Article: What I Learned After Searching for a Sunscreen I Truly Felt Comfortable Using

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Sophie Oliver holding an organic mineral facial sunscreen SPF 50 in a beach setting

What I Learned After Searching for a Sunscreen I Truly Felt Comfortable Using

By Sophie Oliver · Founder, Baie Botanique

Every time I was about to go on holiday, I found myself going through the same process. Sitting with my laptop open, going through sunscreen after sunscreen. Not just for my children, but for myself as well.

Not for everyday use, but for those times when you are really relying on it. When you are in the sun, applying it properly and covering your skin with it for hours at a time. I wanted something I genuinely felt comfortable using in those situations. But the more I searched, the harder it seemed to find.

I also found myself assuming that if I picked something up in a health store, it would naturally be a better option. But when I looked more closely, that was not always the case. Some still included ingredients I personally preferred to avoid, which made the whole process feel even more confusing.

It made me realise that what something looks like on the outside does not always reflect what is inside.

“What something looks like on the outside does not always reflect what is inside.”

The Ingredient Lists I Could Not Unsee

I spent hours reading ingredient lists, comparing products, and trying to understand what was actually in them. Many included things I personally preferred to avoid: certain silicones, aluminium derivatives, or chemical UV filters. Not because they are necessarily harmful in a blanket sense, but because they did not align with what I felt comfortable using, especially in situations where you are applying sunscreen generously and repeatedly.

If I am honest, it was not just about simplicity.

Over time, I became increasingly uncomfortable with some of the ingredients I was seeing repeatedly in sun care, particularly certain synthetic ingredients and chemical UV filters. There is a lot of ongoing discussion around them, especially when it comes to long-term exposure and how they interact with the body. For me, that was enough to take a more cautious approach.

I did not feel comfortable using them on my own skin or my children's, especially in those moments when sunscreen is not used sparingly, but applied properly and reapplied throughout the day.

The process of developing Soleil began not in a lab, but with years of reading ingredient lists and finding them wanting.

The Same Principle I Apply to Food

It is very similar to how I approach food. I prefer to keep things as simple and minimally processed as possible, and over time, I realised I wanted that same approach to apply to what I put on my skin.

I remember feeling really pleased when I finally found one in a supermarket in Mexico. It felt like I had found something close to what I was looking for. But when I looked more closely, it still included ingredients I personally preferred to avoid, such as dimethicone and titanium dioxide. When I tried it, it did not sit quite right on the skin.

We still used it because at the time, it was the best option I could find. But it never quite felt like the right long-term solution.

At that point, I realised I was not being overly particular. What I was looking for simply was not easy to find. So I decided to make it.

“I was not being overly particular. What I was looking for simply was not easy to find. So I decided to make it.”

A Clear Principle, Applied Consistently

When I began developing the Soleil range, I wanted one clear principle that would hold across every product. Not a sliding scale depending on the formulation. Not a different approach for different products in the range. One position, applied without exception.

Baie Botanique · Sun Care Formulation Policy

Our approach to UV protection

✓ 100% non-nano zinc oxide as the only UV filter, in every Soleil product

✓ No chemical UV filters, in any formulation

✓ No hybrid formulations that mix filter types

✓ Clarity, simplicity, and consistency across the entire range

What I chose not to include, by design

Chemical UV filters, both older and newer generation
Silicones such as dimethicone
Aluminium derivatives
Synthetic additives and texture enhancers
Titanium dioxide

Unlike many sun care ranges that mix different types of UV filters across products, this approach means you never have to second-guess what you are using, whether it is for yourself or your family.

What Is inside the Formula

Deciding what to leave out is only half the process. What goes in matters just as much. Alongside the non-nano zinc oxide, every Soleil formula includes a small number of botanical ingredients chosen specifically for their ability to support and calm sensitive skin.

What I Wanted to Create

For me, it was never about creating something perfect. Sun care involves trade-offs, and anyone who tells you otherwise is not being fully honest with you. The formula has a natural scent rather than a manufactured one. It requires a little more care in application than a chemical SPF. Warming it between your fingers before use makes a real difference to how it applies.

These are trade-offs I am entirely comfortable with. Because what I was not willing to compromise on was the thing that started this process: being able to use sunscreen generously, properly, and repeatedly, without second-guessing what was in it.

If you have ever stood in a shop or scrolled online feeling unsure what to choose, you are not alone. I spent years in exactly that position. Soleil exists because I could not find what I was looking for, so I built it.

Sophie Oliver founded Baie Botanique after 30 years of working as a trained aesthetician. The brand was built around one principle: that skincare should be genuinely considered, not just marketed that way.