The Wellness Mama Podcast Sunscreen: Myths, Misconceptions and What Studies Actually Say With Salt+Blue
Apr 20, 2026
Kevin, co-founder of Anne‑Marie Skincare and founder of Salt & Blue, is a skincare entrepreneur focused on clean sunscreens. Rachel, COO and co‑founder, specializes in formulation and sun‑care ingredients. They debunk fear messaging about sun exposure. They compare chemical versus mineral blockers, explain broad spectrum and critical wavelength, and call out misleading SPF and waterproof claims.
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Prefer Physical Blockers Over Chemical Filters
- Choose zinc or titanium dioxide for physical blocking instead of chemical filters.
- Rachel: zinc and titanium dioxide are the two physical filters; chemical filters include oxybenzone, avobenzone, octinoxate, etc.
Balance Sun Exposure For Vitamin D And Safety
- Reasonable sun exposure gives vitamin D and other benefits; total avoidance can cause problems.
- Kevin notes 15–20 minutes at noon can produce 10–20k IU for fair skin, while overexposure (all-day midday) risks real damage.
Don't Rely On Very High SPF Numbers
- Use SPF 30 as the effective baseline; higher SPFs offer minimal extra UVB benefit.
- Kevin: SPF30 blocks ~97%, SPF50 ~98%, SPF100 ~99% so the jump from 30 to 100 is ~2% UVB difference.