Sunscreen is one of those products that unfortunately almost always contains fragrance to mask various ingredients in the formula, which is rather annoying for those with sensitive skin. I’ve ended up testing dozens of different sunscreen formulas while trying to track down sensitive skin friendly sunscreens to protect my skin throughout the day. I’ve also tested quite a few of the products mentioned below over makeup, you can watch them in action here.
I’ve split this guide into chemical, powder, combination mineral + chemical, and mineral only SPF formulas. If you prefer a specific form of SPF click the categories below to skip ahead:
- Chemical Sunscreens
- Loose Powder Sunscreens
- Pressed Powder Sunscreens
- Combination Chemical + Mineral Sunscreens
- Mineral Sunscreens
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Fragrance Free Chemical Sunscreens
Rohto Skin Aqua UV Super Moisture Gel 4.9 OZ SPF 50
Rohto Skin Aqua UV Super Moisture Gel is hands down the best sunscreen I’ve ever used! This is a watery formula that applies like a lightweight moisturizer. It has a slight alcohol scent during application but this quickly dissipates after it dries.
It doesn’t leave the skin looking greasy; that’s a consistent struggle I have with waterproof sunscreen formulas. It comes in a handy pump that dispenses the perfect amount of product to cover your entire face. It is on the slightly pricier side so I tend to use this on just my face, and then use a cheaper mineral sunscreen for the rest of my body.
- Water Resistant
- SPF 50/PA ++++
Coppertone Defend & Care Oil Free Sunscreen Face Lotion SPF 50 3 oz $6-7
Anyone struggling with acne and oily skin will love this one! This contains aluminum starch which helps control excess oil without aggressively leaving the skin matte. This may leave a white cast on deeper skin tones. This is carried at most drugstores/box stores but the cheapest price I’ve seen is here on Amazon.
- Water Resistant 80 Minutes
- SPF 50
NO-AD Sport Sun Care Body and Face Stick SPF 50
The No-Ad Sun Care Sport Stick is Broad Spectrum SPF 50 and 80 minutes water resistant. This is my all time favorite stick sunscreen, it glides onto the skin easily and doesn’t melt into your eyes or feel greasy.
This is formulated with beeswax and vitamin E so it does leave a slightly velvety feeling to the skin. It doesn’t feel oily but you can feel that you’ve applied something. This is a great option if you have squirmy kiddos and don’t enjoy pinning them down to slather on a normal cream SPF.
Fragrance Free Powder Sunscreens
DERMA E Sun Protection Mineral Powder SPF 30 is a very popular powder that sells for about $4.50 per gram of product. It wears over bare skin nicely and sets makeup without any issues.
Brush On Block Mineral Sunscreen powder SPF 30 is also extremely similar to the Derma E powder, they both come in plastic tubes that sprinkle the powder into the brush while you swirl the bristles. This has an SPF of 30 and is also water-resistant for up to 80 minutes.
It is difficult to apply a decent amount of powder let alone the amount needed to achieve high SPF coverage using the gravity-fed brush. I dumped out the container into an empty powder lid so I could load up a fluffy powder brush with the makeup instead of fighting with the packaging.
Here’s The Best Pressed Powder SPF
After testing numerous brands and formulas the Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Talc-Free Pressed Powder SPF 30 rose to the top. The pressed powder is much easier to thoroughly apply than the loose powders. It’s 30 SPF for a reasonable $1.86 a gram or $0.44 per application if you really pack it on. The translucent shade of this product is not a true translucent, but it was noticeably paler than the lightest shade options from all other powders listed above.
The Physicians Formula powder was slightly too peachy for my pale skin tone, but I believe this would be a wonderful option for those looking for an affordable powder sunscreen.
I put all three of these sunscreen powders to the test in the video below:
The SuperGoop Invincible Setting Powder SPF 45 is the best performing loose powder I have ever used and it has the easiest application process out of everything that I’ve tried. It comes with a retractable brush + a built-in plastic sleeve that slides up and down the bristles which makes it super easy to get the cap back on. It claims to be “sweat-resistant” but be aware that it is not a true water-resistant SPF.
The translucent shade is actually translucent unlike the other powders I’ve used and it didn’t leave any weird yellow undertones. It also distributed the powder easily and I didn’t have to aggressively buff my skin to get a satisfactory amount of product.
This is one of the more expensive powders on this guide at $30 but it has the highest SPF rating of everything I’ve tried and it’s the only one that actually blended into my makeup without a peachy/yellow cast so I will happily pay a few extra dollars for these awesome results.
