The 22 Best Face Sunscreens, Tested & Reviewed
Dotdash Meredith and Yahoo Inc. may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below.
We evaluated 52 face sunscreens for lightweight, cast-free consistency, gentle formula and all the broad-spectrum UV protection we could get.
InStyle / Jhett Thompson
As Icarus learned the hard way according to ancient Greek lore, you should never get too close to the sun. And that could not be more true when it comes to creating a barrier between the sun and your face. No matter the climate, our skin is vulnerable to damage from dangerous UV rays and free radicals emitted by the sun — and the negative effects of unprotected exposure extend far beyond the pink flush of sunburn, including the formation of dark spots and increased signs of aging. Board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Macrene Alexiades explains that “If you don't apply sunscreen, the UV radiation can damage the collagen and connective tissue in your skin. This, in turn, leads to loss of elasticity in your skin, causing wrinkles, saggy and aged skin to appear in younger people.”
To avoid this and long-term general health issues, it’s crucial to develop a well-maintained practice of daily face sunscreen application, but with hundreds of options, how will you know which one is right for you?
Well, we selected 52 of the most popular face sunscreens around and exhaustively tested each one in our Manhattan-based Lab as well as out in the real world. We evaluated every sunscreen for its level of protection (UVA/UVB protection, SPF level), but we even took it a step further by ranking each one against a set of specific criteria, including feel, undesirable transfer from skin to clothes, color and blendability, ease of removal, and water-resistance, all to weed out the noise and provide you with a hand-picked list.
Best Overall: Isdin Eryfotona Actinica Mineral SPF 50+ Sunscreen
What We Love: This face sunscreen performed consistently high across all of our major categories. It’s lightweight and absorbs quickly with no residue making it one of the best options for applying underneath makeup and daily use.
What We Don’t Love: This is one of the more expensive face sunscreens out there, but it performed so well and has so many benefits that we think it’s well worth the price tag. The bottle is nearly double the standard size of most face sunscreens, so while you may spend more upfront, you’ll also be reaping the benefits for longer.
For folks with combination skin, it can especially be tricky to find the right sunscreen that isn’t too thick or difficult to blend in without leaving a white cast — not true here. Throughout our test, we found that this high SPF, mineral sunscreen was one of the fastest absorbing face sunscreens out there. With a super lightweight, almost watery feel, it isn’t greasy at all. In fact, it's so impossibly easy to spread that it won’t slow down your morning makeup routine in the slightest.
This outstanding face sunscreen stayed with us throughout the day but never in an unappealing way. While it carries a slightly “beachy” scent, we found it to be one of the best smelling sunscreens on this list. After sweaty workouts at the gym, we found that even vigorous perspiration didn’t cause any runs or transfers.
Type: Mineral | SPF Level: 50+ | Water-Resistant: Yes, up to 40 minutes | Active Ingredients: Zinc oxide, vitamin E, plankton extract | Size: 3.4 oz
Best Drugstore: Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen Spray SPF 30
What We Love: Spray sunscreens are notoriously greasy but Neutrogena formulated a slick-free and non-comedogenic option.
What We Don’t Love: Extremely sensitive skin could react negatively to the added fragrance.
The Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Sunscreen meets our high standards for a stellar spray formula: Its fine and invisible mist makes for easy touch ups that won’t disturb your makeup, the non-comedogenic, oil-free formula prevents breakouts, and it doesn’t have a greasy finish. Keep in mind this is technically a body mist, so be sure to spray it in your hands first before patting it on your skin. As a bonus, it’s water resistant for up to 80 minutes, allowing you to partake in over an hour of sweaty activities before re-application.
Although its formula includes an added fragrance, sensitive noses will appreciate that the sunscreen has almost no smell — not even the typical sunscreen-y one. Sensitive skin types, on the other hand, will want to perform a patch test to ensure this ingredient doesn’t trigger a reaction.
Type: Chemical | SPF Level: 30 | Water-Resistant: Yes, up to 80 minutes | Active Ingredients: Avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene | Size: 5 oz
Best Dermatologist-Recommended: CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Face Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30
What We Love: The super creamy texture absorbs well into the skin and plays well with makeup. It’s also great for oilier skin types, generating less residue and transfer.
What We Don’t Love: The thick consistency means that it can take a bit of extra effort to fully rub it in and eliminate white cast. However, the effort pays off and results in a nicely moisturized visage.
