20 Best Sunscreen For Sensitive Acne Prone Skin (2023 Updated)

First, let me tell you a little about myself. I’m in my forties, with oily, acne-prone skin, and living in one of the hottest cities in the USA, Las Vegas, makes my challenges with sunscreens even worse.

With the very shiny sunlight here, I have to put on sunscreen even for a very short trip to the pharmacy or grocery store. Almost all sunscreens make me more shiny, oily looking, and even make me break out.

Some of them that are lightweight may not cause breakouts but make me look sweaty after an hour of being outside. I have light skin in winters and light to medium in summers, and many sunscreens leave a white cast or show ashy under makeup, especially during summertime.

My best tinted sunscreen that I use alone, without makeup, is “Australian gold” which I really love, but unfortunately, it’s not good under makeup sunscreen and for days that I need to look fancier or more polished I need to find another clear non-tinted lightweight sunscreen.

I love La Roche-Posay products and one of my go-to sunscreens has been “Anthelios Mineral ultra-light SPF 50”. But it makes me look sweaty after 2 hours of staying outside on a warm day. So I decided to try this one.

It was absolutely beyond my expectations and I finally found my holy grail under makeup sunscreen! It makes me and keeps me matte for hours even under direct sunlight. It does not change the color of my foundation( I mostly use” Dior Forever Clean Matte foundation”).

It is very lightweight and doesn’t slide or peel, even acts as a primer, smooths out the look of my big pores, and doesn’t sit in fine lines. I tried it for a week now with 3 different foundations and it worked with all of them absolutely well.

It doesn’t have any weird smell and I use it on my under-eye area(not too close to the eyes though) and it doesn’t sting nor make my eyes irritated. I’m so picky about skincare and makeup products, but couldn’t find any negative point about this sunscreen, absolutely amazed by it! My only advice would be for dry skin people, it may not be a suitable choice for them, as it’s really matte, although definitely not flat.

I wanted to love this sunscreen cause everyone speaks highly of this brand but I HATED this sunscreen. I’ve tried many sunscreens and this is probably in my top two least favorite ones. I am an olive/brown girl and luckily this didn’t have a white cast which is the only good thing about it lol.

The finish of it is completely matte which I dislike cause it leaves me looking like my skin is dry. I personally love when sunscreens give you a glowy healthy look and this is far from it. I have combination skin but more towards the oily side so if you have dry skin this might not be for you.

It stings my eyes soooooo bad. Like really bad. As soon as you get even the tiniest amount in your eyes it’s over for you. The burn is persistent and lasts for a good while. So you cannot rub your eyes or sweat at any point while using this sunscreen.

I’ve worn this under makeup several times and it ends up messing up my makeup cause eyes will start to burn and water. And on top to that, it doesn’t sit well under your makeup. It pills when you try to layer products over it, wether that’s your moisturizer or makeup.

I’m so disappointed that I paid for this. And it’s too late to return. Don’t waste your money on this. There are other sunscreens for cheaper that will work better than this one.

extremely disappointed. for over $10 per ounce, you’d think i would be able to use this sunscreen over at least one other product, like a serum or one of my derm prescriptions, but no. When I try to layer this as the last step of my morning routine (which is only face wash and one prescription spot treatment), it refuses to absorb, becomes chunky and stays very white, almost like its expired (i checked, mine isn’t).

Then in some spots it pills, in others it becomes flaky and dusty and makes it look like my eyebrows had dandruff :’). Also, when i apply it, it burns a little and feels like its full of grit that my face can feel but my fingers can’t.

The chunkiness doesn’t happen when i apply it as the only product on my face, but I bought this with the hopes of layering it over my normal routine, which i can’t do. With my experience with this brand, i bought this thinking i was getting something higher quality than CeraVe (which layered like a dream) and i was very disappointed.

Wish i could get my money back. And my hopes were high because i typically love this brand!.

I and my kids have worn this sunblock on our face under every condition (city,ski, beach) for probs the last 10 years. I’ve tried every expensive to cheap non-comedogenic brand and this is the ONLY one that BLOCKS the sun AND doesn’t create more than the usual amount of zits for myself and my 3 kids.

I’m writing this (usually too selfish and lazy to write reviews) because my son bought some new HERO brand sunblock he saw from an “influencer” on Tik Tok and preceded to wear it last weekend and he got FRIED! I tried to explain to him that although his TikToker may recommend they #1 are likely not as smart as me and #2 have not sacrificed their skin for their child and tried 50ish face sunblocks to see if cause zits.

