In celebration of summer, we decided to test 30 different sunscreens over 30 days to see how these applied, how they held up over time, and even how they wash off. Please head to our TikTok and Instagram channel if you want to see the visuals. Otherwise here’s the running list of sunscreens we’ve tried, our rating, and why:
*To help readers learn more about products showcased in this challenge, we built out and organized these results in Shop My Shelf. We do receive a small commission for using our affiliate link. Thank you for feeding a chemist!
Grading Guidelines: We grade on a 10 point scale with 0 - shouldn't exist and 10 - perfection. Anything from a 6-10 is good! Because in the US we're punished by our limited filter system, most really good ones fall between a 7-8. International sunscreens with great textures can go up to a 8-9. We've never found the perfect sunscreen yet since formulation is just that hard, but who know! Note: It's our first time trying to provide some sort of product rating, so from these learnings it'll continue to dial in with future challenges.
- Kosas Dream Beam Tinted SPF 40 PA++++: 7/10
- What it be?: A high coverage tinted sunscreen with 80 minutes water resistance.
- How it do?: Solid! For a high coverage tint, the finish was still comfortable. Not too cakey or oily. Makeup wipe is needed to reapply.
- HaruHaru Black Rice Pure Mineral Relief Daily Sunscreen, SPF50+/PA++++: 3/10
- What it be?: A kbeauty mineral sunscreen.
- How it do?: This left a pretty unnatural shine and ended up being very dry on Gloria's dry skin.
- Tower28 SunnyDays SPF 30: 6/10
- What it be?: This is a high-coverage tinted sunscreen with a nourishing, cream finish.
- How it do?: This formula is very robust and held up over time. But affter 2 hours of wear, Victoria's skin started to feel pretty oily/greasy. Normal or dry skin types might have better luck!
- Innisfree Daily UV Defense Mineral SPF 45: 7/10
- What it be?: A kbeauty mineral sunscreen
- How it do?: Upon application, Gloria found this to have a light texture but definitely leaves a shinier finish than most. After 2 hours it held up well and surprisingly the drying after feel was pretty minimal. In the realm of mineral sunscreens, this is a good one!
- Trader Joe's Daily Facial Sunscreen SPF 40: 7/10
- What it be?: A Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen Dupe - A classical silicone emulsion
- How it do?: Prefacing with I'm not thrilled by silicone-based sunscreens. Ultimately this is similar to any silicone sunscreen, same initial chemical smell and so. much. slip. during application. But surprisingly, once this had been absorbed, skin felt pretty clean. Ultimately the texture didn’t make me feel too oily, and the price is unbeatable at $9 for 1.7 fl oz.
