Sun & Skin Health
Health
Skin Cancer Prevention
Sun Protection
Sun Protection
The petroleum-derived chemical hiding in 99% of drugstore sunscreens — and the ancestral mineral formula that helped me finally stop worrying about what I was putting on my family's skin.

By Claire Jensen
— Health & Skin Safety Writer
● 5 min read
Updated: March 2026

Limited batch — due to grass-fed sourcing
I don't remember a summer without sunscreen.
When I was 8, my mother sat me down and explained something calmly but seriously.
Her own mother had developed melanoma. Her sister had a suspicious mole removed.
In our family, the sun wasn't just a weather element — it was something to be guarded against.
So I became obsessed. SPF 30 every morning. Reapplied at noon. Labels read. Expensive brands bought. Hats and long sleeves in July.
I was doing everything right.
Until the day I discovered what oxybenzone actually does inside your body.

I came across a 2019 FDA study while writing a piece on ingredient safety.
The results stopped me cold.
The FDA re-evaluated 16 active sunscreen ingredients. Of those 16:
Two. Out of sixteen.
But here's what truly disturbed me.
Studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that chemical UV filters like avobenzone and oxybenzone don't just sit on the surface of your skin.
They absorb into your bloodstream within hours of a single application — at concentrations that exceeded the FDA's own safety thresholds.
Even after stopping use, these chemicals were still detected in participants' blood weeks later.
"In 2019, the FDA re-evaluated sunscreen active ingredients. 12 Failed (Category III): Insufficient safety data. Only 2 Approved (Category I – GRASE): Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide."
— FDA Proposed Rule, 2019
At a glance — what's really different:



Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/06/health/sunscreen-bloodstream-fda-study
For someone with my family history, this felt like an impossible choice.
I couldn't stop wearing sunscreen. Skin cancer runs in my family. I've seen what it does up close — the biopsies, the surgeries, the fear every time a new spot appears.
But I was learning something terrifying: the chemical cocktail I had faithfully applied every single morning — the same one I put on my kids — might be absorbing into all of our bodies.
I felt trapped.
I started avoiding the sun completely. I'd wear 3 layers in summer, covered in sweat and miserable. I missed beach days with my kids.
There had to be a better answer.

Once I understood the problem with chemical filters, the answer seemed obvious: go mineral.
Zinc oxide is the only FDA-approved ingredient that provides full broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection entirely on its own.
Unlike chemical filters, it works as a physical barrier — reflecting UV rays at the surface of your skin instead of absorbing into your body.
No bloodstream absorption. No hormonal concerns. Just light reflecting off your skin.
But there was a problem. A very white, chalky, ghost-face problem.
Every mineral sunscreen I tried left me looking like I'd fallen face-first into a bag of flour.
The formulas were dry, pasty, and sat on top of my skin like a suffocating mask.
So I'd go back to the chemical sunscreens — because I couldn't go out in public looking like that.
I was stuck — until I read about something unexpected.
Other Sunscreen

Other Sunscreen

Sky and Sol

A friend in functional medicine asked me a strange question:
"Have you ever tried one made with tallow?"
She explained the science.
Tallow — a purified, nutrient-rich fat from 100% grass-fed cattle — has approximately 70% molecular similarity to your skin's own natural oils (sebum).
Coconut oil? 0–12% match. Most synthetic silicones? Your skin doesn't recognize them at all.
This biological compatibility is what researchers call "biomimicry."
Because tallow so closely mirrors your skin's own lipid structure, your skin doesn't fight it.
It absorbs it deeply — delivering vitamins A, D, E, and K directly where your skin needs them — while the zinc oxide stays on the surface to do its protective job.
The result? A sunscreen that finally feels like skincare. Not like war paint.

→ Check if Sky and Sol is still in stockThis is where a small company called Sky and Sol came in.
They discovered the fix didn't require synthetic silicones or chemical emulsifiers.
They needed Tallow. Sourced from regenerative, grass-fed farms in Australia for exceptional purity.
They call their formula approach: Anti-White Cast Tech™
Here's how it works: Sky and Sol coats their non-nano zinc oxide particles with jojoba ester. This natural coating prevents the zinc particles from clumping together — which is exactly what causes that chalky, ghostly finish in other mineral sunscreens.
The zinc disperses naturally and evenly into your skin.
The result: over 92% of surveyed customers say it has less white residue compared to other mineral sunscreens.
And they didn't stop there. They added Astaxanthin — a powerful antioxidant that, in certain lab tests, has shown approximately 6,000x more antioxidant potency than Vitamin C, 550x more than Vitamin E, and 550x more than green tea catechins.
Think of it as a two-layer defense: the zinc blocks UV at the surface, while astaxanthin may help support your skin against free radical stress from whatever gets through.
→ Check if Sky and Sol is still in stockSky and Sol's formula follows their SkyCertified™ Edible-Grade Standard* — every ingredient must be biocompatible and skin-safe.
The complete ingredient list:
No highly processed seed oils. No artificial fragrances. No oxybenzone, avobenzone, or octinoxate — the petroleum-derived UV filters linked to bloodstream absorption in JAMA studies. Formulated without reef-harming UV filters banned in Hawaii. No intentionally added parabens, phthalates, or heavy metals.
*Follows the SkyCertified™ Edible-Grade Standard. See skyandsol.co for details.
“Sky & Sol has been a great resource for my friends, family and patients! I’m always on the lookout for skincare products that are not only natural, but also effective. I appreciate the lineup and ingredients they use, and the application of all their topicals are all smooth and non-greasy. The application itself also provides phenomenal protection against UVA and UVB rays. I highly recommend Sky & Sol for daily use and outdoor activities!”

Dr. Ronak Patel, ND and Ashley Cohen, PA-C

Here's the thing about Sky and Sol.
Unlike drugstore brands that produce millions of tubes in industrial factories, Sky and Sol uses 100% Grass-Fed, Grass-Finished Tallow sourced from regenerative farms in Australia. This tallow is richer in nutrients and significantly harder to source than conventional alternatives.
Because of this, production runs are limited by nature. There is a finite amount of high-quality raw material available.
Their last batch sold out in less than 48 hours.
If you want to replace petroleum-derived UV filters with protection your biology actually recognizes, follow the steps below to secure your access:

Step 1: CHECK AVAILABILITY
The current batch is limited due to the seasonal extraction of the main ingredient.
>> Click here to check official stockStep 2: CHOOSE YOUR SHIELD
>> View SPF OptionsSPF 50 — Maximum protection. Recommended for extended outdoor exposure and kids.
SPF 30 — Daily protection for everyday use.
Step 3: ZERO RISK — 180-Day Guarantee
Sky and Sol offers an ironclad 180-Day, 100% satisfaction guarantee. Use the whole tube. If you don't feel your skin is healthier and protected, you get a full refund. No questions asked.
3,741 reviews
200,000+ customers
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