Beauty & Grooming · Head-to-head
Thinkbaby SPF 50+ Safe Sunscreen vs Badger Baby Mineral Sunscreen SPF 40
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Mineral Sunscreens: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
Thinkbaby is the default buy: non-nano zinc oxide, no SPF booster in the inactives, 80-minute water resistance and a family-size tube. Badger is the runner-up for ingredient purists: seven ingredients, no booster and no fragrance, at the cost of SPF 40 and a 40-minute water rating.
Thinkbaby SPF 50+ Safe Sunscreen
Buy itThe pediatric benchmark: 23.4 percent non-nano zinc oxide, 80-minute water resistance, reef safe, in 3 and 6 oz tubes.
- Broad-spectrum SPF 50+ on 23.4 percent non-nano zinc oxide as the only active, rated water resistant for 80 minutes.
- No chemical SPF booster in the inactive list: the base is water, glycerin and plant oils (sunflower, jojoba, olive, cranberry and raspberry seed).
- Reef safe, biodegradable and pediatrician-dermatologist tested per the brand, made in the USA, in 3 and 6 oz tubes.
- Contains natural fragrance oil and grapefruit peel oil, so it is not fragrance-free; very reactive skin may prefer Badger.
- Still a mineral sunscreen: owners report a white cast on deeper skin tones and a minute of rubbing in.
- The inactive list is long by mineral standards; buyers who want the shortest label will prefer Badger.
Badger Baby Mineral Sunscreen SPF 40
Buy itThe simplest formula: zinc oxide plus seven organic base ingredients, no booster, no fragrance.
- 22.5 percent clear non-nano zinc oxide plus seven base ingredients (organic sunflower oil, beeswax, jojoba oil, sunflower vitamin E, calendula, chamomile oil and seabuckthorn extract), 98 percent organic and certified non-GMO.
- Hypoallergenic, pediatrician tested and reef friendly per Badger, with no fragrance, water or preservative on the label at all.
- Waterless balm-style cream in a 2.9 fl oz tube made with 50 percent recycled plastic.
- SPF 40 rather than 50, and Badger rates it water resistant for 40 minutes, half the time of the other three.
- The thickest, whitest formula here; Badger tells you to knead the tube and rub in to reduce whitening.
- A small tube for a family beach day; expect to buy more than one.
Side by side
The 7 criteria below are the ones our full comparison judged every product on, narrowed to these two.
| Thinkbaby SPF 50+ Safe Sunscreen Our pick | Badger Baby Mineral Sunscreen SPF 40 | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Families and anyone who wants a booster-free mineral sunscreen that goes on without a fight. | Ingredient purists and reactive skin who want the shortest label and accept the white cast and a 40-minute reapply clock. |
| Price tier | $ · budget | $ · budget |
| SPF | 50+ | 40 |
| Active(s) | Non-nano zinc oxide 23.4% | Non-nano zinc oxide 22.5% |
| SPF booster in inactives | None | None |
| Fragrance | Natural fragrance oil | None |
| Water resistance | 80 minutes | 40 minutes |
| Reef claim | Reef safe (brand) | Reef friendly (brand) |
| Best for | Most families | Ingredient purists |
Which one is right for you?
Pick the Thinkbaby SPF 50+ Safe Sunscreen if
families and anyone who wants a booster-free mineral sunscreen that goes on without a fight.
Know before buying: contains natural fragrance oil and grapefruit peel oil, so it is not fragrance-free; very reactive skin may prefer Badger.
Pick the Badger Baby Mineral Sunscreen SPF 40 if
ingredient purists and reactive skin who want the shortest label and accept the white cast and a 40-minute reapply clock.
Know before buying: sPF 40 rather than 50, and Badger rates it water resistant for 40 minutes, half the time of the other three.
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the Thinkbaby SPF 50+ Safe Sunscreen - The pediatric benchmark: 23.4 percent non-nano zinc oxide, 80-minute water resistance, reef safe, in 3 and 6 oz tubes. Choose the Badger Baby Mineral Sunscreen SPF 40 instead if ingredient purists and reactive skin who want the shortest label and accept the white cast and a 40-minute reapply clock.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Mineral Sunscreens: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).