When it comes to mineral sunscreens, the active ingredient — zinc oxide — is sometimes hard to completely rub in and often leaves a white cast behind. Kinship’s Self Reflect probiotic moisturizing sunscreen is the complete opposite. The cream is tinted slightly pink, easy to blend and feels hydrating. It contains turmeric to help soothe the skin and jojoba esters to moisturize. Made with Kinbiome, the brand’s plant-based probiotic, the cream minimizes skin irritation and supports blemish-prone skin and the skin’s barrier. The formula is also vegan, cruelty-free and safe for all skin types. 

Kinship produces only clean products. This means that its sun care products never contain petrochemicals, SLS or SLES (sulfates that can irritate eyes, skin and lungs), parabens, synthetic fragrance or color, silicones or polyethylene glycol, which is harmful for the environment. Its sunscreen products are even offered on Credo, a website for only all-clean brands. 

Coola is the only brand on this list whose products are Hawaii Reef Compliant (Act 104). This means that even its chemical sunscreens are free of toxic ingredients that harm coral or other marine life.

As for its mineral sunscreen, the sunscreen stick applies to faces smoothly and travels well. I do have to rub in the sunscreen a bit, but it takes little effort. The formula is water resistant for up to 80 minutes. 

Coola’s Mineral Sunscreen Stick is also antioxidant enriched, fragrance free, cruelty free, vegan, and dermatologist tested. It also contains sunflower, raspberry and meadowfoam seed oils, which are meant to keep your skin moisturized and soft.

Badger Active Mineral Sunscreen is the thickest sunscreen on this list, and for that reason it’s the best mineral sunscreen for sports I tried. The uncoated zinc oxide creates a solid barrier between your skin and the sun. It’s water resistant for 40 minutes. The sunscreen is unscented, hypoallergenic, cruelty free and reef friendly, and the package is made from recycled materials. The sunscreen also contains organic sunflower seed oil, beeswax, vitamin E and sea buckthorn fruit extract to help keep the skin moisturized.

While the formula is thick, it does rub into the skin pretty well. It didn’t leave a white cast. However, because it’s heavy, I wouldn’t recommend it to those with oily or acne-prone skin.  

Pros

• Blendable
• Lightweight
• Great for mature skin
• Non-greasy
• No white cast

ISDIN Photo Eryfotona Actinica is designed for skin with actinic damage — skin that’s already been hurt or changed by the sun, displaying things like wrinkles, hyperpigmentation and reduced elasticity. It contains antioxidants and is water resistant for up to 40 minutes.   

The formula is liquid and blends into the skin in seconds. It’s lightweight and can be used on any skin type — especially mature skin that’s already seen a lot of sun exposure.

When it comes to putting on sunscreen, sometimes a sunscreen stick (or sunstick) is the best way to go. It’s portable and makes for easy application. Not only did I find Earth Mama’s Lady Face Mineral Sunscreen to be the best mineral sunstick, but it’s also the best tinted face stick. It comes in a light/medium tint or a medium/dark tint. I found the sunstick to be weightless on my skin, and blendable.

The sunstick is reef friendly, water resistant for up to 40 minutes, and free of parabens and artificial fragrance. The formula has been dermatologist tested and clinically tested for irritation. It also contains organic ingredients such as coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, cocoa seed butter, aloe vera leaf juice and calendula flower extract. 

Mineral sunscreens are known for often leaving a white cast behind. If you’re worried about that, I recommend a tinted mineral sunscreen to guarantee invisible coverage regardless of skin tone. My favorite tinted mineral sunscreen comes from another clean brand, Iris and Romeo. It’s lightweight, and despite my worries that it was too dark for my skin tone, it blended in nicely without leaving my skin orange.

Weekend Skin is cruelty free, vegan, reef safe, fragrance free, hydrating and contains apple and jojoba extract. Apply this sunscreen as the last step in your skin care routine or as a makeup primer. Rub it into your face, neck, chest and the back of your hands.

If you’re looking for makeup products that already include SPF, this mineral sunscreen is for you. I was pleasantly surprised at how well Suntegrity’s 5-in-1 Tinted Sunscreen blended out my pores and imperfections. It’s essentially a BB cream that also acts as a sunscreen, moisturizer, primer and foundation. I love that I can use this as a primary product in my skin care and makeup routine. It’s lightweight and easy to blend.  

Suntegrity is vegan, cruelty free, paraben free, phthalate free, propylene glycol free, PABA free and made without mineral oils, synthetic dyes, sulfates or nano-particles. The sunscreen formula includes aloe vera leaf juice, jojoba seed oil, cucumber extract, red algae extract, green tea extract and pomegranate seed oil.  

If you’re tired of lotions and thick SPF, there’s another option. Powder sunscreen is on the rise, with Supergoop also adding a powder option to its line of suncare products. I tested Supergoop’s (Glow)setting Powder as well, but I found Brush on Block to be the superior option. The powder isn’t too sparkly (unlike Supergoop), and it’s similar to powder foundation. 

Brush on Block’s Mineral Powder is translucent, reef friendly, cruelty free, vegan and water resistant for 80 minutes. I like that it can easily be reapplied, and applied over makeup or a moisturizer.

