Facial sunscreens are vital to us gals staying young and gorgeous, and I only wish I’d known how important they were way back when. Because way back when, I baked my unprotected fair skin in any ray of sun I could find. But now, of course, I slather myself in SPF – especially my face!
But finding a great facial sunscreen can be tricky. They can be too thick, too pasty, sticky, or too thin. Then there’s the question of ….do I go for a regular sunscreen, a moisturizer with SPF, a CC or a BB cream. Too many choices, right? So, my team and I have taken it upon ourselves to set out the results of our extensive facial sun sunscreen on one of our popular pros & cons posts. Hopefully this will help you to find what you are looking for.
Also, and SPF in sunscreen is never an exact science. So, I have really taken it upon myself to test these guys IN THE SUN to see if they’re telling the truth about their professed sun protection factor.
Finally, we chose not to cover mineral powder facial sunscreens in this post. I like some of them, but use them as a top-up product only. For everyday use, you are much better off with a full-coverage cream. We will cover body sunscreens in a separate pros and cons blog, so stay tuned.
Stem Cellular CC Cream by Juice Beauty – $39
Their Description: SPF 30. This skincare product made of organic ingredients creates a radiant, glowing complexion that smoothes uneven texture, evens skin tone, and visibly firms and improves elasticity.
Pros:
No wonder this is a bestseller. I love this product. The ingredients are stellar – literally every organic ingredient I would want in a facial sunscreen. It goes on beautifully, has a lovely light scent, moisturizes without being oily or greasy, and they have 5 shades to choose from. Oh, and it does color correct too. You just slap this on after a good Vitamin C serum, and you are good to go. I also like that it provides a decent amount of coverage, so you don’t really need to wear makeup.
Cons: Really tough to find a con with this one. I guess the only drawback is that you have to either sample the different shades in a store, or guess your shade.
Mineral Face SPF 30 Rosilliance by Coola Organic $52.00
Their Description: COOLA Rōsilliance™ SPF 30 BB+ Cream is a skin perfecting tinted moisturizer to help boost your naturally luminescent glow and support fresh, healthy-looking skin. This mineral broad spectrum SPF 30 formula offers a barely-there feel, while a sheer tinted coverage blends and perfects your skin tone. A proprietary bouquet of Rose Stem Cells offers an advanced bio-complex to smooth, moisturize and replenish your skin’s natural resilience and improve visible signs of aging for radiant, soft and youthful-looking skin.
Pros: This is a multi-purpose beauty cream, which glides on and feels wonderful on your skin, while giving you a good SPF 30 protection. I love that it’s water resistant, and I love that they have included the rose stem cells to make this into a very sophisticated facial sunscreen. I like that it comes in two shades, so choosing is pretty easy (my team and I all went with the light/medium). The rose scent is GORGEOUS!
Cons: It is quite pricey, but I actually think you get what you pay for with this product. It’s too new to be listed on the Skin Deep Data Base (I know a lot of you do check), but older Cooler products generally get a decent hazard score. It also doesn’t appear to be formulated with a synthetic fragrance, so I think we are all good there.
Sun Shield Liquid Tint SPF 50 by MyChelle – $22.50
Their Description: Sun Shield Liquid Tint SPF 50 is a softly tinted, 100% mineral sun screen for maximum UVA/UVB broad-spectrum protection. This silky, sheer formula blends weightlessly and seamlessly, matching your skin tone, giving skin a fresh, healthy glow. Contains Bentonite to absorb excess oil and impurities from pores. Wear alone for a natural look or use as a primer under foundation to create a smooth, matte finish. Oil-free and recommended for all skin types.
Pros: It’s a totally innovative product because it’s not a cream or a lotion. It’s a thin liquid, which goes on and then feels as if you are wearing NOTHING. The SPF 50 is spot on too – I tested it on set when my face was in bright sunshine (ugh!!!!) for a day, but was totally protected.
