 - 4 oz
• Nature's Gate Aqua Block Sunscreen Lotion, Very Water Resistant, Fragrance-Free, SPF 50, 4-Ounce Tubes (Pack of 3)
• Blue Lizard Australian Suncream, Sensitive SPF 30+, 5-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 2)
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