The 12 Best Powder Sunscreens for People Who Hate Thick, Goopy SPF

Whether it’s blazing hot or you’re bundled up in layers of fall sweaters and scarves, wearing sunscreen daily is a must, both for the look of your skin and its overall health. Regardless of skin tone, sunscreen is a daily, year-round essential because clouds and even windows don’t block all UV rays. Many can still get through and damage your skin. In the short term, that can manifest as hyperpigmentation, dark spots, and even acne. Long term, UV damage can lead to premature signs of skin aging (fine lines and wrinkles) and cause skin cancer.

Still, the temptation to occasionally skip daily SPF application, and especially reapplication, is real, which is where powder sunscreens come in handy. Instead of slathering another layer of liquid sunscreen onto your already made-up, sweat-beaded complexion, you can simply dust on a lightweight powder dispensed out of a tube with a built-in brush.

“Powder sunscreens are a great solution for people who don’t want to mess up their makeup or hair by reapplying sunscreen,” says dermatologist Dr. Hadley King. “They also absorb excess oil, so can serve a dual purpose as a setting powder.”

Even more reasons to get on board? Powder sunscreens provide easy, mess-free application on the scalp—a necessary but often-neglected area to keep protected—are easy to pop in your bag on the go, and can double as dry shampoo thanks to their oil-absorbing properties.

According to celebrity esthetician Dr. Rahi Sarbaziha, powders are best used in conjunction with liquid sunscreens. But if you insist on going the cream-free route, King mentions you can get away with wearing powders sunscreen alone by applying a sufficient amount to achieve the product’s advertised SPF (a somewhat difficult task, especially when covering larger areas of the body). To do this, King suggests going over the area with powder several times until you can see a visible coating.

Ready to try a formula for yourself? Here, we’ve consulted a range of experts to compile 12 of the best powdered sunscreens you should be wearing all day, every day.