You hear a lot about using natural cosmetics but sometimes it’s hard to do that when you don’t know what the negative consequences would be. I often find that the natural SPF products don’t have the smoothest consistency that you want in a lipstick. This might be the first one I’ve found that comes close to a regular lipstick–and also has skin-saving non-chemical SPF: Ilia Tinted Lip Conditioner SPF 15.

I feel like I’ve been given a gift by discovering that I was allergic to chemical sunscreens back in college. I was using a Neutrogena sunscreen that was ironically supposed to be good for your skin. Once the sun hit my face which was covered in that sunscreen, some scary chemicals were activated and multiple friends on campus stopped me and asked “Why are you so red?!” I didn’t realize that I had turned lobster red and broken out into hives. Since then, I’ve only been allowed to use SPF products with natural ingredients. Now they’re finding that chemical sunscreens might be harmful, which is annoying considering that you’re wearing sunscreen because you’ve been told it’s good for you.

Why I’m obsessed with Ilia Tinted Lip Conditioner:

• SPF is key. I usually carry around a separate clear lip sunscreen product called Hurraw! Lip Balm in Tangerine Chamomile and then put my non-SPF lipstick color on top. Now I can save a step by using Ilia Tinted Lip Conditioner SPF 15 in the Kokomo shade.
• It’s moisturizing and has natural SPF, which is not easy to find.
• Doesn’t have a bitter flavor.
  

  Before with no lip product on

  

  After using Ilia Tinted Lip Conditioner in Kokomo
• Natural ingredients, of course, so personally my lips won’t swell up with hives. And I don’t mean swelling in a good lip-plumping way.
• The shade Kokomo looks light pink, but on your lips it’s sheer enough that it won’t make you look like a doll. Or a porn star.

Tips:

• It’s best to have lips that aren’t too chapped when you use this, as it may highlight the dryness just a bit. Not as bad as most lipsticks, but since it’s got zinc oxide, it can look creasy.
• Harder to find some shades online,  but you can get it directly from Ilia or sites like Beautylish.
• I haven’t tried their non-SPF lipsticks, but I want to since they have a lot more colors. I’m guessing that they’re similar but even more moisturizing than the Ilia Tinted Lip Conditioner SPF 15.

Sunscreen Fun Facts:

Chemical sunscreens contain all those fun “-zone” and “”-ate” ingredients like avobenzone, oxybenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate, octinoxate. Those comprise most of the sunscreens you’ll find in the local drugstore. Natural ones, however, contain zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, and ideally will have only “non-nano” zinc oxide. (There are some concerns about titanium dioxide too, but for me it’s more that it tends to dry out my skin.) Yes, there are a lot of things out there that are bad for you, just like most foods that I enjoy. Sigh.

ILIA Beauty Lip Conditioner – Nobody’s Baby (Nude)

Hurraw! Lip Balms: Sun Balm – spf15 Tangerine Chamomile