3 Kids details: The non-listener Boy/17 ON ACCUTANE (yes I know more photosensitive but still most def should not be getting burned while wearing a “sunblock” for 2 hours walking around. and I know this because my other son now 21 was also on Accutane when 16 and wore this Elta brand and never got burned.

current Skin type: Now super dry, inflamed and a mix of underground and white head zits. Girl 20 Gets zits frequently both white head and underground. Pretty sure her zit sitch is a combo of eating and hormones.

skin type: semi-sensitive and on the dry side. Boy 21 overall picture perfect skin. maybe gets a couple of zits a month. (he’s the one that was on Accutane at age 16) Skin type: not sensitive and on the dry side.

Me 51: get an underground zit once a month even though I don’t get my period anymore! Skin Type: Normal to dry. My routine: twice a day and every day I use a French brand (not sold here) moisturizing lactic acid toner, if dry I’ll put a cream on, and then I use this sunblock.

oh and. 5% prescription Retin A gel when I remember, which is like 5 times a month. I realize we all have different skin types so please don’t blame me if you get zits. but if you do I suggest you look into other possible reasons why you got them.

I think most of us usually blame what we put ON our face. which yes is often justified but in my opinion mostly appropriate for immediate reaction situations. and for the non-immediate reactions (especially where zits are concerned) it really does make sense to consider some internal factors as well.

I’m going to try and be less selfish and write more reviews cause I seriously have tried almost every brand and product under the sun. Peace out.

I have deep-dark black skin that is also dry and sensitive (photosensitive eczema), so finding a mineral sunscreen for my face that doesn’t leave a white cast is a high priority for me. Of the mineral facial sunscreens, this is generally one of my favorites to use as the white cast is minimal/disappears fairly quickly even on my dark skin tone.

I will say that after having this product/using it for a while, I’ve noticed a little bit pilling in a product that I’d bought and had for about a year now, but it may just be that the product is less stable than when I bought it ~12 months ago.

For the first ~6-8 months that I used the product though, I had no qualms and generally used this product when I wasn’t planning on wearing any makeup/cosmetics (which is most days). As someone with dry skin, I haven’t found any issue, but I also make sure to put on a fairly good moisturizer prior to SPF, so I can’t comment if it is drying, but I have noticed that on days that I don’t put on as good of a moisturizer or my skin is dryer, the white cast stays on a little longer/is slightly more difficult to eliminate signs of residue (but again, this is slight and almost negligible in comparison to previous mineral sunscreens I’ve tried).

The cream-like consistency wasn’t as much of a problem at all, but on days that I’d like to have more of a lighter feeling of product on the face, I do opt for the more fluid formulations that I prefer.

Overall, I really like this product and I keep coming back to it/have yet to find a sunscreen of this consistency with a mineral filter that can beat it. If you’re looking for a lighter/more fluid formula though, I’d look elsewhere (which is probably expected given this product doesn’t make any claims in that regard).

I have been an avid user of this sunscreen for years after it was recommended in a post-follow up surgery appointment. I have a long history of skin cancer. It runs in my family. After having Mohs and reconstructive surgery on my face (the surgeon did an AMAZING job, I only have one small, barely noticeable scar), she recommended using this product on my face whenever I went outdoors during the healing process.

I had 38 stitches on my face, so I really had to be really careful. I also wanted to minimize any possible scarring. She told me this product was extremely gentle and effective. She also told me she knew it was more expensive than drug store brand sunscreens, but that it was the only one she recommended to her post-op patients.

I trusted her word and followed her instructions precisely. I’ll be honest, it has been my tried and trued sunscreen ever since. In the last couple of years I had to switch dermatologists due to a change in our medical insurance.

Out of curiosity, I asked my new dermatologist what she recommended? I wasn’t the least bit surprised when she said Elta MD. She said it was the only one she used. She said the same thing as my surgeon.

it costs a little more, but it is worth it. I cannot recommend this product highly enough. If you have to skimp on anything— do not make it your sunscreen. In my humble opinion, it is the MOST important thing in your skincare regime.

I put this sunscreen on my face, arms, and chest, and within a couple of minutes, my face started burning like crazy so i quickly washed it off. I left it on my chest and arms and within a few hours I broke out in a raised red rash covering my chest and arms that itched so badly I couldn’t sleep last night.

Its the next day now, and just washing my face burns, so it has become hypersensitive. The bumpy red rash on my chest and arms is still itching badly, and I have no idea how long its going to take for my skin to heal from one application of your “sensitive skin” 60 spf sunscreen.

