Quintessentials luxurious natural sunscreen contains a unique blend of high omega seed oils and antioxidant rich plant extracts, including wild-harvested NZ native extracts. Its broad-spectrum effect will protect your skin from damaging UVB and UVA radiation, whilst its nourishing and anti-aging properties will moisturise and revitalise the cells of your skin. It is slightly tinted with a mild sweet-earth fragrance, spreads smoothly and evenly over your skin, and is easily absorbed leaving a matt finish.
Quintessentials Natural Sunscreen has an estimated SPF of 20 – 30* and uses Zinc oxide (22.5%) as the only active ingredient (*based on the Zinc oxide content).
The SPF has been enhanced through a special combination of New Zealand seed oils that contain a balanced proportion of the essential fatty acids, Omegas 3, 6 and 9, to give maximum anti-inflammatory and moisturising benefit.
Eleven powerful botanical extracts have been selected for their anti-oxidant, anti-microbial and healing effects on the skin. These seed oils and plant extracts are the best nature can offer for the purpose of our sunscreen formulation as they not only protect your skin from radiation damage, but they also contain natural healing, nourishing and anti-ageing properties.
Quintessentials Natural Sunscreen uses almost 60% pure New Zealand ingredients that are grown, cultivated and processed in strict GE/GMO free conditions as well as nearly 35% other ingredients from outside sources that are ECO Cert Approved (France's Organic Certification).
Quintessentials products are manufactured in an organic certified factory in New Zealand that meets the AsureQuality Organic Standard (Certified Full Organic Reg.No. 0816).
Defining the Mission: In Harmony with Nature
In November 2007, Hamilton naturopath / medical herbalist Zoe Aitchison-Windeler set out on what would become a two year quest to develop a quintessential natural sunscreen.
Aware of an increasing consumer demand for clearly labeled natural body care products, she was determined to create a sunscreen based on naturopathic and environmentalist principles that advocated an ethic ofaccurate disclosure of all ingredients used in the formulation. Such a sunscreen would be free of nano particles, and would contain no titanium dioxide or chemical UV absorbers, no synthetic preservatives or emulsifiers and no artificial colours or fragrances. It would use only “raw” naturally processed ingredients that were as close to nature as possible and that had been produced from sustainable resources. These ingredients would be listed on the tube and in a brochure available with the sunscreen.
As well as being focused on issues of quality and integrity of ingredients, the company’s mission was to also perfect a cosmetic product that would have a texture and consistency that would appeal to most consumers. It would be a non-oily, but richly moisturising and anti-oxidant high quality cream giving a matt finish and having no whitening effect. In essence, Quintessential Natural Sunscreen would embody a dual purpose: it would be both a highly effective broad-spectrum sun block and an easy to apply silky smooth body cream.
Refining the Theory: Towards an Ethical Sunscreen
The company’s mission was to select only raw materials of vegetable origin that were of the highest quality, and sourced from pristine regions of the world where they were cultivated using sustainable farming practices and processed without the addition of synthetic or toxic chemicals, fertilizers or additives / preservatives. The focus was on using as many New Zealand ingredients as possible. The formulation comprises almost 60% pure New Zealand ingredients that are grown, cultivated and processed in strict GE / GMO free conditions as well as almost 35% other ingredients from outside sources that are ECO Cert approved (France’s Organic Certification). All of the botanical extracts are either naturally or organically grown or wild harvested and processed in strict conditions without the use of excipients for extraction.
In February 2009 Quintessentials New Zealand Limited was awarded TechNZ support through the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology for the continued development of this innovative product. Samples were submitted for laboratory testing for stability and microbiological challenge both of which achieved excellent results with only slight changes to the formulation. Compliance to the COLIPA / International Sunscreen Standard and/or AS / NZS 2604: 1998 is underway with an expected SPF rating of 20–30. Details will be posted as soon as they are available.
Frequently Asked Questions
1) What is the SPF of your sunscreen?
I am not doing an SPF on the sunscreen as I have done a Critical Wavelength instead. (Further tests at this stage would make the cost of the sunscreen prohibitive as I am just a small company). The CW is 375. It contains 22.5% Zinc oxide which gives it this high rating. A Zinc oxide level of 22.5% should give an SPF of between 20 and 30.
2) What does SPF mean?
SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. It is the system used world wide to determine how much protection a sunscreen provides when applied to the skin at a thickness of 2mg/cm2. The test works out how much UVB radiation it takes to cause a barely detectable sunburn on a given person with and without sunscreen applied. For example if it takes 10 minutes to burn without a sunscreen and 100 minutes to burn with a sunscreen then the SPF of that sunscreen is 10 (100/10). A sunscreen with an SPF15 provides 92% protection against UVB. Protection against UVB is increased to 97% with SPF 30+. The difference between SPF 15 and SPF 30 may not be a noticeable difference in actual use as the effectiveness of a sunscreen has more to do with how much of it is applied, how often it is applied, whether the person is sweating heavily or is exposed to water. Hence a sunscreen of SPF 15 should provide adequate protection as long as it is being used correctly. However, most people apply their sunscreen at about one third the thickness used for testing. They fail to apply it to all exposed areas of skin. And they forget to reapply it every couple of hours (From Derm Net NZ website).
