Palm & Pine Sunscreen Review: European Sunscreen That’ll Stay On Your Face + the BEST Organic SPF Lip Balm
This review of Palm & Pine Skincare is Part 3 in our series of short, easy-to-read reviews of sustainable, plastic-free sunscreen brands. We’re adding more to the series soon – be sure to get on my email list to keep up with the latest! (And when you do, I’ll send you my cheat sheet of favorite plastic-free toiletries for travel!)
Palm and Pine is a small, European sunscreen brand that currently makes just two products, both in recycled and recyclable aluminum packaging:
- A heavy-duty, ocean-safe tinted SPF 50 mineral face sunscreen – I give it an 8/10
- and the best plastic-free lip balm with sunscreen that I’ve tested – 10/10 !
But they’ve got big aspirations, according to Scottish founder Sarah Muir:
“The goal is to have an entire skincare ritual built on our values for before, during, and after sport.”
Sarah Muir, founder of Palm & Pine Skincare
But, as any small business person knows, growth takes time when you’re a one-person team. Currently, it’s just Sarah behind the company, with help from freelancers for marketing and other tasks.
This is a story I’ve heard so often in the sustainable skincare space, it’s almost not surprising to me anymore. Many of my favorite brands that I’ve reviewed – Dew Mighty, Circular Bodies, and Axiology, just to name a few – are woman-founded, one-person companies.
And they’re the ones changing the skincare industry, so they deserve our support! It’s the only way we’ll get rid of the needless plastic in our medicine cabinets.
Certifications & Sustainability:
Palm & Pine is dedicated to being 100% vegan, palm oil free, and plastic-free.
They don’t use any preservatives, which can irritate skin, and they do use organic ingredients whenever possible. (Meaning for any ingredients that are plant-based and can be organic, as opposed minerals like zinc oxide, for example.)
Mineral Face Sunscreen Test
I had my surfer cousins help me test this sunscreen (the same ones who helped me with a shampoo bar test a couple years ago).
They agreed that the consistency is similar to a lot of sunscreens made for surfing – it’s a thick, paste-like sunscreen that’s made to stay on your face through hours in the water (thanks to its sunflower seed wax). Not what you would call a “light” formula sunscreen, but they both said it was less heavy than many “surfer sunscreen” brands.
That being said, I wore it every day for a week – in my normal life, outside of the ocean – to test whether the heavy formula would make me break out. It didn’t cause any skin issues, and I didn’t look like I belonged on a beach.
But it’s still heavier than what I’d realistically want to use every day — especially because of the effort it takes to remove. We’re talking multiple passes with various face washes.
The kind I’ve found works best is an oil-based cleanser, like any of these refillable cleansers from Activist. (And that’s what Palm & Pine recommends on their FAQ page, too.)
But even then, I wash my face thoroughly, rinse, repeat, and still find sunscreen under my fingernails when I lightly drag them over my skin. It’s my least favorite thing about this formula, even though it’s clearly part of the point. It’s meant to stay on your skin through intense sweat, waves, or snow sports, and it definitely lives up to that mission.
Best use: This sunscreen is perfect at the beach, or for outdoor sports, when you want something that’ll stay on your face, or to add an extra layer of sun protection to your nose, tattoos or other sensitive spots on a normal day.
How many shades?
The one shade they make right now blends surprisingly well into my fair skin tone (despite looking darker in the tin). The medium tint means it’s less obvious on any skin tone than most long-lasting mineral sunscreens – which are often pure white, and give you that 1970s lifeguard look.
You definitely won’t have that. And I think it will cover a wider range of skin tones than it might seem, but I do suspect that on deeper skin tones it won’t be as subtle.
So I certainly wish they made more shades. Right now, that’s not on the product development horizon, but I’ll update this if that changes.
Sunscreen Lip Balm – New Formula Test
This is what I’ve been looking for forever! Or at least it’s the closest I’ve ever found. This little aluminum pot of clear lip balm has SPF 50 protection and an easy-to-love consistency.
This lip balm uses a new generation of European chemical sunscreen ingredients with an even longer name than the old ones – Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine. (More on that below. It’s the only non-mineral sunscreen in this series of reviews.)
