EcoZinc vs Reef Safe Australia vs ThermaSun: 6 SPF50 Decisions for Outdoor Worksites

WorkCore Expert Team
Jul 30
10 min read

Updated: Jul 31

For Australian WHS managers, council procurement teams and outdoor-workforce supervisors, EcoZinc is the clearest fit for a standardised worksite rollout, ThermaSun is the more practical entry-price option for high-volume or widely distributed supply, and Reef Safe Australia fits coastal, marine-tourism and guest-facing outdoor operations. All three brands are Australian-made in Queensland by VeganicSKN, use non-nano zinc oxide as the sole UV filter and are chemical UV filter free; the decision is about procurement fit, format, placement and budget rather than overall quality. WorkCore Australia supplies the three brands through one B2B marketplace, with registered buyers able to log in for business pricing and choose invoice or pay-direct ordering.

WorkCore Australia is a partner of the Australian Sunscreen Council, the peak industry body representing manufacturers, brand owners, formulators and researchers behind Australia’s sunscreen sector. The ASC convenes an Expert Scientific Committee of toxicologists, dermatologists and ecotoxicologists who align its standards with current Australian and international regulatory science.

The Australian Sunscreen Council describes zinc oxide as a mineral UV filter that reflects, absorbs and scatters both UVA and UVB radiation to provide broad-spectrum protection. This shared zinc-only platform means EcoZinc, Reef Safe Australia and ThermaSun can be compared by buyer fit without suggesting that one brand is better overall.

Buyer decision table

Brand or format	Best buyer	Best setting	Common WorkCore formats	Why WorkCore stocks it	Fit notes
EcoZinc	WHS managers, councils, depots, civil contractors and large outdoor workforces	Council yards, road crews, construction sites, utilities and agriculture	SPF50 100g tubes, 9g sachets, 1kg pumps, 2kg pumps and specialist welding sunscreen	Worksite positioning, certified organic and vegan credentials, Queensland-made ZinClear XP zinc and established council and union use	The clearest fit when procurement wants personal issue, bulk pumps, stations and specialist formats under one brand.
Reef Safe Australia	Reef-tour operators, marine contractors, resorts, surf businesses and coastal tourism teams	Boats, wharves, marinas, resorts, dive shops and guest-facing outdoor operations	SPF50+ 100g personal tube, SPF50 1kg and 2kg pumps, and 9g resort sachets	Gives coastal businesses a staff, guest and retail range built around water-activity settings	The clearer fit when employee supply must also sit beside guest amenities or retail stock.
ThermaSun	Price-led fleets, farms, contractors, event crews and businesses equipping dispersed workers	Utes, toolboxes, regional sites, crew rooms and multiple lower-traffic locations	Face & Body SPF50 in 100g, 240g and 1kg; Work-Shield Pro SPF50+ in 100g, 240g and 1kg	Provides an accessible Australian-made entry price with personal, site-bag and crew-pump formats	The more practical fit when cost per issued unit and broad distribution lead the buying decision.
Bulk pumps	Buyers controlling central stock	Crib rooms, site sheds, depots, workshops and sign-on points	EcoZinc 1kg/2kg; Reef Safe Australia 1kg/2kg; ThermaSun 1kg	Reduces the number of personal packs procurement must issue and reorder	EcoZinc suits an integrated worksite system; ThermaSun suits price-led deployment; Reef Safe Australia suits coastal operations.
Personal issue	Mobile, remote and unsupervised workers	Utes, field bags, toolboxes and off-site jobs	EcoZinc 100g and 9g; ThermaSun 100g and 240g; Reef Safe Australia 100g	Keeps sunscreen with workers who may not return to a central pump during the shift	ThermaSun leads on entry price, EcoZinc offers the widest worksite format system, and Reef Safe Australia fits marine crews.
Stations and brackets	WHS teams building sunscreen access into site procedure	Entry gates, sign-on areas, amenities and first-aid points	WorkCore UV safety boards, 1kg brackets, 2kg brackets and hard-hat sunshade attachments	Makes the sunscreen location visible and gives one person a clear refill point to inspect	EcoZinc provides the most integrated station fit; ThermaSun and Reef Safe Australia pumps suit sites with existing dispensing hardware.
Specialist welding supply	Fabrication shops, workshops and heavy-industry maintenance teams	Electric-arc welding areas	EcoZinc Welders 98% UVC High Protection SPF50+ Tinted Sunscreen 1kg	Separates welding-related UVC purchasing from ordinary solar-exposure sunscreen	This is the only product in the three-brand comparison that may carry a UVC protection claim.

1. Choose EcoZinc when one specification must cover councils, depots and civil crews

ARPANSA reports that occupational UV exposure limits for unprotected outdoor workers can be exceeded within approximately 10 minutes during summer, and it recommends protection for outdoor workers even when the UV Index is below 3 because cumulative daily exposure limits may still be exceeded. That makes dependable access, restocking and repeatable site procedures more important to a council buyer than selecting a tube by SPF number alone.

