Gear Review: Beyond Coastal Sunscreen

Beyond Coastal Sunscreen

I spend lots of time outside which means I am exposure to the sun quite a bit. Spending a lot of time outdoors and having a really fair complexion (my friends refer to me as ‘Pasty White’) means I will end up with a nasty burn, age my skin prematurely and greatly increase my risk for skin cancer unless I protect myself. While the burn can cause a day or two of being comfortable, and aging is not reversible (come on scientists I want my twenties back), cancer can be fatal so putting on sunscreen has become my ritual before having fun outside.


Beyond Coastal is one of countless manufacturers of sunscreen currently on the market. What separates Beyond Coastal Sunscreen from other sunscreen manufacturers are their goals when it comes to skincare. Beyond Coastal aims to protect, hydrate, nourish and repair the skin of the people who use it.


In order to properly protect skin, Beyond Coastal’s sunscreen line offers broad spectrum protection. This means protecting from both UVA rays and UVB rays. UVB rays are the obvious enemy in skin care. They typically affect the outer skin and cause it to burn or tan. Most sunscreens on the market protect from UVB. UVA rays are more subtle and do deeper skin damage. UVA rays are the ones that damage skin even when it’s cloudy or you are inside sitting by a window. UVA damage does not usually show the effects until years after exposure and is one reason people should wear sunscreen more often than they typically do.

Broad spectrum protection is not the only thing Beyond Coastal Sunscreens do for your skin. They use natural ingredients which nourish the skin and are good for the environment. That also means my skin is not a dumping ground for harsh chemicals. Beyond Coastal Sunscreen also hydrates the skin by using moisturizing, non-oily formulas. Finally Beyond Coastal adds natural anti-oxidants in their sunscreen to help repair and restore skin tissue.

Wearing the Natural Sunscreen

We received both Beyond Coastal’s Natural SPF 30 Sunscreen and their Active SPF 30 Sunscreen. The Natural Sunscreen is a thick, white cream and contains Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioixde. The Natural Sunscreen requires more work to rub into the skin and usually leaves a slight white residue on my skin afterward. While I am not fond of having a white residue it does make it easy to see where I missed applying it to my skin. This is sunscreen I trusted while paddling with Alaska Mountain Guides on Magdalena Bay and around Espirito Santo in Baja Mexico. I also found it really useful in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. The sunscreen did a great job of preventing me from burning while on the water and while relaxing on the beach in Baja and my skin didn’t bake in the desert southwest.

Wearing the Active Sunscreen

The Active Sunscreen is not as thick as the natural and contains Avobenzone, Octinoxate, Octocrylene and Octisalate. The Active line is more the consistency of traditional sunscreens. It rubs in easily and does not leave white residue behind. The sweat and water resistance is great for my active lifestyle and I used it in Arches National Park, Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park and while snowshoeing in the Wasatch Mountains. Both the Natural and Active Sunscreens while fragrance-free are not entirely free of odor. The sunscreens both have a mild odor to them that differ. Neither is unpleasant but the odor is slightly noticeable with no fragrances to mask it.

No matter what your lifestyle, Beyond Coastal has a sunscreen to protect your skin from the sun’s UV rays so you can enjoy life and not have to worry about damaging your skin. While a lot of sunscreens today protect your skin from UVB rays by dousing it with harsh chemicals it’s nice to see Beyond Coastal providing broad spectrum protection of both UVA and UVB rays, nourishing skin with natural ingredients, hydrating skin with moisturizing, non-oily formulas and repairing skin with anti-oxidants. It’s nice to have a sunscreen that does a lot more for your money.

Manufacturer	Beyond Coastal
Sizes	1 oz, 2.5 oz, 4 oz, and 32 oz (Active only)
Price (MSRP) Active Sunscreen	$5.99 for 1 oz $9.99 for 2.5 oz $14.99 for 4 oz $89.99 for 32 oz
Price (MSRP) Natural Sunscreen	$5.99 for 1 oz $11.99 for 2.5 oz $15.99 for 4 oz

This story was originally posted December 30, 2010.