3) Do you list all your ingredients on the tube?
Yes, we list our twenty-four ingredients.
4) What is your active ingredient?
Zinc oxide (22.5%).
5) Does Quintessentials sunscreen use nano zinc oxide?
No. The small particle Zinc oxide is not used in our sunscreen. The use of nano zinc oxide in sunscreens is controversial and there is growing evidence to show that this form of zinc oxide is dangerous for both humans and the environment. Some research shows that nano particles pass through the skin barrier into the bloodstream. Other research shows that these particles are getting in to the world’s waterways and earth’s ecosystem where they may have a congestive effect on plant and animal micro-organisms at the cellular level. It is because of this dual concern that we prefer to avoid the use of nano zinc oxide in our sunscreen.
6) Does Quintessentials sunscreen use microfine zinc oxide?
We use micron-sized zinc oxide, also known as "microfine" zinc oxide.Thislarger particle zinc oxide does not penetrate the epidermis of the skin and stays on the surface, where it should be. The unique feature of our Zinc oxide is the high transparency due to breakthrough technology that makes larger micron-sized particles of zinc oxide transparent.
7) What is the particle size of the zinc oxide you use?
The particle size of the Zinc oxide in Quintessentials Natural Sunscreen is greater than one micron. One micron is made up of 1000 nano particles, which means that one-micron is one thousand times larger than a nano particle.
8) Why do you prefer to use Zinc oxide than Titanium dioxide?
Titanium dioxide primarily provides protection against UVB and short-wave UVA radiation. It does not protect you from long-wave UVA radiation that is the kind of radiation that promotes ageing, DNA damage and cancers. Only two sunscreen ingredients provide protection against long wave UVA rays. They are the physical or inorganic Zinc oxide and the chemical or organic ingredient Avobenzone (Parsol 1789). Recent European legislation on the UVA filtration capacity of sunscreens demands that a level of UVA protection be achieved and that this protection be at least one third of the capacity of its SPF rating for UVB protection. This has meant that a number of European companies providing natural sunscreens that use only titanium dioxide in their formulations have had to withdraw their present sunscreen product from the market as, according to the new legislation, these sunscreens do not give adequate protection from UVA radiation. American legislation is more lax and many American sunscreens give inadequate UVA protection and only protect you from sunburn.
9) Why do you not use traditional UV absorbers such as Avobenzone?
Avobenzone (Butyl-methyoxydibenzoylmethane / Parsol 1789) is a chemical absorber and thus it is not a choice for us as an active ingredient in our natural sunscreen. This chemical has a number of disadvantages and these have been well documented. Some of the problems with this ingredient are that it is not photo-stable and is highly reactive being a powerful free-radical generator. It has been know to degrade in the presence of sunlight rendering it ineffective within just one hour and has been found to degrade other sunscreen ingredients. Although it is considered to be relatively non-toxic and non-irritating to the skin, it is easily absorbed through the epidermis and it does not protect against UVA shortwave radiation.
10) Why does Quintessentials maintain that an SPF15-30 is healthier for consumers?
It is very hard to achieve an SPF above 30 using safe and natural active ingredients. By ‘safe and natural’ we mean by using micron-sized Zinc oxide alone. An SPF30+ can be achieved by using micron-sized zinc oxide, but the sunscreen is likely to be quite oily and thick and will lack the finer texture that is found in a slightly lower SPF using micron-sized zinc oxide. Sunscreens that do not use micron-sized Zinc oxide can achieve a high SPF with a finer texture by using nano-sized zinc oxide, but these tiny particles penetrate through the skin and enter the bloodstream and are therefore, in our estimation, not healthy. The very high SPF’s include chemical absorbers and these have varying toxic side effects, which are unhealthy.Tripling SPF from 15 to 45 provides only 4.5% more protection yet demands up to 300% more toxic chemical exposure. These economics simply do not make sense in terms of reducing skin cancer rates, which are not surprisingly increasing. Quintessentials uses only micron-sized Zinc oxide as it does not penetrate through the epidermis and is thus better for you. But we believe, that our customers are looking for a fine textured product that is non-oily and allows the skin to ‘breathe’. Quintessentials Natural Sunscreen has sought the delicate balance between effective SPF and fantastic feel.
11) What is meant by "broad spectrum" stated on the front of the sunscreen tube?
This means that Quintessentials Natural Sunscreen is a broad-spectrum sunscreen that has active ingredients in it that protect you from two types of Ultra Violet (UV) radiation – UVB and UVA. Both of these kinds of radiation enter the earth’s atmosphere and can harm your skin. Our sunscreen has been formulated to protect you from both of these kinds of harmful radiation and thus has a broad-spectrum effect.
12) What is UVB and UVA radiation?