You guys need to take this horrible product off the market.

Honestly, this sunscreen is amazing. I’ve tried more expensive, higher SPF mineral sunscreens and get was less of a whitecast using this sunscreen product. I bought this after forgetting my face sunscreen in a tiny mountain town while I was on vacation and was less than thrilled to have to use this until I did and I’m honestly so surprised with the results.

If you’re looking for a high SPF mineral sunscreen that is also super affordable, you need to try this! I recommend warming it up in your fingertips then spending at least 30 seconds rubbing it in.

Let me start by saying that I have dry acne prone skin. This sunscreen is really nice as of appearance and price, but once I started to use it I noticed that there was a major white-cast (which I kinda figured that there would be since it is a mineral sunscreen) it was also really thick.

Later, I realized my face was breaking out more than usually. So, I did a little experiment of my own. I put the sunscreen on my leg and within not even 30 minutes, I had hives going from the top of my leg down to my knee.

Okay, I almost never write reviews… but after trying this one I HAD to. I read reviews like crazy before committing to a skincare product (especially sunscreen) because I have sensitive, acne-prone skin and it’s hard to find a sunscreen that doesn’t make my skin feel greasy, heavy, or like breaks me out.

THIS. IS. THE. ONE. It’s a bit pricey, but it’s so worth it. My skin did not break out at all, if anything, my skin LOVES this. It truly makes your skin better over time on top of being a sunscreen. I could not sing praises to this enough.

Do your skin a favor. It is a serum, so if you have oily skin like me, it could be something to fear but honestly, it sits really well on the skin, doesn’t pill, and also looks really nice under makeup.

If you’ve been looking for one to splurge on, or even just a good quality spf, do your skin a favor.

I’m a light/fair skin person (combo skin now that leans toward oily), 40, and I’ve tried dozens of face sunscreens over the years. I wear sunscreen every day, year round. The last few years I’ve seen sunscreen protection products improve more than ever.

I’ve tried plenty of decent and good sunscreens but when they’re gone, I’ve never repurchased. There was always just something I didn’t care for enough where I would continue to search for an even better product.

But I’m so pleased with this product that when my current bottle is gone, I already have a new one in my cabinet waiting. It sinks into my skin quickly, no white cast, no greasy feeling, and when I wear makeup, heavy or light, lasts just the same as it always has.

I have very sensitive skin: both facial and ocular rosacea, as well as a few patches where eczema crops up on my face. This sunscreen does not irritate my skin or eyes in any way. It is supremely gentle and leaves no white caste.

In addition to not bothering my skin, it has actually improved it. It feels and looks smoother and softer, and has considerably reduced the milia under my eyes. I bought this product because my target store was out of the sunscreen I had been using for the past few years, and I am so glad I gave it a try.

I cannot recommend it enough, and hope this company will make a serum without sunscreen to use at night.

Living in the cancer belt and having a history of pre-cancerous lesions, sunblock and sun protection is a MUST. I have used many a sunblocks and it is hard to find one that multi-tasks and is like your second skin.

I liked the scent of this lotion. I felt it set well on the skin and did not have excessive greasy feel to it. I do like that it has PHYSICAL sunblock ingredients and not just chemical. However, I have over time just preferred physical sun blocks to avoid chemical sunblock ingredients.

This will cause a more pale finish that is not preferable to many thus the mixture of chemical helps balance out the final result. I overall felt this sunscreen went on well and did the job (in and out of the car shopping and being outside, minimal sweating, min morning).

i have used cocokind’s daily spf sunscreen exclusively for the last year. it was definitely my favorite of all the ones i’d tried, but even that one still went on a little heavier than i would prefer.

i was eager to order this new one as soon as my last bottle ran out, and i am obsessed! it goes on lighter than the mineral-based sunscreen, as advertised, which is my favorite part. unlike the mineral sunscreen, there is a light “sunscreen” smell, but it doesn’t stick around for long, so it doesn’t bother me at all.

a little of this goes an even longer way than the mineral sunscreen, which is really saying something! overall, i would definitely recommend this sunscreen.

I was skeptical, but it’s cocokind so I had to give it a try. A little bit of this goes a long way and I’m SO impressed. The silk SPF blends so well, doesn’t leave my face feeling tacky, and doesn’t come off when sweating as long as you apply maybe 20-30 minutes before heading out.

It also has a really nice scent that isn’t overwhelming or chemically like other sunscreens. I’ve used this a handful of times now including during 5 hours at the beach where I applied it twice and didn’t burn at all.