If you’re looking for a face sunscreen that delivers on the features of high-end competitors and was developed in association with board-certified dermatologists, look no further than this mineral sunscreen from drugstore staple CeraVe.
While the thick consistency may take some extra effort to rub in, we all found that the result was worth it. This sunscreen, when given time to settle into skin, left no signs of white cast. Instead, it made our faces feel pleasantly hydrated — an unexpected boost to our normal skincare and makeup routines. And with a larger package size and much lower price point than most of the other sunscreens we tried, the performance of this sunscreen is one of the best values out there.
Type: Mineral | SPF Level: 30 | Water-Resistant: No | Active Ingredients: Zinc oxide, titanium oxide, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, ceramides | Size: 2.5 oz
InStyle / Jhett Thompson
Best Sunscreen Lotion for Face: Shiseido Sun Protector Lotion SPF 60+
What We Love: If we could bottle its light and clean fragrance into a perfume, we would.
What We Don’t Love: It can leave a subtle white cast on deeper skin tones.
InStyle commerce writer Bianca Kratky says she trusts Japanese beauty brands blindly but particularly adores the Shiseido Sun Protector for its gorgeous fragrance and high SPF protection. “Shiseido is the sunscreen I used growing up in Japan, and its very Japanese scent feels very nostalgic to me, but anyone will appreciate the refreshing, clean smell,” she adds. Its formula also acts as a skincare agent, as algae extract hydrates parched complexions while licorice root extract soothes redness and irritation.
Although the lotion applies clear, its texture is similar to a rich gel and sometimes Kratky still notices a white cast on her olive skin tone. To avoid it, she pats the lotion in and works in smaller amounts, giving the sunscreen plenty of time to absorb before applying other skincare and makeup.
Type: Chemical | SPF Level: 60 | Water-Resistant: Yes, up to 80 minutes | Active Ingredients: Homosalate, octisalate, algae complex, licorice root extract | Size: 1.7 oz
Best for Dry Skin: EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46
What We Love: Despite the lightweight texture, it’s packed full of super hydrating ingredients to leave your skin feeling moisturized throughout the entire day.
What We Don’t Love: It could feel a little rich on oily skin types.
Backed by dermatologists, EltaMD and its sensitive-skin-friendly formulas consistently receive high marks from our team for formulating some of the best sunscreens. This moisturizing formula contains hyaluronic acid and niacinamide, which work in tandem to soothe redness, replenish dry skin, and help the skin barrier retain water as you sweat it out in the sun. While most everyone will find that these ingredients prevent it from having a heavy texture – it’s even light enough to mix in with another moisturizer, if you want added hydration – the texture could skew a little too rich on oiler skin types.
On the plus side, its pump-style bottle allows us to distribute the ideal amount so we can customize coverage, and we never waste a drop of it.
Type: Mineral | SPF Level: 46 | Water-Resistant: No | Active Ingredients: Zinc, octinoxate, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide | Size: 1.7 oz
Best for Sensitive Skin: InnBeauty Project Mineral Sun Glow Broad Spectrum SPF 43 PA +++ with Peptides and Vitamin C
What We Love: Forget a dull matte finish, this sunscreen provides our skin with the healthiest flow.
What We Don’t Love: If this sunscreen had a deeper tint option, in addition to the two offered, it’d be a home run.
Is it just us, or do skincare products marketed toward sensitive skin tend to be somewhat of a yawn with their range of beige packaging and serious typeface? InnBeauty shakes things up and introduces a cheery, pink-packaged product to our rotation and a tinted, illuminating formula that naturally brightens our skin.
Best yet, the non-comedogenic and fragrance-free formula never spurs an angry reaction or breakout from its gentle formula. “Since I often see that little line of clogged pores appear along my cheeks whenever I test a product, I was thrilled that this sunscreen not only kept my skin clear, but went one step further and made it look plumper, dewy, and glowy,” says InStyle commerce writer, Irene Richardson. Loaded with peptides and vitamin C, you’re guaranteed to ward away any skin dullness leftover from the winter humdrum.
Type: Mineral | SPF Level: 43 | Water-Resistant: No | Active Ingredients: Zinc oxide, vitamin C, peptides | Size: 1.7 oz
Best Face Sunscreen for Oily Skin: Dr. Loretta Urban Antioxidant Sunscreen SPF 40
What We Love: Its matte finish minimizes the appearance of sheen on oily-prone skin.
