Now that we’ve gotten the facts out of the way, we want to acknowledge that finding the right sunscreen for your skin tone and type can be tricky. Like any other skin-care product, personal preferences run the gamut. Those with sensitive skin may prefer mineral or physical sunscreens, which are always formulated with zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide and “reflect ultraviolet rays off of them before the rays penetrate into skin cells,” as Loretta Ciraldo, MD, a Miami-based board-certified dermatologist, previously explained.
On the other hand, those who prefer their SPF to feel more like a lightweight serum or moisturizer (that’s also more likely to induce zero white/grey cast) will turn to chemical sunscreens, which “use chemicals that absorb damaging UV rays and convert them to non-damaging heat,” Sejal Shah, MD, a New York City-based board-certified dermatologist told Allure. And FYI: Common chemical UV filters include avobenzone, homosalate, octocrylene, octisalate, and ensulizole. (Oxybenzone and octinoxate are two other chemical filters that are banned in Hawaii, and therefore many companies have followed suit to keep them out of their ingredient lists.)
Nevertheless, to help you out on your daily sunscreen-wearing journey, we’ve rounded up 20 of the best face sunscreens, as recommended by Allure editors and board-certified dermatologists. These formulas glide on like a dream, never disrupt makeup, work well on all skin types, and most importantly, prevent sunburns and UV-induced damage with proper application.
All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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Best Overall: Innisfree Daily UV Sunscreen SPF 36
If you’ve ever been on beauty TikTok, you know that Korean skin-care brands are the golden standard of the moisturizing sunscreen category, and Innisfree’s Daily UV Sunscreen SPF 36 is a prime example. Infused with cica, green tea, sunflower seed oil, and vitamin E to soothe and protect the skin barrier, people of all skin types (especially dry skin) will relish this lightweight, no-cast formula that leaves a slight glow. (Fear not, the finish isn’t even remotely greasy.) Did we mention it’s only $16 and a 2023 Allure Best of Beauty Award winner? One thing’s clear: You don’t need to blow your budget for high-quality sun protection.
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Best Mineral: Shiseido Urban Environment Oil-Free Mineral Sunscreen SPF 42
The last thing you need to worry about when it comes to wearing (and reapplying) sunscreen is the possibility of fresh breakouts forming. Consider an oil-absorbing formula like the Best of Beauty-winning Shiseido Urban Environment Oil-Free Mineral Sunscreen SPF 42. This all-physical SPF doubles as a face primer and minimizes shine all at once, but that doesn’t mean it skimps out on moisture. (Because, yes, oily skin needs moisture to thrive. It’s all about balance.) For that, hyaluronic acid and spirulina lend a radiant, soft-matte, but never greasy finish to your skin.
P.S. If you prefer chemical sunscreen, check out Shiseido’s Urban Environment Vita-Clear Broad Spectrum SPF 42 Sunscreen, an ultra-light formula that leaves a dewy (as opposed to matte) finish and touts vitamin C for overall brightening.
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Best Tinted: Lightsaver Activated Mineral Sunscreen SPF 33
Founded in 2023 by David Kim, MD, a NYC-based board-certified dermatologist at Idriss Dermatology, Lightsaver is on a mission to “make daily sun protection mindlessly easy,” as the website states. The Activated Mineral Sunscreen SPF 33 is a tinted, zinc oxide formula that leaves a subtly radiant finish. It’s one of the few mineral sunscreens Han not only tolerates, but actually looks forward to applying, and she also attests that it doesn’t leave even a hint of white cast. No wonder it won a 2023 Best of Beauty Award in the clean category.
The silky, whipped formula has a few active ingredients worth noting, including photolyase, which helps calm the skin and repair sun damage; antioxidant-rich lingonberry stem cells that guard skin cells against blue light damage; as well as niacinamide and squalane to even skin tone and provide hydration.
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Best Lightweight Sunscreen: KraveBeauty Beet the Sun Lightweight Sunscreen SPF 40
After two years of intensive research and independent testing, KraveBeauty’s Beet the Sun Lightweight Sunscreen SPF 40 is finally back and better than ever — and a newly minted 2023 Allure Best of Beauty Award winner. This ever-moisturizing, ever-soothing formula stars vitamin C-rich beet root extract for added radiance and protection against free radicals, as well as hydrating hyaluronic acid and vitamin E to boost hydration levels and maintain a healthy barrier.
This is one of Allure commerce editor Sarah Han’s favorite sunscreen launches of of the year, hands down. “The silky cream applies like a dream, disappears without a trace, and leaves my skin looking just the right amount of dewy — and not greasy,” Han attests.
