When it comes to sun protection, natural eco-friendly sunscreen should be everyone’s first choice.

Whether you’ll be out in the UK sunshine (camping, anyone?) or going somewhere hot, you’ll definitely want to think about slapping on some sunscreen to protect your vulnerable skin from prolonged exposure to that beautiful yet dangerous ball of fire in the sky.

But which brand do you use and do you know exactly what you’re putting into your body and into the environment?

If you’re not using a natural sunscreen like Shade Sunscreen SPF25, here are 6 great reasons why you should be.

1. Natural ingredients won’t harm your skin 

The most common ingredients in chemical sunscreens are…unsurprisingly, chemicals. Chemical-based sunscreens are known to absorb the sun’s harmful UV rays, creating a chemical reaction that disperses those rays through your body and into the air. That means, chemicals (up to 60% of them) are absorbed into your skin and bloodstream, which can cause health issues such as allergies, eczema and even infertility. Because children’s sunscreens have high SPF ratings, they contain higher amounts of chemicals being absorbed into their skins.

Artificial fragrances added to sunscreens can also cause reactions such as reddened skin and watery eyes, especially for those prone to allergies and asthma. You might be surprised to learn that these fragrances can also enter a woman’s milk if breastfeeding, which I’m pretty sure is really bad for babies!

However, unscented and natural eco-friendly sunscreens like Shade actually reflect the sun’s rays, acting like a mirror on the skin, therefore protecting the skin from getting those rays into your body. And because the ingredients are non-toxic, they won’t harm your skin at all.

2. Natural ingredients won’t harm the environment

Just as the chemicals in chemical sunscreens are absorbed into the body and dispersed into the air, the same happens in water, except the particles are dispersed into the sea instead. This can cause incredible damage to coral reefs and contribute to the destruction of these beautiful underwater habitats and the marine life that relies on them.

Did you know that Hawaii became the first US state this year to ban the sale of sunscreens containing oxybenzone andoctinoxate, which some scientists claim contribute to coral bleaching? One study found that about 12,000 metric tonnes of sunscreen have been washed into coral reefs. That’s more than The Eiffel Tower weighs!

Natural eco-friendly sunscreens like Shade contain minerals and ingredients that won’t harm the environment.

3. They’re immediately effective

Chemical sunscreens take up to 20 minutes before they become effective and start protecting you from the sun. Not ideal, particularly if you want to protect your children’s delicate, young skin straightaway when out in the hot sun.

Natural sunscreens, on the other hand, get to work immediately, forming an instant barrier between your skin and the sun.

4. Shade is not packaged in plastic

Most conventional sunscreens, and even a lot of natural sunscreens, are packaged in plastic bottles and if you’ve been watching the news lately or ‘Blue Planet’, you’ll know just how damaging plastic is to the environment. Plastic sticks around forever and if it’s not in landfill, it contaminates our water systems, damaging our precious oceans and wildlife.

Shade is packaged in a recyclable aluminium tin so there’s absolutely no harm to the environment. Going plastic-free is definitely the way forward!

5. I can pronounce the ingredients

Personally, I prefer to use products where I can pronounce the ingredients and I know what I’m putting onto my skin and into my body. With ingredients like cinoxate, octyl methoxycinnamate, octorylene, and 4-methylbenzylidene camphor (the list goes on but you get the gist), unless you’re a scientist, you probably won’t know what these are and why they’re in your sunscreen.

Shade Sunscreen contains just four ingredients – coconut oil, beeswax, shea butter, and zinc oxide (the first two being organic). The zinc oxide acts as a sunblock, reflecting the light from the sun and bouncing it away from your skin. Know what you’re putting into your body!

6. The travel-sized tin is tiny 

The 15ml Shade Sunscreen is less than 4cm in diameter and only 2cm high so perfect for a weekend away or day down at the park. It will fit into a pocket and a small handbag, and only takes up a tiny amount of space in an airport security bag for liquids when flying.

So, which sunscreen will you be choosing this summer? If you love your precious skin and environment, choose an effective and safe product like Shade Sunscreen.

And don’t forget to follow other safety measures when in the sun – cover your body and avoid direct sunlight when the sun is at its strongest between 11am and 3pm.