What We Don’t Love: We caught whiffs of that classic sunscreen scent, which wasn’t totally unpleasant.
Even as the rest of your body is sweating, trust us, the Dr. Loretta Urban Antioxidant Sunscreen won’t slip off slick skin and it provides powerful protection against dryness and the sun. “I have oily skin but still like a full beat, even in the summer, and this sunscreen is one of my favorite bases for a matte finish that doesn't pill,” says InStyle associate editorial director Shannon Bauer. She also adores how the mineral formula has no white cast, but there is a traditional sunscreen scent that dissipates pretty quickly.
Plus, the “good-to-the-last-drop pump tube,” as she describes it, allows her to get every ounce of product out. Similar to its soothing face wash, you’ll want to use this multi-beneficial pink-tinted gem until the bitter end. The moisturizing formula hydrates skin with peptides and fruit oils while antioxidants, such as ashwagandha and lavender oil, and zinc also protect it from blue light.
Type: Mineral | SPF Level: 40 | Water-Resistant: No | Active Ingredients: Zinc oxide, Indian ginseng, peptides | Size: 1.7 oz
Best Stick: Sun Bum Original SPF 30 Sunscreen Face Stick
What We Love: Pocket-sized and with an extremely smooth application, you can rely on this sunscreen for touch-ups anywhere.
What We Don’t Love: Not everyone will love the brand’s signature banana scent.
This slim little rectangular tube of sunscreen empowers us to re-apply anywhere in the world without a mirror, thanks to its non-goopy, invisible coverage. We don’t have to worry about Sun Bum’s smooth formula smearing our skin or moving makeup underneath in globs of sticky product, either, as it slides right over them with no oily residue left behind. A stick-style applicator is pure perfection for when you need to target specific areas of your body, too, such as your scalp, tattoos, and the tips of your ears. In addition to its SPF 30 protection, the formula’s added vitamin E gives us extra security that this mighty antioxidant is helping to prevent inflammation and further UV damage from free radicals.
One more note: While we don’t think you’ll find the banana smell too sweet or artificial, we know any fruity-scented fragrance can be divisive.
Type: Chemical | SPF Level: 30 | Water-Resistant: Yes, up to 80 minutes | Active Ingredients: Avobenzone, vitamin E | Size: 0.45 oz
Best Powder Sunscreen for Face: Jane Iredale Powder-Me SPF 30 Dry Sunscreen
What We Love: For a powder formula, it’s surprisingly non-drying and mess-free.
What We Don’t Love: There isn’t a shade for deeper skin tones.
We poured over the best dust-on powder sunscreens out there and (literally) poured loose, messy powdered sugar-like formulas onto our skin, clothes, beach towels, and maybe also the people sitting next to us (sorry!) — until we found the Jane Iredale sunscreen. With a twist of the base, the perfect amount of powder is released into the brush bristles to sweep neatly onto skin, sans mess.
However, the best part about this mineral sunscreen is its impossibly fine, soft powder that doesn't stick to dry patches on our face or emphasize uneven texture. “Despite needing a powder to mattify my sheen, most tend to clump together in unattractive heaps across my oily skin, but this one sits in a smooth, even layer,” says Richardson. Her trick? Apply the translucent shade to the top of your head with the handy brush, and it’ll double as a scalp sunscreen and dry shampoo. On that same note, the brand offers the sunscreen in four tints – translucent, golden, nude, and tanned – but disappointingly not a deep option for darker skin tones.
Type: Mineral | SPF Level: 30 | Water-Resistant: Yes, up to 40 minutes | Active Ingredients: Titanium dioxide, pine bark extract | Size: 0.7 oz
Best for the Beach: La Roche-Posay Anthelios Clear Skin Dry Touch Sunscreen SPF 60
What We Love: It’s highly water-resistant, making it a great choice to grab from the drugstore on your way to the pool or beach.
What We Don’t Love: With a slighter thicker consistency, we found that this sunscreen didn’t perform as well under makeup as others. It’s a better entry for heavy sun exposure days than everyday use.