I have sensitive, acne-prone skin, and I’ve used and trusted Murad for years. The brand is dermatologist-developed and offers products that are friendly for acne-prone, sensitive and oily skin. 

I love Murad’s Correct and Protect Serum, because it feels like you’re adding an extra layer of moisture onto your skin. It melts into my skin without leaving a white cast. The serum is water resistant for up to 40 minutes, and the formula helps correct uneven skin tone or redness while also brightening. It’s cruelty free, non comedogenic and contains beet root extract, jojoba seed oil and tomato extract for added hydration.  

Indie Lee is another clean brand. It’s offered on Credo Beauty, and all Indie Lee products are Proposition 65 and European Union compliant — the company says you’ll never find any of the EU’s 1,300-plus banned cosmetic ingredients in its skin care products.

Indie Lee’s Mineral Sunscreen is on the thicker side, but it’s creamy and it’s easy to rub into the skin. When I compared this sunscreen with another top product (which didn’t make this list), I was able to completely rub in Indie Lee’s sunscreen faster than the other sunscreen. This mineral sunscreen is water resistant for up to 40 minutes and contains sunflower seed oil, cluster pine bark extract, pomegranate seed oil and aloe vera leaf juice to hydrate the skin. This clean mineral sunscreen can be used for face and body.  

Aveeno’s Protect and Soothe is the best mineral sunscreen for face and body, and is reminiscent of its Protect and Hydrate chemical sunscreen. Both products have a light scent, similar to a typical sunscreen you’d apply at the beach. And though the mineral sunscreen is naturally a bit heavier than the chemical one, Positively Mineral Sunscreen is still lightweight and rubs into the skin nicely. It leaves a soft, matte finish with a minimal white cast. 

Aveeno says the formula is sweat and water-resistant for up to 80 minutes, and the mineral sunscreen is meant to be gentle on the skin like Aveeno’s other lotions and creams. It’s oil-free, noncomedogenic, fast-absorbing, hypoallergenic, fragrance-free, paraben-free, phthalate-free and dye-free.

This primer with SPF from Beekman 1802 is very similar to EleVen by Venus Williams’ Unrivaled Sun Serum. The consistency is liquidy, and the sunscreen blends into the skin with ease. However, the Beekman 1802 Milk Primer is meant more as a base for makeup — with added SPF for broad protection. I love that this SPF primer feels weightless and seeps into the skin for added hydration. It smells a little unpleasant, but that goes away once it’s applied. And if you’re looking for a tinted primer, check out Beekman 1802’s Tinted Milk Primer with SPF.  

This product is free of fragrances, sulfates, parabens, mineral oil, alcohol, phthalates, synthetic colorants, formaldehyde and talc. It’s safe for sensitive skin and is noncomedogenic. Though it contains goat milk prebiotics, it’s cruelty free.  

I wasn’t expecting Grown Alchemist’s Natural Hydrating sunscreen to have a glowing finish. The feel and look is what really sold me on this mineral sunscreen. Though it comes in a small, 1.69 fluid ounce pouch, a little goes a long way. It’s lightweight and blends into the skin with five little swipes, leaving behind no white cast. The best part: Under direct sunlight the sunscreen glows and sparkles. It looks great on the face and on the body. 

Grown Alchemist is certified toxic free, vegan, reef friendly, cruelty free and gluten free. All ingredients are 100% natural. The formula is also designed to hydrate the skin with ingredients like castor oil, rosehip oil, coconut oil and parsley seed oil.  

Yes, dermatologists recommend both mineral and chemical sunscreen. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, SPF of at least 30 is recommended. Also, mineral sunscreens are recommended because they’re free of any harmful chemicals, like oxybenzone or octinoxate.  

Both mineral sunscreens and chemical sunscreens protect against harmful rays, however some experts find that mineral sunscreen is more effective because of the physical barrier it creates on the skin. Mineral sunscreens may not be for everyone. Some may prefer chemical sunscreens, because they’re often easier to rub into the skin.

The disadvantages of mineral sunscreen include often leaving a white cast, coming in thick creams and being hard to rub completely into the skin. The thicker creams may not be best for acne-prone skin. 

It depends on your personal preference, but many experts believe mineral sunscreens are more effective for sun protection and better for sensitive skin, since they lack certain chemicals. However, some people may prefer the consistency of chemical sunscreens, which tend not to leave a white cast like many mineral sunscreens do. If you aren’t sure whether a mineral or chemical sunscreen is best for you, consult your dermatologist for a personalized recommendation.

Yes, mineral sunscreen does expire. While the titanium and zinc found in mineral sunscreen usually won’t break down, other stabilizers in the product will, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Check your product packaging for more information on the exact expiration date.

Mineral sunscreens will typically list active ingredients such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. As for chemical sunscreens, you will see different active ingredients such as avobenzone, octinoxate, octocrylene and oxybenzone, according to the Environmental Working Group.

You’ll want to be sure to apply sunscreen after your moisturizer so it can be a protective layer between the rays and your skin.