Quick Summary:

Date Tested: 07/29/2022

I decided that for this Aveeno Kids Continuous Protection SPF 50 Zinc Oxide Mineral Sunscreen Review, I would like to talk a little bit about relationships…and kids. I have three.

Children

Worms, Protozoa, Ectoparasites, and children. What do all of these have in common? They’re really just parasites in one shape or form. The only real difference is that us human parents tend to love our little parasites, and we seek to nurture them until they grow big and strong enough to nurture little parasites of their own. Out of the most ambitious of us, our little parasites are urged to work in specific industries, some which require much time and effort to be successful. From the biological perspective, this tends to be a negative cost/benefit since less parasites can be hosted given the less time/energy available after such work. From a functional perspective however, having our little parasites achieve that high level of societal/work performance may serve a function in helping to attract another mate in which to produce more parasites. Its a toss up.

Attraction

I suppose humans and sunscreen have a lot in common. The bottles and tubes sunscreen come in are optimized to be eye catching and attention grabbing. The advertised benefits for each product are varied, and the methods of courtship affect us all differently. One sunscreen appeals to the heart, another to reason, some even the aesthetic. Humans seek their partners in much the same way as they select a sunscreen I think, there is a courtship, a dance…even a little sex appeal. What it boils down to though, isn’t it really just about attraction, connection, and ultimately the future of the relationship?

I want to make the best choice in selecting a sunscreen, I want my investment into the product to return to me some good ROI, and ultimately I want to have many pleasing experiences with the sunscreen so many future pleasant memories are made. In fact, I want the sunscreen to protect me, care for me, and make sure I am OK when I’m out in the world. I want my sunscreen to be mine and mine alone, always there for me when I need it, and always, always, meeting my expectations when we initially made the commitment to be together.

The purchase is made and the relationship starts.

Several outings later, the product doesn’t live up to its marketed benefits, sometimes it fails completely. Feels worse each subsequent time its put on, smells differently than last recollection, and the tube doesn’t look as good as it used to. It looks dated and brings less joy. You start to question, am I just imagining this? Is this sunscreen just not the same as when I first purchased it? Is it me? What happened? I thought we were to be together forever…What’s worse…There are now parasites involved. How does this sunscreen protect them? Those cute, beautiful, little, parasites, the most important things we as humans have in this world.

But you feel that draw, you feel that little inkling down deep to browse the shelves to see what else is out there, maybe you don’t really know you’re doing it or maybe its an active decision…But the fact is, its happening.

Or is it?

At the next trip to the store, you spy a sunscreen on the shelves. It looks so shiny, new, and…beautiful. The packaging has all the things you are looking for, all the stated benefits, absolutely no flaws at all. You are enamored, it promises the world. You cant stop thinking about it and all the potentially exciting future memories you could make with it. Would it really fill in the blanks where the previous sunscreen failed? Would it fill the empty, fix the broken, straighten the bent?

But always in the back of your mind the thought echoes, “would it provide ultimate UV protection for the cute little parasites we humans call children?”

The Aveeno Kids Continuous Protection SPF 50 Zinc Oxide Mineral Sunscreen Lotion is a physical based sunscreen which contains the Zinc Oxide active ingredient at 21.6%. It is designed for kids. In fact that’s why it uses the inert Zinc Oxide UV filter instead of the chemical stuff which may or may not harm humans in the long term.

In the sunscreen tester, the Aveeno Kids Continuous Protection SPF 50 proved itself worthy at reducing UVI by 99.69%, UVA by 99.78%, and UVB by 98.24%. Very attractive figures for a mineral based sunscreen, and one that’s good with kids!

The Aveeno Kids Continuous Protection SPF 50 characteristics at a glance:

• Specifically formulated for kids
• Made with naturally-sourced 100% zinc oxide active ingredient
• Paraben-free, phthalate-free and fragrance-free

• Viscosity is slightly thicker

---

Aveeno Kids SPF 50 Zinc Oxide Mineral Sunscreen UV blocking test results

Ultraviolet light quick reference:

UVA: The Ultraviolet wavelength from 315nm – 400nm. The “Aging UV light” – Causes wrinkles.
UVB: The Ultraviolet wavelength from 280nm – 315nm. The “Bad UV light” – Causes skin cancer.
UVI: The global sun UV index. The more a sunscreen can reduce the level of UVI, the better.

---

UV test results:

Ultraviolet sensor readings:

Want to know more about how I test sunscreen? Head here to read about the details.

Testing notes:

Humans are animals, but more complicated animals. The factors we weigh to make the decisions we make are as infinite as there are stars. Do we choose solely on aesthetics? Do we believe the stated benefit claims? Do we like the way it smells? Is it familiar? Is the scent of a new bottle of sunscreen something I could get used to? Does it feel good on me? Does it treat my family well?

The decision isn’t to be taken lightly for sure, but one thing for certain is that the Aveeno Kids Continuous Protection Zinc Oxide SPF 50 does an exceptionally good job protecting children from the suns harmful ultraviolet radiation. Thats one thing on the list of unknowns to check off.