Rosacea Sunscreens

by Jean
(New York City)

According to G. Nase, expert on rosacea, cetyl and cetearyl alcohols should be avoided by those with rosacea. Studies show that this causes damage in the long run. Apart from mineral sunscreen it is very hard to find lotions that don't contain this.

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Our reply

Hi Jean, thank you for sharing. Yes, it is very difficult to find a good sunscreen that does not contain cetyl and cetearyl alcohol. Here are some options I am aware of, and none are perfect but you can research the ingredients to see what will work best for you.

Soleo Organics Sunscreen SPF 30. This looks like the safest of the sunscreens I've found that do not contain cetearyl alcohol. The ingredients are relatively safe if you are not allergic to the botanicals.

Ingredients

grapeseed oil, macadamia oil, green tea extract, roman chamomile extract, sunflower oil, capric/caprylic triglycerides (plant oil derived), beeswax, theobroma butter, candelilla wax, lecithin, vegetable oils, cucumber extract, tocopheryl acetate (Vitamin E) : zinc oxide 22.3%

Another is California Baby Super Sensitive Sunscreen - I've used this myself, and it works well but will make your skin very white. The one I tried did not have parabens on the ingredients list. The ingredient list I found online says that they do use parabens but I'm not sure if that is an older listing. It's difficult to tell as California Baby does not share their ingredients list. Here is what I found from the older online ingredients list:

Active Ingredients: Micronized Titanium Dioxide

Inactive Ingredients: Water Purified, Coconut Fatty Acid: Alkylbenzoate (Moisturizer), Silicone, Cyclomethicone (Water Repellant), Vegetable Glycerin, Dipolydycocystearate (Works to Emulsify), Candelilla Cera (Euphorbia Cerifolia Wax) (Protects against moisture loss), Vitamin E (Antioxidant), Coconut Oil Infused with Gardenia Flowers, Squalane (From Olive Oil), Proprietary Aromatherapy Essential Oil's(Lavender,Lemongrass,Other Essen.Oils), Japanese Green Tea (Anti-Oxidant), Epsom Salt (Magnesium Sulfate), Vitamin B Complex Factor, Panthenol, Allantoin, Magnesium Stearate, Ethyl and Propylparaben (Food Grade Preservative, Anti-bacterial

Another product that I am aware of is Rosacea Care Sunscreen "30" but I have not researched it enough to know whether the Cetearyl Olivate their product contains is different from other types of this ingredient. Here is the ingredient list:

Active Ingredients: Zinc Oxide (ZinClear) 7.55%, Menthyl Anthranilate 3.4%, Octyl Salicilate 3.22%

Inactive Ingredients: Distilled Water (Aqua), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Olivate/Sorbitan Olivate, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Extract, Silicone, Glycerin, Buxus Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Squalane, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat Germ) Oil, Epilobium Angustifolium (Willowherb) Extract, Benzyl Alcohol, Citric Acid, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Xanthan Gum, Ultrez-10 Polymer, Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG), Alpha-D-Tocopherol, Tocotrienols, Astaxanthin.

Thank you for sharing Jean, and please let us know what you learn.