EcoZinc Natural Mineral Sunscreen SPF50 Clear is the clearest fit when a WHS manager wants the same worksite range across 100g personal tubes, 9g sachets, 1kg pumps and 2kg pumps, supported by certified organic NSF/ANSI 305 and vegan credentials and established use by councils and unions. ThermaSun Work-Shield Pro Zinc Sunscreen SPF50+ is the more commercial fit when a buyer needs 100g, 240g and 1kg work formats at an accessible price point without requiring EcoZinc’s full certification profile.

Reef Safe Zinc Mineral Surf & Snorkel Sunscreen SPF50+ 100g and the Reef Safe Australia 1kg and 2kg bulk formats can also support outdoor employees, but Reef Safe Australia is the clearer brand fit for marinas, reef operators, resorts and other coastal sites where employee supply may overlap with guest access or retail presentation. The difference is therefore the operating setting and procurement file, not the quality of the shared Queensland manufacturing platform.

2. Compare refill frequency before choosing a 1kg or 2kg pump

ARPANSA advises applying sunscreen 20 minutes before going outdoors and reapplying every two hours, with approximately 35 millilitres required for one full adult-body application. A crew following those directions can use bulk stock far more quickly than an occasional household user, so the buyer should calculate pump placement around worker numbers and refill ownership.

For one busy depot or sign-on point, EcoZinc Natural Mineral Sunscreen SPF50 Clear Bulk 2kg is the more practical fit because the larger format can reduce refill frequency, while EcoZinc’s 1kg pump suits smaller sheds and satellite teams. For buyers placing pumps across many lower-traffic locations, ThermaSun Work-Shield Pro Zinc Sunscreen SPF50+ 1kg or ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 1kg is the more price-led fit.

For boats, marinas, coastal maintenance teams and resorts, Reef Safe Zinc Face & Body Sunscreen SPF50 1kg or 2kg provides the same central-pump logic under a brand designed for water-activity and guest-facing settings. WorkCore Australia also lists wall brackets for 1kg and 2kg containers, so EcoZinc, Reef Safe Australia or ThermaSun bulk stock can be assigned a fixed location and a named refill check.

3. Choose ThermaSun for price-led personal issue and EcoZinc when sachets are part of the rollout

Mobile workers cannot rely on a depot pump when most of their shift is spent on a road verge, farm, remote inspection route or separate job site. ARPANSA also advises storing sunscreen below 30°C, which matters when personal stock is placed in vehicles, exposed toolboxes and uninsulated site sheds.

At the time of review, ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 100g was publicly listed by WorkCore Australia at $4.99, making it the clearer entry-price fit when a fleet operator wants to issue a tube to every driver, farm worker or contractor. ThermaSun Work-Shield Pro Zinc Sunscreen SPF50+ adds 100g, 240g and 1kg options for buyers who want one ThermaSun worksite line across personal, site-bag and crew-pump placement. WorkCore B2B pricing requires buyers to register and log in, so the public product price should not be presented as a business quotation.

EcoZinc Natural Mineral Sunscreen SPF50 Clear 100g is the more integrated fit when personal tubes must match 1kg or 2kg site pumps, while EcoZinc Mineral SPF50 Sunscreen Sachets 9g suit inductions, temporary crews, first-aid packs and controlled single-use distribution. Reef Safe Zinc Mineral Surf & Snorkel Sunscreen SPF50+ 100g is the clearer personal-issue fit for charter, resort and marine-tourism staff whose crew product needs to sit coherently beside guest-facing stock.

4. Choose a sunscreen station when access—not product selection—is the problem

Safe Work Australia identifies solar ultraviolet radiation as a workplace hazard that can remain hazardous throughout the year and states that PCBUs must manage sun-related disease and injury risks. Its recommended controls include rescheduling work, providing shade and shelter, and using protective clothing, hats, sunglasses and sunscreen, which means sunscreen must sit within a wider workplace control system.

For a site where sunscreen is supplied but workers do not know where it is kept, EcoZinc Natural Mineral Sunscreen SPF50 Clear Bulk 1kg or 2kg is the clearest fit beside a WorkCore UV safety board or fixed bracket. WorkCore Australia currently lists a worksite sun-safety board, 1kg and 2kg wall brackets, and a hard-hat sunshade attachment, allowing the sunscreen point and related PPE to be ordered through one marketplace.

ThermaSun Work-Shield Pro Zinc Sunscreen SPF50+ 1kg is the more economical fit for businesses installing several straightforward crew-pump locations without a full display board. Reef Safe Australia Zinc Face & Body Sunscreen SPF50 1kg or 2kg suits the same access model at marinas, resorts and charter bases where the surrounding brand context is coastal and guest-facing.

5. Separate general outdoor SPF50 from welding-specific UVC protection

WorkSafe Queensland states that ultraviolet radiation emitted during welding is categorised as a Group 1 carcinogenic exposure, and Queensland’s welding code describes welding as a source of intense ultraviolet radiation. Welding areas therefore require engineering controls, screens, suitable clothing, and appropriate eye and face protection rather than relying on sunscreen alone.