The Color Science Total Face Shield SPF 50 has some extremely solid data backing up its SPF factor. They tested the SPF rating before and after having participants of the test sit in a jacuzzi for 80 minutes and the SPF was virtually the same! That’s amazing, but it sports a hefty price tag of $69 for a measly 6 grams of powder.
The brand claims that it’s a 90 day supply of product when in fact you would only get 25 uses out of the tiny bottle. If you can afford and justify the price of the Color Science powder definitely go for it!
Combination Chemical + Mineral Fragrance-Free Sunscreen
I’ve had great success using Babyganics Kids Non-Aerosol Sunscreen Spray, SPF 50+ over foundation. I was actually able to apply this sunscreen over a full face of makeup using a beauty blender! It’s non-greasy, dries fast, water-resistant, broad-spectrum, and doesn’t impact the makeup underneath. It’s currently $9.78 for 6 oz and I found mine at Walmart. It has an extremely subtle herbal scent that quickly disappears after application.
Canmake Mermaid Skin Gel 1.4 Oz $12-13
This is a lightweight gel formula that is slightly moisturizing and leaves a subtle dewy look. Canmake is a Japanese brand and you can buy either via Amazon here or on YesStyle. This is a great sunscreen formula for acne-prone skin but it isn’t waterproof? You would think that if you’re naming a product “Mermaid Skin” it would be a water-resistant formula?
This product is sold in a clear gel and a white tinted finish. Take careful note of which version you are buying to avoid white cast after application.
- Alcohol Free
- SPF 50/ PA++++
- White cast warning for deep skin tones on one formula
Coppertone Kids Sunscreen SPF 50 Tear Free Lotion, 8 fl oz
Here’s a great drugstore option, the Coppertone Kids Sunscreen Tear Free Lotion is $6.97 at Walmart and is also sold at most drugstores as well. This has a super watery texture that makes it a breeze to quickly apply to arms and legs and it dries down quickly. The only complaint I have about this sunscreen is that it is not actually tear-free. I got too close with my sunscreen application around my eyes and was teary-eyed and blinking like crazy all day until I was finally able to wash my face. Other than that, it’s a great formula if you want a cheap option that applies easily.
- SPF 50
- White cast warning for deep skin tones
Fragrance-Free Mineral Sunscreens
1. Coppertone Pure & Simple For Face SPF 50 2oz $4.95
This sunscreen has a slightly watery cream consistency and blends out with minimal effort. I have a very fair skin tone and could not see any white cast but it did leave a slightly dewy finish. This will leave a slight white cast on deeper skin tones.
This feels slightly moisturizing and matte to the touch after drying but leaves the skin with a subtle glow. It also contains tea leaf and giant kelp extract! You can definitely feel that it’s on your skin but it does not leave a greasy film.
- Water Resistant 80 minutes
- White cast warning for deep skin tones
2. Badger – SPF 30 Zinc Oxide Sunscreen Cream – Unscented – Broad Spectrum 2.9OZ $13-14
This refreshingly simply formulated sunscreen has just 5 ingredients: non-nano zinc oxide, organic sunflower oil, organic beeswax, sunflower vitamin E, and organic seabuckthorn extract.
Badger is based out of New Hampshire and sells numerous mineral sunscreens and other various skincare products. They’ve knocked it out of the park with their sunscreen formulas but I recommend that you steer clear of their skincare (waaaaay too much fragrance in those products).
- Alcohol Free
- SPF 30/PA +++
- Water Resistant 40 minutes
Badger also carries a clear version of this product. It’s called the Badger – SPF 30 Clear Zinc Sunscreen Cream. The only difference between the formulas is this version has “Uncoated Clear Zinc Oxide (18.75%)” instead of non-nano zinc oxide.
3. Banana Boat Simply Protect Kids SPF 50 9 oz $9-10
This sunscreen is the classic thick white cream formula. It’s a basic but sturdy formula and is sold almost everywhere. I’ll occasionally use this on my face, but I primarily use this on my arms, chest, and legs and then save my pricier chemical sunscreens like the Rohto Skin Aqua for my face.
- Water Resistant 80 minutes
- White cast warning for deep skin tones
4. Aveeno Baby Continuous Protection Zinc Oxide Mineral Sunscreen, SPF 50
Aveeno Baby Continuous Protection isn’t just for kids, is just as effective on mature skin! It’s formulated with colloidal oatmeal which helps soothe sensitive or irritated skin. This is a tear-free formula that absorbs without a greasy residue plus it comes in a handy dandy TSA travel-friendly tube.
Aveeno also sells this as a swipe on stick that’s great for chucking into a purse for on-the-go re-application throughout the day. This is rated as water resistant up to 80 minutes.
