The Learning Lab

Building a Sustainable Sunscreen Habit for Athletes

By Kari Kenner May 11, 2026 |

Sunscreen for Year-Round Athletes The athletes who stay outside year-round learn this fast: sunscreen is not a beach product. It is gear. The same people who obsess over hydration packs, recovery metrics, split times, wetsuits, tire pressure, and weather windows still forget one of the most consistent stressors on the...

Is Zinc Oxide Reef Safe? What the Science Actually Says

By Kari Kenner May 07, 2026 |

"Reef safe" is printed on thousands of sunscreen bottles, but it is not a regulated term — and not all reef-safe claims are equal. Here is what the peer-reviewed science, the EPA, the National Academies, and state legislators actually say about sunscreen and ocean health. Every time you swim in...

Is Mineral Sunscreen Safer Than Chemical Sunscreen?

By Kari Kenner May 07, 2026 |

The honest answer: based on current FDA guidance and published clinical research, mineral sunscreen — specifically zinc oxide — has a stronger safety profile than most chemical UV filters. Here is why, without the marketing spin. This is one of the most searched questions in skincare right now, and for...

What Does the FDA Say About Zinc Oxide in Sunscreen?

By Kari Kenner May 07, 2026 |

What Does the FDA Say About Zinc Oxide in Sunscreen? The short answer: zinc oxide is one of only two sunscreen ingredients the FDA has proposed classifying as "generally recognized as safe and effective." Every other common sunscreen active — including oxybenzone, avobenzone, and octinoxate — is still awaiting that...

Best Sunscreen for Toddlers With Sensitive Skin

By Kari Kenner April 04, 2026 |

Zinc oxide sunscreen is safer for toddlers with sensitive skin, and here is why. It sits on top of the skin, blocks UV rays immediately, and has a long track record of low irritation. That matters when you are protecting developing skin that reacts easily. Chemical sunscreens work differently. They...

Bemotrizinol vs Zinc Oxide: Which Sunscreen Ingredient Is Actually Safer

By Kari Kenner April 03, 2026 |

If you are comparing sunscreen ingredients, you are asking the right question. Not all UV filters behave the same on your skin or inside your body. Some absorb into the bloodstream. Others stay on the surface and act as a barrier. Here is the direct answer:Zinc oxide is the safer...