The official start of summer may be over a month away, but most areas are gearing up to open their pools as soon as Memorial Day arrives. That means it’s time to break out the bathing suits and sunscreen, and head outside for some watery fun! We love to go to our local pool because they have a great children’s section, but on days when that’s not feasible, Jake is content to just run around in the sprinkler or on his water slide. He spends a lot of time outdoors, so we go through a lot of sunscreen. I like to stock up on several different options to ensure that all of our needs are met. I have Irish skin, so I burn to a crisp if I don’t slather the stuff on.

One of the options I’m excited about this year is Beyond Coastal. The company was founded by a diehard surfer and skier who was tired of the greasy, chemical-laden sunscreen products on the market and decided to do something about it. Years of research led to the creation of Beyond Coastal, a line of all-natural sunscreens designed to do more than just protect your skin from the sun. While every product in the line contains either Avobenzone or Zinc to help protect your skin against the sun’s harmful rays, it’s the inactive ingredients that are really impressive. Rather than just filling the bottle with random junk and harmful chemicals, the company scoured the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) list of acceptable ingredients and used those to form their bases. Ingredients include rose hip oil, safflower oil, aloe Vera, and jojoba oil.

If you’ve never heard of the EWG, I highly recommend checking out their Skin Deep database. It’s an amazing resource that breaks down the ingredients of thousands of products and gives you their safety rating. Beyond Coastal’s products all fall in at 3 or below (out of 10 or 15, lower is better).  I tried out several of their products, including their Natural Clear Sunscreen, Kids Sunscreen, Active Sunscreen, Face Stick, and Citrus Grove Lip Balm. The lip balm is definitely my favorite, it tastes amazing, like a burst of oranges and tangerines. The Active Sunscreen is also impressive because it really isn’t greasy at all. In fact, I need to have the boyfriend give it a try because he has some sort of weird neurosis when it comes to anything that he thinks may be even remotely greasy. It goes on clear and absorbs right away. The Face Stick is gentle enough for use on my son’s skin, yet highly effective. Overall, I’m pleased with the Beyond Coastal line of suncare products.

Buy It: Shop online at Beyond Coastal’s website for their full line of products.

GIVEAWAY

One reader will win the Beyond Coastal travel pack pictured above. To enter, follow the directions on the Rafflecopter form. Giveaway ends May 20th at 11:59PM, and is open to  US residents age 18+. Winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond. Void where prohibited.
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