Blue Lizard is an Australian sunscreen brand that has won several awards from beauty brands like Allure. The company claims to “make safer sunscreens for you and the environment,” and to be the number one pediatrician recommended mineral-based sunscreen brand.
But does Blue Lizard contain research-backed ingredients for natural sun protection? Does it contain any unhealthy additives? How do real users rate and describe its aesthetic and health effects? And why was Blue Lizard sued over its health claims?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we analyze the ingredients in Blue Lizard sunscreen based on medical studies to give our take on whether or not the brand is likely to be effective at protecting skin from the sun, and whether or not it’s a healthy choice.
We’ll feature unsponsored customer reviews, provide a cost comparison to show which retailer sells Blue Lizard for the best price, and explain why the brand was sued in 2021 over its health claims.
Ingredient Analysis
The active ingredients in Blue Lizard Mineral Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen (which is the Allure award winner) are shown above.
Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are physical sunscreen ingredients, and have been shown in a medical review published in the Journal of Cosmetic Science to be highly effective at protecting skin from UV damage, and to have excellent safety profiles.
We consider both of these active ingredients to be healthier options than some chemical sunscreen ingredients that can be hormone-disrupting.
The inactive ingredients in this formulation are shown below:
There are some inactive ingredients clinically shown to improve skin quality.
Hydrogenated castor oil is clinically shown to have natural exfoliating effects, as we documented in our review of Ogee Makeup.
Beeswax was shown in a 2016 medical review to have antimicrobial activity, suggesting it may have an anti-acne effect.
However, while there are both effective active and inactive ingredients in this formulation, there are also some inactive ingredients that may be questionable from a health perspective.
Chlorphenesin is a synthetic preservative shown to be toxic to human cells in a 2020 clinical trial.
Phenoxyethanol is another synthetic preservative shown to be toxic in the same trial.
Alumina nanoparticles were shown to be toxic to living organs in an animal study published in the Nanoparticles journal. It’s unclear whether the alumina in Blue Lizard sunscreen is in the form of nanoparticles or larger particles.
Overall, we consider Blue Lizard Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen likely to protect the skin from the sun due to its effective active ingredients. We think this is a healthier sunscreen option than most commercial sunscreens that use chemical active ingredients that can be hormone-disrupting in some cases.
However, we don’t currently recommend this product due to the inactive ingredients highlighted above.
But how do real users rate and describe the effects of Blue Lizard sunscreen? We’ll feature some unsponsored customer reviews in the next section of this article.
Real People Try Blue Lizard Sunscreen
A YouTube creator named “The Hooded Lid” has a review of Blue Lizard sunscreen that contains a live product demo:
A popular skincare and beauty vlogger named Abbey Yung has a video comparing Blue Lizard to other mineral sunscreens that are affordable:
Why Was Blue Lizard Sued?
A class-action lawsuit was filed against Blue Lizard in 2021 that alleged the company was falsely advertising their products.
The brand was marketing their products as "mineral-based," but those same products contained active ingredients that were chemical sunscreen ingredients, according to ClassAction.org.
The plaintiffs alleged that a product marketed as "mineral-based" should be entirely free of active ingredients that are chemical sunscreen ingredients.
However, the lawsuit was dismissed.
It seems that either the lawsuit was based on false grounds, or the company has updated their formulations, because the sunscreen product we analyzed in this article is entirely free of active chemical sunscreen ingredients.
We don't believe this lawsuit is something prospective consumers need to worry about.
Our Clean Sunscreen Pick
Our top sunscreen pick is YOUARESUNSHINE from ClearStem.
It's an SPF 50+ physical sunscreen entirely free of questionable additives, and it may even have anti-aging effects. This sunscreen contains green tea extract, which is clinically shown to moisturize the skin and reduce wrinkles.
Interested consumers can check out YOUARESUNSHINE at this link to the product page on the brand's official website.
Dermatologist Debunks Sunscreen Myths
A YouTube video from the popular "Mixed Makeup" channel features a dermatologist debunking popular sunscreen myths. The video has over 45,000 views and answers interesting questions like whether sunscreen should be worn on cloudy days:
Where to Buy Blue Lizard for the Best Price
Blue Lizard Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen is sold at a variety of online retailers. Here’s a price breakdown at the time of publishing this article:
Brand website: $19.99 (plus shipping, link)
Walmart: $19.98 (plus shipping, third-party seller, link)
Target: $14.99 (plus shipping, link)
Amazon: $14.98 (free shipping, link to official Amazon listing)
Blue Lizard sunscreen is currently around 35% cheaper on Amazon than on the brand’s website for a one-time purchase, when factoring in shipping fees.
Real Customers Review Blue Lizard Sunscreen
Amazon is a better resource than a brand's website for honest customer reviews in our opinion.
Blue Lizard Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen has been reviewed over 3,000 times at the time of publishing this article, with an average review rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars.
The top positive review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named "Me" who gives the product a 5/5 star rating and claims it's both effective and doesn't stain clothes (which is a major issue with some physical sunscreen brands):
" This stuff is GREAT. I have avoided using sunscreen (and paid the painful price) as it always stains my clothes and gets into my eyes. This stuff is different...I burn easily, and I just spent a long, hot, sunny weekend on the beach and sightseeing in Puerto Rico and didn't even get slightly pink. I just tanned. Best of all, there were NO STAINS ON MY CLOTHES!!!!!"
The top negative review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named "montanap" who gives the product a 1/5 star rating and claims to have experienced side effects:
"My face in particular is VERY sensitive and sunscreen usually burns it. This sunscreen made me feel like my face was on fire. I thought I was having an allergic reaction the first time I put it on! My face got extremely red and burned for hours! I was literally searching on the beach for a place that had ice to rub on my face"
Blue Lizard Sunscreen has an average review rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on Facebook currently.
Blue Lizard Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen currently has an average review rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars on Google.
Pros and Cons of Blue Lizard
Here are the pros and cons of Blue Lizard Sunscreen in our opinion:
Pros:
- Should protect skin from sun
- Non-toxic active ingredients
- Affordable
- Positive online customer reviews
- Contains some research-backed inactive ingredients
Cons:
- Contains two preservatives that may be unhealthy
- Contains alumina
