I am always on the search for the perfect natural sunscreen. BurnOut Clean and Clear Zinc Oxide Suncsreen fit the bill is the closest I have found to a perfect natural free sunscreen. It is chemical free and only uses zinc oxide as the sunscreen ingrediet. It contains a high amount of zinc oxide — 18.6 percent — giving it a rating of 32 SPF. I am on my third bottle and about to buy my forth, which says a lot, because there are very few products that I even buy a second bottle of. So, lets go over what I like and don’t like about BurnOut.
What I Like
BurnOut uses micronized zinc oxide, so it is semi-clear. I have a yellow undertone to my skin so many zinc oxide based sunscreens leave a weird tint on my skin. This one does not. It does lighten my skin a slight amount, but it is not obvious. In fact, I like the slight lightening effect that it does have, because it evens out my skin tone and covers the redness that I tend to get on my cheek areas. BurnOut makes three different versions of sunscreen. The Clean and Clear version is oil free, which I love. I don’t get greasy and I don’t have to put powder on to keep the grease away. Clean and Clear has a mattifying effect, which keeps my combination skin looking great throughout the day. I do not get breakouts or clogged pores or irritatation with this sunscreen, which is a big plus. My sensitive skin reacts poorly to most sunscreen products on the market, including the highly rated Devita Solar Protective Moisturizer. Devita feels great on, but it burns the heck out of my eyes, making it completely unusable for me. BurnOut is not near as thick as most zinc oxide sunscreens. While it is not quite as thin as chemical sunscreens, it smooths on my skin easily and feels nice. BurnOut does not contain any silicones, which is a huge plus from me. Silicones do not react well with my skin, and frankly they really aren’t natural, and I only like to use natural products.
Another nice feature of BurnOut is the skin repairing ingredients. It contains Cylindrica root, Arabidopsis extract, Plankton extract, Aloe Vera, vitamin C and Vitamin E. Cylindrica root is derived from a grass in Africa and boosts the skin’s ability to absorb moisture. Arabidopsis extract is derived from a small flowering plant and it encourages the skin to repair DNA damage. Plankton extract is derived from the ocean and it also encourages DNA repair. Vitmans C and E are both powerful antioxidants that protect the skin against free-radical damage and help the skin to repair itself.
What I Don’t Like
BurnOut sunscreen has a high glycerin content. Some people love glycerin and some hate it. Glycerin attracts moisture from the air and draws it to your skin. The problem is that if you live in a dry climate, the glycerin pulls moisture from the deepest layers of your skin, which makes the upper layers of skin feel moisturized, but it is actually drying out the underneath layers of your skin. I live in a semi-arid climate, so I mist my face with rose water regularly to give the glycerin some moisutre to draw into my skin. The other disadvantage to the high glycerin content is the sticky feeling. BurnOut sunscreen feels a little sticky and tacky on your skin. It makes my skin feel a little rubbery. I can deal with the feeling, but it is the one thing that stops this sunscreen from being perfect for me.
Overall, BurnOut is my favorite sunscreen. You can find it at some health food stores. My local Whole Foods does not carry it, but some do. If you can’t find it in your area, you can order it online here.
