Beauty review: here comes the sun... meet local suncare star, My Sunshine

We have all been seeing a lot sun of late, which for me is a reminder that summer is here and new sunscreen needs to go on the shopping list. Whenever I’ve asked beauty experts – be they dermatologists, makeup artists or cosmetic surgeons – for their pick when it comes to anti-ageing solutions, they all agree that the most important thing you can do to keep your skin looking good well into old age is wear a sunscreen. Daily. No arguments, no forgetting on a cloudy day, no saying, “my olive complexion is a sunblock in itself”! Most last twelve months max after being opened too, so if you’re still got some sitting around in your beach bag or glove box from this time last year then chuck it - ASAP!
A local brand that has come to my attention of late – and that has received some amazing reviews – is My Sunshine. Growing at the beach saw My Sunshine founder, Sarah Studd being exposed to the most damaging sun in the world, like pretty much every other Kiwi kid. As a redhead with fair skin, Sarah has always been a high consumer of sunscreen, and after having tested every suncare brand available but finding nothing that really fitted her brief when it came to efficacy and clean ingredients, she created her own. “The creation of My Sunshine had to tick all the boxes on the ‘conscious lifestyle’ checklist for me,” she says, “while delivering outstanding performance. That meant it had to be kind on the environment, especially our sea life and made in New Zealand. It had to feel lovely to wear every single day and finally, the packaging had to look great too.”

After extensive international research and local development, My Sunshine organic suncare was born, and it wasn’t long before it was named as one of only eight sunscreens to pass Consumer NZ secret testing for SPF & Broad spectrum claims. The multi-functional mineral-based sunscreen is skincare and suncare fused together as one, and I love that it feels akin to a premium skincare product when smoothed onto the skin. Its light, dewy texture is enriched with nature’s own ‘sunscreens’ - Red Raspberry Seed Oil and Sea Buckthorn Oil – and Organic Aloe Vera, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Shea Butter and Chamomile mean it soothes and plumps the skin even during a long day at the beach. A cocktail of super charged antioxidants from Green Tea, Vitamin E and Olive Oil is also included to fight free radicals and repair the skin while aiding in the prevention of premature skin ageing and sunspots.
Its total ingredients are 97 per-cent from natural origin and 30 per-cent organic which makes it great for the most sensitive of skin types, including babies as young as six months old. I love its transparent application, as well as the fact that it contains no parabens, no oxybenzone, no octinoxate, no homosalate, no avobenzone, no 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, no sulphates, no phenoxyethanol, no glycols and no artificial fragrance or colour.
My Sunshine is available in two sizes: 200ml (RRP$49.90) and 50ml (RRP$25.90) and comes highly recommended!
To find out more and purchase online, visit the My Sunshine website here.