With a recommendation from the Skin Cancer Foundation, this paraben- and fragrance-free, non-comedogenic option from La Roche-Posay is an easy favorite to snag almost anywhere. While its consistency is a bit thicker than other sunscreens on this list — it feels more like a body sunscreen — it still absorbs quickly and applies evenly with very minimal streaking.
That said, we didn’t love it underneath our makeup and we wouldn’t recommend it for daily use. However, given its strong water-resistance, you won’t find a better sunscreen for days when you know you’re going to be sweating, swimming, or sunbathing, and less concerned with how your makeup looks.
Type: Chemical | SPF Level: 60 | Water-Resistant: Yes, up to 80 minutes | Active Ingredients: Avobenzone, senna alata, volcanic rock powder | Size: 1.7 oz
Best for Dark Skin Tones: Black Girl Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 30
What We Love: This sunscreen is featherlight and rubs in well, leaving your skin with a noticeable healthy glow.
What We Don’t Love: That same glow can also lean shiny or oily as the day drags on.
For those of us with darker skin tones, white cast is a particular consideration when selecting a sunscreen, but you’ll have no such worries here. This ultra-sheer option rubs in with little effort, leaving the skin with a glow reminiscent of a rejuvenating facial without any signs of white cast.
While we love the dewy look it provides, that also means skin can progress from a radiant glow to an oily T-zone throughout the day.
Type: Chemical | SPF Level: 30 | Water-Resistant: Yes, up to 80 minutes | Active Ingredients: Avocado oil, cacao oil, carrot juice, sunflower oil | Size: 3 oz
InStyle / Jhett Thompson
Best Zinc Sunscreen for Face: Lion Pose Ghost-Buster 100% Mineral Sunscreen
What We Love: It's reef-safe.
What We Don’t Love: Occasionally, there’s a very slight gritty texture left behind when we overapply.
Lion Pose, a budding beauty brand developed by Harvard-trained dermatologists, initially reeled us in after we tried its highly effective hyperpigmentation face serum. And, it’s no surprise here that the sunscreen is equally rewarding. “The sunscreen’s consistency is similar to serum and allows me to easily slather it across my skin in seconds, unlike a thick lotion that takes precious morning minutes to massage into my skin,” says Richardson, who adds that despite concerns about a color mismatch between the tinted formula and her fair skin, it became invisible as soon as she started blending.
However, maybe there is such a thing as too much of a good thing because Richardson says whenever she gets a little overzealous with the application, she notices a grainier texture, but on the flip side, it never seems to interfere with the other products she layers on top.
Type: Mineral | SPF Level: 42 | Water-Resistant: No | Active Ingredients: Zinc oxide, squalane, magnolia bark extract, cucumber extract | Size: 1.7 oz
Best Transparent Face Sunscreen: Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40
What We Love: This sunscreen lives up to its name as the transparent color, lack of fragrance, and absence of any white cast make it practically invisible.
What We Don’t Love: It does not absorb quite as well on oilier T-zones, so we’d encourage people with particularly oily skin to seek out other options.
The Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen carries hardly any odor and the translucent, bouncy gel gives it a silky smooth feel that glides on easily and functions similarly to a makeup primer. Unlike some chemical sunscreens, we didn’t see any white cast on our skin, even after reapplication. During the day, it held up to perspiration without running or streaking. In fact, this sunscreen felt so light and natural on our skin that it was sometimes difficult to tell whether we had fully washed it off!
Our one caution is that, while the formula is oil-free, it may actually not be the best choice for oilier skin types. When we applied it to our T-zones, it tended not to absorb as well and when we blotted our faces we saw a bit more oil and residue come off than with some other sunscreens on this list. That wouldn’t stop us from using it every day though. It’s a well-rounded option that provides the UVA/UVB protection you’re looking for with none of the fuss of weight or scent.
Type: Chemical | SPF Level: 40 | Water-Resistant: Yes, up to 40 minutes | Active Ingredients: Avobenzone, red algae, frankincense, meadowfoam seed oil complex | Size: 1.7 oz
Best Face Moisturizer with Sunscreen: Olay Regenerist Whip Facial Moisturizer SPF 25
What We Love: In addition to providing sun protection, this formula strengthens the skin barrier with a proprietary amino-peptide complex.
What We Don’t Love: SPF coverage is more moderate than other options.
