What this is
A field guide to the mineral and natural sun care category, examined on its chemistry and on the claims it makes for itself. It is written for a reader who prefers a mineral or plant based product and who would rather have the chemistry stated than flattered.
It is published by Northbank Media. Articles are written by the editorial team and are not attributed to invented authors.
The position
Neither anti mineral nor anti conventional. Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are good filters with real advantages and real limits. The organic filters are good filters with real advantages and real limits. The reasons people prefer a natural product are respected here and are not flattered with claims that do not hold.
How this is funded, in full
Two lines, both business facing, both declared on every page.
- A paid professional register. Cosmetic formulation consultants, safety assessors, testing laboratories and toxicologists. Alphabetical, labelled as paid, never ranked, and never linked from an article. Criteria and rates are published in full.
- A newsletter sponsor line. One clearly labelled sponsor per issue, at a published rate, which cannot influence any claim status.
What is not for sale
No product recommendations. No affiliate links. No sponsored articles. No listings sold to sunscreen or skincare brands at any price. No advertising network, and no AdWords. The complete list, including the things we have been offered money for and refused, is at what we refuse to sell.
The reason is simple enough to state in one sentence: ruling on a category's claims while taking money from that category would not hold together, and no disclosure statement would fix it.
No brands, no products, no rankings
This publication names no cosmetic brand and no product anywhere. It publishes no rankings and no best of lists. It attributes no sun protection factor to any plant oil, in any context, including for the purpose of refuting one. Those are absolute rules rather than editorial preferences, and they are why a claim can be examined here without anybody's commercial interest being at stake.
This is not medical advice
Where a question is clinical, this publication stops and points to the NHS, a GP, a pharmacist or a dermatologist. That happens frequently and deliberately, particularly on anything to do with skin cancer, diagnosis, treatment, children or supplementation.
Corrections
Errors are corrected with a visible note and a date. Accurate material is not removed at anybody's request. See editorial standards.