Cons: You will need to wear a moisturizer and makeup because this does neither. It is simply a brilliant sun screen, which doesn’t make you greasy or white.
5-in-1 Tinted Moisturizing Face Sunscreen by Suntegrity – $45
Their Description: This Suntegrity tinted moisturizing face sunscreen contains certified organic aloe vera, jojoba, sunflower, pomegranate, cucumber and green tea to help provide additional sun protection and hydration. Zinc-oxide not only protects the skin from the damaging UV rays, but soothes and calms conditions like rosacea, acne, and melasma.
Pros: Suntegrity truly has the most amazing ingredients. And I love that the sunscreen comes in a tinted option – It’s definitely my preference for hot days, when wearing makeup sounds unbearable. The SPF 30 really is a good sturdy 30! I have never burned with this stuff, even when in the Caribbean without a sun hat.
Cons: I have heard that some people find this product greasy. I have slightly drier skin, so I don’t mind the additional moisture, but it’s something to be aware of. Also some people don’t like the scent, which I don’t really notice, but I have had comments:(
Nutrient Day Cream with SPF 30 Tinted by Josh Rosebrook – $95
Their Description: This multi-action day cream performs as a powerful moisturizer, a broad spectrum sunscreen and light make up. Color adjusting earth minerals correct and brighten skin tone while plant oils and herbal synergies assist in skin transformation and repair via anti inflammatories, antioxidants, fatty acids and vital phytonutrients. This luxurious cream works as a prim- er, prepping and smoothing skin before make up, or works alone for a moisturized and protected glow with a balanced, smooth finish.
Pros: In love with this day cream – Mainly because of the formulation, which is full of skin-loving plant-based ingredients. It really feels like a luxurious cream, so what I love most is that I don’t feel I need to apply and moisturizer and then another facial sunscreen – It’s a one-and-done deal. And the color-adjusting minerals are quite magical.
Cons: Ooooof, at $95, this is one spendy product. But if you can tolerate the price tag, this is an amazing find.
Ultra Sheer Daily Defense Facial Lotion SPF 18 by Andalou Naturals – $14.95
Their Description: For Dry/Very Dry Skin. Fruit stem cell complex and resveratrol CoQ10, super antioxidants, boost dermal vitality as lightweight hydration and ultra-sheer SPF 18 provide daily, easy to wear protection. Broad Spectrum Protection
Pros: We love their ingredients. The scent is very delicate. It smooths on well, and quickly disappears. But it moisturizes really well. The price point is great.
Cons: It is a lower SPF than I would like. Plus, I do like a little more tint to my facial sunscreen.
Tizo Facial Mineral Sunscreen SPF 40 $29.00
Their Description: TiZO3 is a tinted facial mineral sunscreen that offers superior sun protection in a silky, cosmetically elegant lotion, with a non-greasy matte finish. It contains the #1 and #2 rated sunscreen filters that helps prevent pre-mature skin aging, sun-induced wrinkles and loss of firmness.TiZO3 layers invisibly under makeup and refines the look of the skin
Pros: It goes on like velvet with a perfect tint. It’s so un-greasy that it’s almost matte. The shade will suit most everyone’s coloring. I love that it has a hair more SPF than most of the other sun blocks. It’s also the most common one that I see in dermatologist’s offices, which makes me think they are very trusted by the one person is your life who would rather a UV ray didn’t come within a mile of your face.
Cons: It contains Dimethecone, which is a silicone-based polymer, and a variety of other ingredients, which aren’t strictly gorgeously green. That being said, this ingredient is in almost every primer (gives it that smooth, velvety “glide-on” feel) and it is LOW-hazard. Tizo also avoids the main nasties, which would have pushed it into a toxic category, so I am fine with it. Purists might want to go for something that is completely plant-derived.
Make sure you sign up for my 3 free e-books and starter guide to get all my updates straight into you inbox.