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Summer in the UK is officially over (did it actually happen is the real issue), but with international travel opening up, there should still be some hope for suncream this year.
There are loads of great brands that do cruelty free sunscreen, but that shouldn’t be your only ethical consideration.
Sunscreen often contains ingredients – octinoxate and oxybenzone to be precise – that kill the coral reef and marine life. We’ve included plenty of ‘reef safe’ options on this list, but we encourage you to always check labels.
Happy tanning (or ‘happy going slightly pinkish’ if you’re similar to me)…
What’s on this page?
The 5 Best Cruelty-Free and Vegan Sunscreens
TROPIC: Great Barrier sun lotion SPF 30/50
- £28 for 200 ml, £18 for 100ml
- Reef Safe
- Vegan
- SPF 30 or 50
Tropic products often top our lists and it’s no different for suncream. This product is a dream to put on – not at all sticky or visible.
And it even contains vitamin E, aloe vera and hyaluronic acid (oh, and it smells really good too).
Tropic is committed to ethical purchasing, so this suncream is certified as reef safe, cruelty free, vegan, with donations to charity and carbon offsetting too.
Read our cruelty-free review of Tropic Skincare here.
Ultrasun: best all day protection
Ultrasun’s 50+ Extreme SPF is without doubt the best vegan, cruelty-free sunscreen for all-day protection.
- £16.95
- 100ml
- Reef Safe
- Vegan (except the lip balm)
- SPF range
Ultrasun products were the first to be awarded a BASF EcoSun Pass, the ultimate in environmental accreditation.
All its products are reef safe, cruelty free and vegan (except for the lip balm, which contains beeswax).
It’s hard to pick just one stand out product – choose from a sports range, sensitive skin range and tan activation range.
All products are reasonably priced too.
Polaar: High Protection Sun Cream face and body SPF 30/50
On sale at Feel Unique at the time of writing!
Polaar’s Sun Lotion is a smooth, high protection suncream that spreads easily and – thankfully – is white mark free.
- £22
- 50ml
- Not Reef Safe
- Vegan
- SPF 30 or 50
Polaar is a french brand that has a range of lovely skin products.
This sunscreen is vegan, cruelty free, smells great and has a velvety finish. It sells out a lot, and Polaar’s website is in euros, so we recommend buying it through lookfantastic.
Polaar’s non scented facial SPF is also excellent.
Solait (Superdrug) Clear & Protect: best on a budget
Superdrug’s Solait is an excellent value, cruelty-free sun scream. One that we inevitably end up purchasing when we forget to get stocked up pre the airport.
- £5.99
- 200ml
- Not Reef Safe
- Vegan
- SPF 30
All of the Solait products are cruelty free, so you can pick from their wide array (including travel size).
We’ve chosen the ‘clear & protect transparent sunscreen spray’ as it’s just so convenient and such good value. One downside is it can be a little greasy.
Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Weightless: best smelling
Hawaiian Tropic’s Silk Hydration Weightless Sunscreen is quite the title.
However the non-greasy, cruelty-free formula more than makes up for it. You can actually use it under makeup without compromising the makeup’s integrity.
Yes makeup has integrity.
- £7
- 50ml
- Reef Safe
- Vegan
- SPF 30
Hawaiian Tropic just smells amazing, and like the name suggests it goes on really easily and isn’t gooey or heavy. The whole range is also very reasonably priced.
Best Vegan and Cruelty-Free Facial SPF for Everyday Wear
TROPIC Sun Day: Best Overall
Tropic’s Sun Day is a unique smelling, cruelty-free skin protector we absolutely love. The banana flower and berry combination is tropical and delicate.
- £24
- 40ml – 15ml version also available
- Reef Safe
- Vegan
- SPF 30
Tropic’s SPF is the perfect companion/addition to your normal skincare routine. It’s SPF 50, smells amazing and it isn’t greasy!
Contains hyaluronic acid (that magic ingredient we all love), hibiscus and plant polymers.
Tropic also feature in our best cruelty-free facial serums too.
Please do read our cruelty-free review of Tropic too. It really is one of our favourite brands.
Murad Environmental Shield Essential C: Best luxury buy
Murad’s Environmental Shield Essential C is a fantastic quality cruelty-free sun cream.
It’s all-day SPF has moisturising protection, restoring free radical stressed skin. And this protective lotion features the patented Skin Repair System which improves your skin’s glow, firmness and elasticity.
- £65
- 50ml
- Not Reef Safe
- Vegan
- SPF 30
Murad have a lovely range of facial SPFs (up to SPF 50), which can target ageing, dryness, everything! This Essential C is a brilliant everyday moisturiser, which contains antioxidants to actively protect your skin.
