Here are the top rated brands

Trukid Sunny Days, SPF 30+

My daughter loved Trukid Sunny Days – both the Facestick and the Lotion. The lotion goes on smoothly, although it is both a little oily and has a granular feel. It leaves a slight residue 15 minutes later, but that fades gradually. The sunscreen has a pleasant orangey smell. The lotion was a little bit hard to get out of the bottle. But the facestick applied very easily. The sunscreen provides good coverage for both UVA and UVB. My daughter’s review: “This is my favorite. It makes me feel very good.” We liked the lotion and the stick. So this is our top performer. The lotion cost $11.89 for a 4 oz. bottle, and $8.49 for the .62 oz. facestick.

Keys Soap Solar Rx Therapeutic Sunblock, SPF 30

This sunscreen, the #1 ranked sunscreen in EWG’s Skin Deep database, failed our user tests, and I would not recommend it. The sunscreen goes on smoothly, blends in well, and is not too oily. However, the first problem was the smell of the lotion. One morning as we walked out the door, my daughter turned to me and said, “Ooh, what is that smell daddy? It smells like mosquito stuff.” And so it does. Solar Rx has a strong medicated ointment smell. This alone made my daughter refuse to put it on. Much worse, I found out after an hour of surfing that it is not water-resistant, and so I ended up with a sunburn on my neck. To top it all off, this was one of the most expensive sunscreens we tested at $27.99 for a 3.4 oz. bottle.

California Baby Sunscreen, SPF 30+

My daughter has gotten used to California Baby Sunscreen. This is the sunscreen we have been using over the last year (since I discovered what was in Coppertone Waterbabies). It applies smoothly. However, it goes on very white and only blends in after forceful rubbing. My daughter’s question every morning, “Daddy, is it rubbed in yet?” It has good coverage for both UVA and UVB, and a nice lemon grass smell. The lotion cost $15.99 for a 2.9 oz tube and $12.99 for the .5 oz stick.

Badger Sunscreen, SPF 30

This has been my personal sunscreen for the last few months. But after testing 10 other brands, I am done with Badger. The fatal problem with this sunscreen is that it is too thick for easy use. Which means, I tend to use it less, which means I am not getting the protection I need. It is a real chore to get the sunscreen out of the tube and onto your skin. It goes on very thick and white, and requires significant rubbing to get it blended in. My daughter is out the door before I even get this sunscreen out of the tube. The only time this sunscreen was easy to use was on a day I accidentally left it in my car and it got hot enough to melt and turn more liquidy. We paid $14.99 for a 2.9 oz. tube.

Marie Veronique

I couldn’t find Marie Veronique in my town.

Lavera Sunscreen, SPF 30

My whole family, including my wife (who has many more criteria than me for personal care products), liked Lavera. The sunscreen went on very smoothly, although initially quite white. It has good coverage for UVA and UVB, and a nice fragrance, which my daughter described as: “Like vanilla, with some horchata.” The Lavera however, is pricey at $23.99 for a 4.1 oz. tube.

Vanicream Sunscreen

I couldn’t find Vanicream Sunscreen in my town.

UV Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+

This sunscreen was a solid performer, and my daughter liked it quite a bit. It was a little bit thick to get out of the tube, but went on beige, and blended in nicely. It describes itself as fragrance-free, which my daughter said “smelled like normal cream” or shortening. We paid $15.99 for a 1.7 oz tube, which made it the most expensive sunscreen. (Although you can probably get a bigger bottle more cheaply.)

Sun Science Sport Formula

I couldn’t find Sun Science Sport Formula in my town.

Soleo Organics Sunscreen

I couldn’t find Soleo Organics Sunscreen in my town.

Here are some other top rated brands we reviewed

Burt’s Bees Chemical Free Sunscreen, SPF 30

This sunscreen was pretty good. It went on somewhat greasy and stayed sticky for quite a while, leaving a residue on my hands. The sunscreen goes on beige, and has a pleasant cocoa butter smell. We liked it, but didn’t love it. One benefit, it is available at big retailers for $14.99 for a 3.5 oz. bottle.

Neutrogena Sensitive Skin Sunblock Lotion, SPF 30

This sunscreen goes on smooth, although initially a little white. It blends in quickly, but has a slight sour smell. This is the only mainstream brand that rates as a top healthy performer for EWG. It is much cheaper than the others at only $7.91 for 4 oz bottle.

KineSys Kids Alcohol-Free Spray Sunscreen, SPF 30

This sunscreen goes on completely clear. However, it is quite oily. The big downside however, is that it didn’t seem to work very well. My daughter and wife swear that my daughter got a bunch of new freckles the day she used KineSys. Interestingly, this is also the only sunscreen I tested that contains Avobenzone and Octocrylene. Two more reasons to avoid it. It cost $13.59 for 4 oz bottle.

Dr. Haushka Sunscreen Spray SPF 15

This sunscreen is very easy to apply, as it comes out more like a watery lotion than a spray. It goes on very smoothly and slightly tan. My two concerns are that this has titanium dioxide in a spray form - which you do not want to inhale - and it is only SPF 15. It does have a pleasant slightly cinnamon smell. It is quite expensive at $25 for a 5.1 oz bottle.

Blue Lizard Australian Suncream, SPF 30

This sunscreen performed well. It applies quite white, but blends quickly. There is very little smell, and my daughter thought it was okay. It cost $14.99 for a 5 oz bottle.

Learn more…

See the top-rated sunscreens on GoodGuide.