UV radiation is one form of radiation from the sun. The sun radiates energy in a wide range of wavelengths most of which are invisible to the human eye. There are three types of radiation that differ in wavelength, frequency and energy. First there is visible light that can be seen by the eye and has a wavelength between 400 – 700 nanometres. A nanometer is one billionth of a metre. We see visible light rays as the colours of the rainbow. Each colour has a different wavelength. Red has the longest wavelength and violet has the shortest wavelength. When all the waves are seen together they make white light. Secondly, there is infrared light, which has a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measuring between 750 – 1000 nanometres. The name means “beyond red”, the red being the visible light with the longest wavelength. Thirdly, there is ultra violet light, which has a wavelength shorter than that of visible light. Violet or purple being the visible light with the shortest wavelength. The name means “beyond violet”, violet being the colour of the shortest wave of visible light. Ultra-violet (UV) light has a shorter wavelength than that of violet light. It ranges between 280 – 400 nanometres. Scientists have found that the shorter the wavelength, the more energetic the radiation and the greater the potential for harm.
13) How does UVB and UVA radiation damage the skin?
Rays from UVB radiation has a wavelength between 290 – 320 nanometres. They are mostly absorbed by the ozone layer but some do reach the earth’s surface. They are strongest at the equator and during summer months and in areas that are more affected by reduced ozone density. They primarily affect the top most layer of the skin where they stimulate the production of new melanin leading to a heavy increase in the dark coloured pigment within a few days. A darkened skin may last a relatively long time and provides some protection against sunburn and on a white skin offers a sun protection factor of between 2 and 4. UVB also stimulates the cells to produce a thicker epidermis. The rays are thus responsible for the darkening and thickening of the outer layers. This is the body’s defense against further UV damage. High doses of UVB rays also cause acute photo damage mainly as sunburn that manifests as redness and pain. Most of the skin cells in the upper skin layer are killed and cells that are not killed get damaged. A strong sunburn may cause the skin to blister and peel which is not only painful but also leaves a very white and new skin underneath unprotected and even more prone to UV damage. UVA radiation has a wavelength between 320 – 400 nanometres. It is not absorbed by the ozone layer in any way. In more recent years, researchers have discovered that UVA has two wavelengths. There are short wave UVA1 rays (320-340 nm), and long wave UVA2 rays (340-400 nm). It is the existence of these two lengths of UVA rays and their powerful ability to penetrate to the deeper living cells of the dermis that causes us a lot of concern. UVA are the longest waves and are a hundred times more prevalent that UVBs occurring more constantly throughout the year and having harmful effects during any season. They activate melanin pigment already present in the upper skin layer creating a tan that appears quickly but is also lost quickly. Their damage is insidious and invisible because they do not cause reddening or pain and we are usually not aware of our exposure to it. They even penetrate glass, subjecting us to exposure at home, work and in the car. UVA rays penetrate more deeply into the skin than UVBs and work more efficiently, affecting the connective tissue and blood vessels. Recent research strongly suggests that UVA radiation directly interacts with the skin’s DNA. Its primary weapon of destruction is the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), a destructive molecule known as a “free radical” which causes cumulative damage to the healthy molecules within the range of its action. This causes damage to the skin’s immune system and reduces the body’s ability to defend itself against certain diseases. UVA is also the primary cause of premature ageing in the body. Ageing is seen as the thinning of the epidermis, wrinkles and roughness, a leather-like appearance of the skin, deep crevice-type rhytids and dark spots or hyper-pigmentation and loss of collagen and elastic tissue damage, which gives a sagging, drooping look to the skin. Scientists believe that 90% of perceived skin ageing is due to broad-spectrum ultra violet damage. But more importantly, these UVA rays are thought to be the cause of more aggressive skin cancers, including deadly melanomas.
14) Do you use synthetic preservatives?
No, we use a unique preservative system derived from natural sources that are cultivated and processed entirely in New Zealand. Our preservative system is unique to Quintessentials Natural Sunscreen and is also found in our other two organic body-care products.
15) Do you use any synthetic emulsifier?
No, the emulsifiers we use have organic certification.
16) Do you use any synthetic fragrances?
No, our product is fragrance-free and has only a mild sweet-earth / vanilla and ylang ylang and rose geranium scent that comes from the natural ingredients used.
17) Do you use palm oil in your formulation?
No, we do not.
18) Does your sunscreen contain any antioxidants?
Yes, it contains eleven anti-oxidant botanicals and Vitamin E oil.
19) Are your sunscreen ingredients obtained from sustainable sources?
Yes, 100%.
20) Is Quintessentials natural sunscreen safe for babies?
Yes, our sunscreen can be used for babies, as long as you patch test first. Apply to only the exposed areas of babies' skin and keep babies well covered and out of the hot sun to prevent their growing cells from being damaged that causes sun related problems later in life. However, babies and children do need some light sun exposure, away from the middle hours of the day, in order to obtain Vitamin D for their growing bones.
21) How do you apply the sunscreen?
The sunscreen should be applied to all areas of the skin that are exposed to the sun. It is commonly advised that sunscreen should be applied every 2-3 hours no matter what the SPF.Some research has shown that the best protection is achieved by application 15-30 minutes before exposure, followed by another application 15-30 minutes after the sun exposure begins. Further reapplication is necessary every 2-3 hours andafter swimming, sweating, rubbing / wiping.
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Keywords: sun, sun block, sunblock, sunscreen, sun screen, SPF, sun cream, sun protection.