Bulldog Protective Moisturiser: Best for men
Bulldog’s Protective Moisturiser is an ever-present in my boyfriend’s wash bag. And with good reason. Sublime value, fantastic smell and entirely non-greasy. The perfect travel companion.
- £8
- 100ml
- Reef Safe
- Vegan
- SPF 15
My boyfriend uses Bulldog’s Protective Moisturiser daily. It is SPF 15 and contains aloe, green tea and bergamot. This moisturiser is cruelty free, vegan and doesn’t contain any artificial colours or fragrances. Nice.
And, if you’re in the market for more, Bulldog features in the best cruelty-free products for men alongside our favourite cruelty-free brands for men.
Best Cruelty-Free and Vegan Aftersun
TROPIC Sun Soothe: Best anti-inflammatory
Once you’ve got a tan, you really want it to stay cool and stick around. Particularly if you have gone a little too hard on the tanning.
You need a high quality, moisturising aftersun that soothes soreness and mitigates recovery time. Hence the importance of ingredients like calendula and aloe.
- £22
- 200ml – 100ml option also available
- Vegan
- Cruelty-free
Tropic’s cooling lotion is packed full of top quality ingredients (vitamin E, calendula, aloe) to help soothe, cool and nourish your skin. The menthol in it also feels particularly cooling.
Solait (Superdrug) Aftersun Spray: Best budget option
Our go-to airport aftersun.
The panic (albeit very mild panic) that sets in when you realise you’ve forgotten to purchase aftersun pre-holiday can be mitigated on your way to check-in.
Every airport we’ve been to has Superdrug’s Solait brand aftersun. So rest easy.
- £3.99
- 200ml
- Vegan
- Cruelty-free
Superdrug’s handy, and cheap aftersun comes in a spray, so you can get everywhere. It contains vitamin E and aloe vera does a great job at moisturising.
10 Best Cruelty Free Sunscreen Brands
Here’s a quick rundown of our top 10 brands, which all have cruelty free sunscreens, with a vegan range too.
The Best Cruelty-Free Sun Creams – wrapping up
Our wrap up reminds you to slap up (does that work?). Either way, it’s easy to buy cruelty free sun cream. While no Ambre Solaire products are in our list, it’s worth noting that they are now cruelty free (although no vegan range available, yet).
Buying both vegan and reef safe sun cream is a little more expensive, but we’d recommend the British brand TROPIC – the ethics are top notch, and the products themselves are too.
FAQs
Solait (Superdrug), Sun Smart (Marks and Spencer), Hawaiian Tropic, Malibu, JASON, TROPIC, Murad, Ren, Pai, Garnier (Ambre Solaire), Sun Safe
Nivea, Piz Buin, Eucerin, La Roche Posay, P20
Ambre Solaire (owned by Garnier) were certified by the Leaping Bunny programme as cruelty free in 2021. While none of the sun creams are listed as vegan or reef safe, it is a good, accessible cruelty free option,
Yes sun cream is regularly tested on animals.
Because it isn’t a cosmetic product and is bought OTC (over the counter), there are slightly different regulations than cosmetic products. And they’re arguably more stringent.
The good news is that is the ingredients present in the product have already been approved as safe, no testing would be required.
Yes Hawaiian tropic is cruelty-free as of 2021.
The brand is PETA-certified, which means it has provided enough ratifying evidence that neither the brand doesn’t test any product or ingredient on animals.
AND, almost more importantly, its supply chain takes no part in animal testing.
The ingredients in traditional sun creams that aren’t vegan – lanolin, collagen, elastin, stearin/stearic acid and honey for example – aren’t essential for a quality sun cream.
Vegan sunscreens have the same SPF protection and the vegan ingredient alternatives – like quality vegetable oils for lanolin – are at least as effective.
No not all sunscreens are vegan and please make sure you read the label.
Ingredients like lanolin – a waxy substance from sheep’s wool, collagen – a protein generally sourced from animals, honey / beeswax and elastin – a protein found in animal artery walls, intestines, lungs and skin are commonplace.
Fortunately there are multiple, quality plant-based alternatives. Sun cream does not have to contain animal products.
Look out for the following ingredients:
– Elastin
– Chitin
– Honey / beeswax
– Collagen
– Lanolin
– Stearin/stearic acid
If any of these ingredients are present, the sun cream is NOT vegan.
Yes, All Good’s sun creams are cruelty-free.
None of All Good’s ingredients, or finished products are tested on animals and it doesn’t work with suppliers who test on animals.
All products in this list had to be:
– Cruelty free, either certified by PETA or via a cruelty free guarantee
– Vegan. While not all the brands are vegan, all the products featured here are
– Good quality and readily available to buy (a true necessity)