Out of the many, many pink-packaged products with whirly twirly designs that we’ve tried (and loved), at the end of the day, this no-frills Olay facial moisturizer is one of our most re-purchased products. “I’m a big fan of the Olay Micro-sculpt moisturizer and this sunscreen is essentially the same product, but with the added benefit of SPF,” says Kratky. Like the moisturizer for dry skin Kratky called out, this version with SPF has a silklike texture that smoothes rough patches and hydrates dry areas with one, ultra-thin lightweight layer. Which, she adds, melts almost instantaneously into her skin. Beyond that, its proprietary blend of amino acids, glycerin, and niacinamide will help increase skin elasticity and plump out fine lines over time.
Word to the wise: Lighter skin tones may want to use this in addition to another SPF rather than a replacement. According to guidance from the FDA, fair skin types should seek out a higher SPF of 30 or more for the most protection possible.
Type: Chemical | SPF Level: 25 | Water-Resistant: No | Active Ingredients: Avobenzone, niacinamide, amino peptides, glycerin | Size: 1.7 oz
Best Mineral: Summer Fridays ShadeDrops Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Mineral Milk Sunscreen
What We Love: The thin consistency allows this sunscreen to absorb evenly and remarkably fast. We felt more like we were wearing a thin layer of foundation than sunscreen.
What We Don’t Love: It can transfer to clothes if you’re not careful and it leaves behind more residue than other options, but that is the nature of all mineral sunscreens and the effects are much less with this one.
This excellent mineral sunscreen from Summer Fridays dispels all the stigmas that can give mineral options a bad wrap — huge globs of zinc oxide sitting on top of your nose this is certainly not. This sunscreen feels airy with a slightly runny (but not too runny) consistency that causes it to disappear onto skin almost immediately. It doesn’t leave a residue behind, nor is it sticky or greasy. It feels more like a very thin foundation than a sunscreen. And even better: It’s vegan, reef-friendly, and cruelty- and paraben-free.
Most mineral sunscreens transfer or leave behind at least minor residue, and this one is no exception, but that’s simply the nature of the mineral sunscreen beast, as their active ingredients sit on top of your skin rather than sink into the dermis like a chemical sunscreen.
Type: Mineral | SPF Level: 30 | Water-Resistant: No | Active Ingredients: Zinc oxide, chamomile oil, phospholipids | Size: 1.7 oz
InStyle / Jhett Thompson
Best for Mature Skin: Zo Skin Health Daily Sheer Broad Spectrum SPF 50
What We Love: Not only does it provide a high level of coverage, but it’s water and sweat-resistant for over an hour.
What We Don’t Love: Since it doesn’t have much of a tint, it’s not always easy to tell how much coverage we’ve achieved.
Zo Skin Health designed this sunscreen with a dermatologist-backed formula that protects you from the sun with a high SPF 50 protection and every other aggressor bent on damaging your skin. These include ingredients such as melanin and vitamins A, C, and E that combat the effects of blue light and the effects of free radicals (Think: pollution and UV rays).
Additionally, the sheer formula glides on with a soothing feel and spreads across the skin like taking a spatula of icing to warm cake — even over those weird no man's land parts of our complexions rife with dry patches. However, one slight negative of its magically invisible formula is that it’s not as obvious which areas of skin we covered.
Type: Chemical | SPF Level: 50 | Water-Resistant: Yes, up to 80 minutes | Active Ingredients: Vitamins A, C, and E, glycerin, rosemary leaf extract | Size: 1.5 oz
Best Tinted: Iris & Romeo Weekend Skin SPF 50 + Vitamin C + Glow
What We Love: This sunscreen provides all the protective benefits of a mineral sunscreen while still managing to avoid and even counter white cast to create a natural glow.
What We Don’t Love: Like some mineral sunscreens, it did seem to pull moisture out of our face, but it layered very well with a moisturizer underneath as part of our regular skincare routine.
If you are looking to add a natural luminosity to your face without compromising on protection, this mineral sunscreen offers both. While the active ingredient zinc oxide tends to have a bad rep for sitting on your face and looking slightly white, we experienced none of that with this sunscreen; it truly did give us the look of weekend skin.
It left our skin feeling light, comfortable, and radiant. Even though it doesn’t claim to be waterproof, we found this sunscreen stood up well to water and light perspiration. We did notice in our moisture test that it had a slight drying effect on our skin, but since it layers so well with other products, we had no problem working it into our regular skincare routine.