While it can’t be considered reef-safe yet, it’s still safe for everyday use, outside the ocean. For days in the water, stick with mineral sunscreen formulas, which scientists have proven don’t harm the ecosystems we’re visiting.
And speaking of everyday use, it’s perfectly subtle. No shine, no color, and no white tint! When I do want some color, I just layer my favorite plastic-free lip color on top, and it works perfectly well. (The shade called “Infinite” is designed to look good on all skin tones.)
Lip Balm Alternatives & What I’d Change
If you want a plastic-free lip balm with mineral sunscreen, these tubes from Sol de Ibiza (another European sunscreen brand – review coming soon) are my favorite of all the mineral options I’ve tested.
One critique of the Palm & Pine lip balm, if I have any, is that a little doesn’t really go a long way – you kind of have to layer it on, but once you do, it feels smooth and moisturizing. (Much better than the tinted ATTITUDE SPF lip balm that I wanted to love, but they dried out my lips.)
And I do wish the Palm & Pine formula came in a tube, so I didn’t have to stick my finger in it, but it’s a small price to pay for a much better product.
What is that fancy new SPF ingredient?
The new ingredient in Palm and Pine’s lip balm is an advanced UV filter that’s only available in Europe. That means it isn’t yet FDA-approved but, compared with the US, Europe tends to err much more on the side of caution with regulating potentially harmful ingredients, which gives me confidence.
The EWR (Environmental Working Group) says it has a low risk of toxicity, although more studies are needed. This helpful skincare ingredient dictionary gives more information.
Still, this ingredient wouldn’t be considered “reef-safe,” under the standards enforced in Hawaii, for example, because it hasn’t been tested and proven safe. (Unlike non-nano zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which are safe for reefs, other animals, and people).
But it does let us avoid the common chemical sunscreen ingredients that we know are a problem (including avobenzone, oxybenzone and octinoxate) while creating a product that’s actually nice to use on your lips.
Scents
All Palm & Pine products are fragrance free.
The lip balm smells like absolutely nothing.
The face and body sunscreen has a smell that I would describe as clay-like, matching its clay-like consistency. It smells natural and unoffensive, but it’s definitely not a fun tropical sunscreen scent (like most mainstream, chemical sunscreens), nor is it an herbal smell like several other brands I’ve tested (such as Circular Bodies and Avasol, for example).
Sustainable Packaging?
I would give Palm & Pine’s packaging a 9 / 10 for sustainability. The paper package it arrived in was compact – about the size of my hand – with 100% paper padding inside, and a couple of small plain paper marketing inserts (not paper coated in plastic, which is usually not recyclable. It drives me crazy that many companies still use those.)
Outside of the package, yes, there was some plastic tape, mostly to attach the customs forms for importing this sunscreen from Europe.
That, of course, brings up another point beyond plastic: The package shipped to my door from Portugal. I’d love to see more local delivery – like if the brand were to have a warehouse in North America to ship from, or a retail partner to sell their products locally.
(Earth Hero, for example, is one sustainable retailer that I could totally see carrying Palm & Pine, but right now they don’t.)
This is something Sarah said she’s working on for her small company, but I see it being a heavy lift with our current politics of unpredictable tariffs, and all-too-predictable xenophobia. 🙄
Shipping Options & Where to Buy:
Currently, Palm & Pine is available at some local, independent shops across Europe, or by ordering directly from the company.
All orders ship from either the UK or Portugal, and they ship anywhere in the world. Sarah said they try to keep delivery costs as low as possible for customers – and currently they’re even offering free shipping (to anywhere!) for any order over $30 / €30.
Discount:
You can save on your plastic-free sunscreen order with the code below:
More Plastic-free Skincare Reviews:
- Avasol Sunscreen Review (it’s TINTED! Four shades!)
- Circular Bodies Sunscreen review (organic, easy to spread, easy to love)
- Dip Shampoo Bar Review (the fanciest bars and the BEST conditioner bar)
- Viori Shampoo Bar Review (made with organic rice grown by a tribe we visited in China)
- Rebrand Skincare Review – the easiest REFILLABLE skincare routine!
- Bamboo vs Recycled Toilet Paper – which is most sustainable, and which is worth the switch?