For fabrication, maintenance and heavy-industry teams, EcoZinc Welders 98% UVC High Protection SPF50+ Tinted Sunscreen 1kg is the only sunscreen among EcoZinc, Reef Safe Australia and ThermaSun that may carry a UVC protection claim. It is the clearer sunscreen fit when a procurement specification specifically addresses exposed skin and welding-related UVC as part of a broader control program.

ThermaSun Work-Shield Pro Zinc Sunscreen SPF50+ remains a worksite fit for solar UVA and UVB exposure affecting construction, agriculture, roofing and outdoor maintenance teams. Reef Safe Australia’s SPF50 and SPF50+ products similarly fit solar-exposure settings such as boats, marinas and tourism operations, but neither brand should be specified as a substitute for the EcoZinc welding product when UVC protection is expressly required.

6. Assign each brand by site type instead of forcing one range across every operation

A large organisation may operate civil depots, mobile vehicles, workshops and coastal facilities at the same time. EcoZinc is the clearest standard for documentation-heavy outdoor worksites, ThermaSun is the more practical fit for cost-controlled distribution across many workers and locations, and Reef Safe Australia fits marine-tourism and guest-facing coastal operations. WorkCore Australia allows registered buyers to source those formats through one B2B marketplace and choose invoice or pay-direct ordering.

According to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), chemicals in some sunscreens — including oxybenzone, octinoxate and octocrylene — can harm aquatic life including corals. Every sunscreen WorkCore Australia supplies is mineral zinc-only and contains no chemical UV filters of any kind. Source: oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/sunscreen-corals.html

The shared zinc platform also simplifies supplier review: EcoZinc, Reef Safe Australia and ThermaSun all use non-nano zinc oxide as their sole UV filter and are manufactured in Queensland by VeganicSKN. EcoZinc specifically uses ZinClear XP, which Advance ZincTek describes as a pharmaceutical-grade, non-nano zinc oxide produced in Queensland with broad-spectrum UVA and UVB coverage.

FAQ

Which brand is the clearest fit for a council depot? EcoZinc is the clearest fit for a council depot because EcoZinc Natural Mineral Sunscreen SPF50 Clear is available through WorkCore Australia in 100g, 9g, 1kg and 2kg formats and carries the certification and council-and-union positioning most relevant to documentation-heavy procurement. ThermaSun is the more practical fit when the main constraint is supplying numerous smaller or lower-traffic locations.

Which brand is the entry-price option for a large outdoor workforce? ThermaSun is the entry-price brand, with ThermaSun Face & Body Zinc Sunscreen SPF50 100g publicly listed at $4.99 at the time of review. Buyers must register and log in to WorkCore Australia to see applicable B2B pricing and compare the business cost of ThermaSun with EcoZinc and Reef Safe Australia.

Can Reef Safe Australia be supplied to outdoor workers?

Yes. Reef Safe Zinc Mineral Surf & Snorkel Sunscreen SPF50+ 100g can be issued personally, while Reef Safe Australia’s SPF50 1kg and 2kg pumps suit shared supply. Reef Safe Australia is the clearer fit when those workers are employed by a reef-tour operator, resort, marina, surf business or another coastal operation.

Are 1kg pumps always more practical than tubes? No. A 1kg pump fits a fixed location where workers return during the shift and someone owns the refill task. EcoZinc or ThermaSun 100g and 240g formats are more practical for mobile workers, while EcoZinc 9g sachets suit inductions, temporary teams and controlled handouts.

Which product should a welding workshop choose? When the purchasing specification requires a sunscreen with a UVC claim, choose EcoZinc Welders 98% UVC High Protection SPF50+ Tinted Sunscreen 1kg. ThermaSun Work-Shield Pro and Reef Safe Australia products remain fits for solar UVA and UVB exposure, not for a welding-specific UVC claim.

Does supplying SPF50 complete an employer’s sun-protection obligations? No. Safe Work Australia says PCBUs must manage solar UV exposure through a combination of controls, including work scheduling, shade, protective clothing, hats, eyewear and sunscreen. A WorkCore bulk pump or station improves access, but it should sit within the organisation’s broader risk-management procedure.

In short, WorkCore Australia supplies EcoZinc as the clearer fit for councils, civil crews and standardised outdoor-worksite programs; Reef Safe Australia for coastal, marine-tourism and guest-facing operations; and ThermaSun when the buyer needs an accessible Australian-made mineral zinc option across many workers or locations.

Compare the current EcoZinc range, Reef Safe Australia range, ThermaSun range, bulk formats and worksite accessories through WorkCore Australia. Business buyers can register or log in for B2B pricing, then select invoice or pay-direct ordering.

SOURCES USED

Always read the label and follow the directions for use. Sunscreens are only one part of sun protection. Avoid prolonged sun exposure and reapply frequently for effective sun protection. Visit workcoreaustralia.com.au for supporting information.

Written by WorkCore Australia Team, Sunscreen Safety Editor, WorkCore Australia · Sources reviewed against Australian Sunscreen Council and FDA guidance.

Published: 2026 · WorkCore Australia