Type: Mineral | SPF Level: 50 | Water-Resistant: No | Active Ingredients: Zinc oxide, vitamin C, niacinamide | Size: 1.18 oz
Best Korean Beauty Face Sunscreen: Cocokind Daily SPF
What We Love: This sunscreen feels and acts like a moisturizer going on and leaves the face with a healthy, hydrated glow.
What We Don’t Love: You could see traces of a white cast if you don’t spend time rubbing the formula into your skin.
Cocokind packed a lot inside the punchy yellow tube – notably, it sources gentle, UV-filtering ingredients straight from the sea, such as microalgae and phytoplankton, to prevent sun damage. Meanwhile, vitamin E and shea butter trap moisture within your skin barrier to prevent water loss and deliver a glowing finish to boot. And, the formula includes zero added fragrance, making us feel better about recommending it to our sensitive and acne-prone friends.
As with many mineral-based sunscreens, this formula also leaves a slightly chalky finish, so give yourself a few extra minutes to rub the creamier texture into your skin.
Type: Mineral | SPF Level: 32 | Water-Resistant: No | Active Ingredients: Zinc oxide, shea butter, microalgae, blue phytoplankton | Size: 1.7 oz
Best for Acne-Prone Skin: Hero Cosmetics Superlight Sunscreen SPF 30
What We Love: The extremely airy formula left our blotting papers free of any residue or oil — a real win in our book.
What We Don’t Love: The slight green hue meant we had to rub it in a bit more vigorously than others, but once absorbed it resulted in a very appealing, subtle sheen.
If your skin is vulnerable to breakouts of excess oil, finding a sunscreen that won’t exacerbate the problem is almost as hard as quantum physics. Yet, this super lightweight option, as its name implies, slides across skin without a hitch, leaving us blissfully oil-free.
Unlike some mineral sunscreens, this option never felt as though our skin had a heavy layer on top of it. The green hue of the lotion is maybe a little unusual, and it did seem to take a little longer to settle on our skin, but it provided a subtle sheen that we quite enjoyed.
Type: Mineral | SPF Level: 30 | Water-Resistant: No | Active Ingredients: Zinc oxide, purple sweet potato root extract, green tea leaf extract, turmeric leaf extract | Size: 1.7 oz
Best for Everyday: Glossier Invisible Shield SPF 35
What We Love: The silky serum consistency ensures this sunscreen melts into skin without looking cakey or greasy — even for those of us with oily skin.
What We Don’t Love: It contains orange peel extract, which translates to a slight citrus scent, which we found very appealing, but might not be to everyone’s taste.
If your skin is oily or acne-prone and you find yourself constantly on the prowl for non-comedogenic products that don’t feel like a science project, give this gel-like lotion a whirl. This dermatologist-tested formula is bouncy with an almost serum-like consistency that isn’t cakey, greasy or oily, and is easily absorbed by the skin.
We found that the very subtle citrus scent — which admittedly might not be to everyone’s taste — continued to delight us throughout the day as we continued to reapply. And reapplication was a breeze, leaving our skin feeling moisturized but never sticky. It felt great underneath our makeup and didn’t feel like it was adding much of an extra layer.
Type: Chemical | SPF Level: 35 | Water-Resistant: No | Active Ingredients: Fermented yeast, sweet orange peel oil, broccoli and aloe leaf extracts | Size: 1.6 oz
Best for Under Makeup: Coola Classic Face Organic Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50
What We Love: This face sunscreen leaves a moisturized glow and blends in evenly, providing a radiant, dewy base for makeup.
What We Don’t Love: Like many chemical sunscreens, it leaves some white cast if you don’t spend the time to properly rub it in, but it absorbs faster and more evenly than most.
Face sunscreen and makeup can be like oil and water, but not with this sheer, lightweight option from Coola. It absorbs evenly and leans more moisturizer than traditional sunscreen, which allows it to sit shockingly well under makeup. We were also impressed at its ability to outlast our eight-hour work day as well as a rather intense cardio bootcamp workout. We came out on the other side looking normal workout dewy, with no streaks or pilling.
