15 Best Sunscreens for Sensitive Skin, Tested & Reviewed 2024

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Tula PentaPeptide Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50

Here’s a 2023 Glamour beauty award-winner that won best face sunscreen for its anti-aging benefits. Glamour senior beauty editor Ariana Yaptangco likes that it’s a serum with SPF, not a lotion. It contains prebiotics that help improve the skin’s texture—minimizing fine lines—and wild butterfly ginger to counteract the effects of blue light and pollution. Best of all? No white cast in its wake. “On days when I don’t feel like wearing foundation, I can wear this for a hydrated glow without worrying about greasy or chalky residue,” says Yaptangco.

On the downside, one tester found the formula a bit runny and recommends moving quickly to minimize any mess—though this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since the consistency means a little bit goes a very long way.

Type: MineralKey Ingredients: Titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, S6Pro Complex, wild butterfly ginger rootSPF: 50Oil-free: YesWhat we love: High SPF; has anti-aging benefits beyond sun protectionWhat could improve: Formula is very runny4/17

La Roche Posay Anthelios Mineral Zinc Oxide (SPF 50)

Dendy Engelman, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Shafer Clinic in New York City praises La Roche Posay Anthelios, because it boasts broad spectrum SPF 50 and is fragrance-free, oil-free, and noncomedogenic. “I love how it is fast-absorbing and has a matte finish,” she says.

Our tester agrees: “Sometimes it feels impossible to find a mineral sunscreen that doesn’t leave a white cast, but since this one is lightly tinted, you don’t have that problem. I like that there’s no excess rubbing required, because the whole process is gentler on my face.”

Type: MineralKey Ingredients: Zinc oxideSPF: 50Oil-free: YesWhat we love: Doesn’t leave a white cast; suitable for the body and faceWhat could improve: Some users say it stings their eyes5/17

SkinMedica Total Defense + Repair Sunscreen (SPF 35)

Great for combination and oily skin, SkinMedica’s SPF 35 is oil-free, noncomedogenic, hypoallergenic, and fragrance- and paraben-free. It’s more invisible than most too. “This product contains titanium dioxide and micronized zinc oxide, which leaves less of a white residue,” says Carolyn Stull, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York.

Our tester, a longtime sufferer of oily, shiny skin that skews extra-sensitive says she has a hard time finding the right sunscreen but finally landed on this one. “It’s a little expensive, but it’s my holy grail,” she says. “Seriously, it actually feels weightless on my skin and doesn’t cause any of the flare-ups or redness that I’m used to.”

Type: Mineral / Key Ingredients: Titanium dioxide, zinc oxide / SPF: 35 / Oil-free: Yes

Type: MineralKey Ingredients: Titanium dioxide, zinc oxideSPF: 35Oil-free: YesWhat we love: Light tint; suitable for sensitive skinWhat could improve: Pricier than othersSave when you shop for the best sunscreens with these Amazon promo codes.