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Pg 30 - The Green Guy's GROOMING GUIDE
SPF Me, Naturally
How hard is it to find a facial moisturizer containing sunscreen that not only protects your skin, but absorbs nicely? Our gallant guy goes in search of the good stuff.
By Kevin Raub
I'm highly particular about what I put on my face - you can call me a pretty boy, I guess - so it's with no small hesitation that I step now into the world of natural SPF moisturizers. I have been a moisturizer man for a few years, but it wasn't until recently that I realized that having a little SPF in my morning douse of hydration could do a lot towards routine skin cancer maintenance. I hadn't considered natural or organic moisturizers before because I found that most natural sunscreens are a pain to rub in, and I'm not really up for wandering around looking like a corpse. So, I begin my search with one goal in mind: Find a natural SPF moisturizer that absorbs nicely and protects my skin from the sun.
Vegetarians and PETA love Beauty Without Cruelty's Organic Facial Moisturizer SPF 12 (www.bwcorganics.com), but it's really more of a sunscreen than a moisturizer, making it the most difficult to rub in of all choices here, especially if you have some residual facial hair. Aloe vera, lavender hydrosol, shea butter, rosehip seed oil, tamanu oil, and cucumber extract round out the organic ingredients while vitamin C and coenzyme Q10 neutralize free radical damage. If you're heading to the beach, this one is nice since you're already in a rubbing-in frame of mind; every mrning, though, is too much work.
Aubrey Organics' Green Tea and Gingko Moisturizer SPF 15 (www.aubrey-organics.com) rubs in lighter and easier than most of the moisturizers here. Organic jojoba oil and Rosa Mosqueta handle the hydration, while Matcha green tea powder and vitamin E give The Heisman to free radical damage. This one wins for miracle marketing: For one, rubbing gingko into my face every morning somehow makes me feel smarter, though I have no calculable proof.
Zia's Skin Basics Daily Moisture Screen SPF 15 (www.zianatural.com) is lightweight and mild, rubbing in easy (even with stubble), utilizing organic aloe, cucumber extract, and rice bran oil for a non-greasy base. Organic chamomile sooths the skin while organic jojoba and shea butter support cellular renewal and ward off the effects of environmental stress. It offers full UVA/UVB protection and its sleek, glass cylinder housing wins the award here for both handiness in travel and modern design. But as I learned firsthand, dropping it over the sink results in a mangled mess of glass shards and goo.
Kimberly Sayer of London's Anti-Oxidant Daily Moisturizing Cream SPF 25 (www.kimberlysayer.com) is interesting in that of all of the moisturizers here, it feels the least like an organic product. That's due to its use of water-processed emulsifiers, which are higher quality and churn out a less greasy product. The sun block component here, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, is certified organic along with antioxidants like beech bud extract and numerous essential oils. If you're uneasy about switching over to organic, this is the product for you. And for a zinc-based product, it rubs in surprisingly well.
Green Apple Moisturizer SPF 15 from Juice Beauty (www.juicebeauty.com) calls on certified organic apple and lemon juices to give your face a burst of citrus along with full spectrum, chemical-free SPF protection. It rubs in exactly as it should, and disappears just as quickly. I'm a fan. And it delivers a boost of age-defying antioxidants and coenzyme Q10 to ward off wrinkles. My only complaint is with the packaging: After the first few pumps, it's hard to get out, despite being nearly full.
Kevin Raub is a travel and entertainment journalist and a contributing writer at Organic Spa. His work appears regularly in Travel+Leisure, Town & Country, American Way, Dame, and Lonely Planet, among others. He is begging: Please make an organic face scrub with caffeine!