While using this sunscreen, we found that our skin took on a naturally moisturized, dewy tone that, frankly, looked really excellent on Zoom calls. We did have to spend a little extra time rubbing it in to avoid white cast, but the extra effort was compensated by how easy it was to reapply throughout the day. Every time we reapplied we experienced none of the cakiness that can often accompany layering more sunscreen on top of your makeup.
Type: Chemical | SPF Level: 50 | Water-Resistant: Yes, up to 80 minutes | Active Ingredients: Aloe leaf juice, raspberry seed oil, prickly pear extract, buriti fruit oil | Size: 1.7 oz
What to Keep in Mind
SPF Level: While we may take the acronym for granted, a minimum SPF–Sun Protection Factor– is a crucial consideration to ensure that your sunscreen regimen is not being executed in vain. “For daily wear, I recommend a sunscreen with an SPF value of at least 30, but if you plan to be outside and in the sun for long periods of time, I’d recommend upping that to SPF 50,” says Dr. Dendy Engelman, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. “But no matter what SPF you are wearing, always reapply!” But even when selecting a higher value SPF, it’s crucial to make sure you’re applying enough to your skin to reap the benefits. “Most people under apply,” warns Dr. Alexiades, “If you start with an SPF 50 and you apply half of what you should, you really only used SPF 25.”
Broad-Spectrum Protection: Deeper penetrating UVA rays are undeniably harmful and can permeate our skin even through clouds, fog, and glass, according to Dr. Morgan Rabach, a board certified dermatologist in New York. But that doesn’t mean we should forget about UVB rays. Both can cause damage and premature aging according to Dr. Engelman. That’s why all three of our consulted dermatologists (including Dr. Alexiades) recommended choosing sunscreens labeled “broad-spectrum.” They offer more comprehensive protection against both UVA and UVB.
Your Skin Type + Sensitivities: For sensitive skin, Dr. Engelman advises that you stick to mineral formulas without any added fragrance. For seriously sensitive skin, Dr. Engelman suggests using sunscreen specifically developed for babies — they're just as effective on adult skin and are made from milder ingredients that are perfect for inflamed or reactive skin.
For oily or acne-prone skin, choose a lightweight gel sunscreen with a matte finish and top it off throughout the date with a powder-based formula to help absorb excess oil rather than adding to it.
Dry skin needs a sunscreen filled with hydrating ingredients, like ceramides or hyaluronic acid, while those looking to prevent premature aging, Dr. Engelman says that chemical formulas are best, as they "absorb into skin more readily and are less likely to settle into and accentuate fine lines and wrinkles," especially ones with vitamin C, which help combat the effects of free radicals and other pollutants.
Your Questions, Answered
How much sunscreen do you use on your face?
“I like the two-finger method — i.e. you make a line of sunscreen on your pointer and middle finger from the palm to the tip of your finger,” says Dr. Rabach. She adds this amount generally is enough for your face, ears, and neck. “If you rather put the sunscreen in your palm, it's about the size of a nickel,” she adds.
Do you put sunscreen on before or after moisturizer?
Drs. Engelman, Rabach and Alexiades all agree: Sunscreen should always be the last step in your skincare routine, after your moisturizer.
How often should you apply a face sunscreen?
“Daily! And with reapplication throughout the day,” says Dr. Engelman.
Dr. Alexiades is even more specific in her advice; she recommends reapplying sunscreen every two hours, but if you are particularly active or swimming, you should even up that timeframe to every 80 minutes.
Should I use a chemical and mineral sunscreen?
“Both can be incredibly effective,” says Dr. Alexiades. “Chemical sunscreens can be somewhat more irritating to sensitive skin. Physical [mineral] sunscreens are a bit more stable but are also a little more occlusive and can trap heat, so they may feel a little heavier on the skin than the chemical sunscreens.”
Why Shop with Us
Irene Richardson is a beauty and fashion writer for the InStyle commerce team. She updated this article with her tested picks and additional sunscreens recommended by the team, along with additional insight from board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Morgan Rabach.
Peter Tittiger is a contributing writer at InStyle as well as Byrdie. He has over ten years of experience researching and producing content programs for top luxury and lifestyle brands including TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Lexus, and Best Made Co. While writing this article he consulted board-certified dermatologists Dr. Dendy Engelman and Dr. Macrene Alexiades. He also collaborated with the team here at InStyle who thoroughly tested and tried every single one of the featured face sunscreens themselves.
For more InStyle news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on InStyle.
