Why BRUSH ON BLOCK® Is Best
We know there are several powder sunscreens on the market these days, but we believe strongly that BRUSH ON BLOCK® Mineral Sunscreen is the best. We’d like to share with you just why we are so comfortable saying that!
It isn’t makeup. There are quite a few brands out there that make Mineral Powder Foundation or Finishing Powder with SPF. Those things are fine, but because their primary purpose is cosmetic rather than sun protection, they are usually tinted so that they cover up skin imperfections. That is usually why people wear makeup--to cover up imperfections. But that means that those products will look like makeup when you apply them to your children, or your significant other, or to the backs of your hands and décolletage. And when you reapply, you will look like you have applied another layer of makeup. Because Brush On Block is translucent, one shade works for all ages, genders and body parts.
Our brush is special. We don’t like to brag, but on this we think we can. The synthetic bristles of our brush are some of the softest you’ll find, and of course are cruelty-free. We are one of a very few brands that feature an Open-Close mechanism on the brush, something we feel strongly about because we have seen the mess that happens when you carry a sunscreen in a bag, remove the cap and half the powder pours onto your lap. It might surprise you to find that a lot of trial and error goes into matching a powder with a brush so that you get the flow and application that you need to get good sunscreen coverage. We love our brush so much that we patented it!
It is refillable. Speaking of how great that brush is, it is our hope that you love it as much as we do, and so you refill it, rather than buy a new one each time. The part of the brush that holds the powder unscrews from the brush and you just attach a new one. So take good care of your brush, wash it with soap and water when you refill (link to instructions) and you can keep it for a long time!
Our formula cares for your skin. If you read the ingredients of mineral powder sunscreens, you’ll find quite a bit of variation, after the Active Ingredients of Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide. Brush On Block uses Green Tea Extract, which is an antioxidant, to help protect your skin from environmental damage, and Chamomile Flower Extract to help soothe skin that’s been out in the elements. Jojoba Oil keeps our powder formula from making your skin feel dry.
It really is Water and Sweat Resistant 80 Minutes. No sunscreen can claim to be waterproof any more--it is against FDA regulations. There are only two allowable claims: Water Resistant 80 Minutes and Water Resistant 40 Minutes. If you don’t see either of those claims on the package, you should assume the product will wash off easily in water. If you do see one of those claims, know that they are the result of actual testing. No matter what degree of water resistance, however, all bets are off if you towel off after being in the water or sweating. You need to reapply unless you air-dry!
Brush On Block® Loves Animals. Not only is our brush synthetic and cruelty free, the powder inside the brush contains no animal ingredients or by-products. We also love those who are sensitive to gluten, you won’t find that in our product, either. And in spite of the claims of another brand that some mineral sunscreens are filled with talc, we don’t use it in Brush On Block.
We love aquatic animals, too! As you have probably heard, places like Hawai'i and Key West are banning some sunscreen ingredients because they are suspected of being harmful to coral and other sea animals. Brush On Block contains no chemical sunscreen ingredients, and is reef-friendly, as well as human-friendly.
We’ve been tested. Of course we have…we’ve been tested to prove that Brush On Block provides SPF 30, Broad Spectrum sun protection, but we’ve been tested for more than that. As mentioned above, we have been tested for how water (and sweat) resistant the product is when applied to skin. In order to sell in the European Union, Brush On Block had to pass tests to ensure that no particles were in the “nano” range, and also that they are large enough that they do not pose an inhalation concern. The FDA has a test that allows you to use the word “hypoallergenic” on your packaging, and we passed that test. All sunscreens have to undergo Stability testing, which is what determines the expiration date that can go on the product. Brush On Block has been through enough Stability testing that the FDA allows us to go without expiration dates on our product, although so far, we have elected to continue to use the dates.
As Brush On Block founder Andrea Wetsel says, the only sunscreen that really works is the one that you use. That means to apply and reapply as you should, so she designed Brush On Block with that in mind, to make sunscreen easy!