I typically dread putting on SPF, but I couldn’t recommend this more. Already coming back for more myself so I never run out!.

There are several things I really love about this sunscreen. First I love the high SPF on this. For the face, it is recommended to apply a minimum SPF 30. Second I love that it leaves a matte finish without looking dry.

Most sunscreens tend to leave me greasy looking but this leaves your face velvety soft. The only thing I don’t love about this is that if you are wearing another product under this, it will pill. I generally use a vitamin C serum followed by a moisturizer but those don’t go well with this sunscreen.

This sunscreen works best if you are not using any other products under this. It does leave the slightest white cast but it fades over time. I really loved how smooth my skin looked with this on. I think this would be a great product for someone who is only using this on their face.

I would definitely purchase this for my teen son but not for me.

I originally tried this out after having a reaction to the cult favorite UV Clear–I think my skin disagrees with the niacinimide in that formulation. Anyway, I was happy with the quality of EltaMD, but looking for something more moisturizing for my combination/dry skin and I found it in UV Facial.

This is an incredibly moisturizing and rich formula that does not leave a white cast on my pale skin. It will leave an ever so slight shine on your face, which translates to a glow on my skin, so if you are oily or prefer a completely matte look then this product probably isn’t for you.

I find it wears lovely under my foundation–something that can be a challenge with sunscreens. I love this formula so much but had to knock a star off because of the use of chemical filters. If this sunscreen was purely physical it would be a 5/5 holy grail formulation.

I keep testing out all-mineral sunscreens and always come back to this one. If you are on the drier side and don’t mind a chemical sunscreen, try this out!.

I developed an allergy to chemical sunscreens over the past year. I tried all sorts of dermatologist recommended and sensitive skin sunscreens but still had issues with my skins reactivity. I’d either breakout or have an allergic reaction.

I used to be a SPF every day sort of person, but I had finally had enough and stopped wearing sunscreen altogether. I bought this after extwnsive research and had it for several months before I finally decided to do a patch test.

I was terrified, but nothing happened. No reaction! After a week, I tried it all over my face and let me tell you, I am amazed. Finally I have found a sunscreen that doesn’t cause breakouts or irritate my sensitive skin!!! After three weeks of wearing this stuff I have also noticed that my acne has gotten better, my hyper-pigmentation is not so bad, and it just goes on so well.

It can leave a white cast, but for a very fair skinned woman, I like that it lightens my redness. It’s also very luminous. It will cling to dry patches though, and be very careful to rub it in around the brows and hairline.

It also has a strange smell, but it goes away after it dries. Overall, I highly recommend this product for anyone struggling with a sunscreen allergy and acne.

I have two favorite facial sunscreens right now and this is one of them. I love that it is completely unscented (I loathe, mean loathe sunscreen smell period) and liquid for easy application. When first applied, you will have a white cast, just keep gently rubbing it in and it will disappear.

Plays well with makeup! I have used this for years and love it. Please don’t stop making this product available! This product was unavailable for few months in store and online. They recently made it available online only through the official Neutrogena site, which I love due to knowing I am getting an unexpired, authentic product! Thank you Neutrogena for this product!.

I have been doing a lot of research on sun block and I really like this one. It is a mineral sunblock, meaning it has zinc and titanium. Zinc typically doesn’t irritate, where as something like oxybenzone which is found in a lot of other sunblock, will often irritate my skin.

Being that this is a mineral or physical sunblock, it leaves a lavender/whiteish cast on my medium brown skin tone. The cast is somewhat noticeable on my skin, in my opinion. I think this would leave more of a whiter caste on deeper skin tone.

The consistency of it when it comes out the bottle is a bit watery. According to my dermatologist, physical sunblock’s don’t get absorbed into the bloodstream and it blocks UVA which is responsible for destroying the collagen in the skin.

For these reasons, I don’t care how I look with this white/lavender cast! I am preventing my skin from aging. PLUS, if my confidence isn’t as high that day, I’ll have a mask covering half my face and sunglasses covering the other half.

So it really isn’t an issue for me. I would recommend this product especially if you have sensitive skin. I think this product and the white cast it leaves is not as bad as some products with higher zinc content.

Its easier to blend in compared to some other zinc sun blocks I have. The issue I have is that it is a small bottle for the price. They can go ahead and make this 10 dollars instead of 15 or something.

Just saying.

WOULD NOT RECOMMEND! Gonna go to Target and try to get my money back. This is horrible! I have an olive skin tone and this left me looking WHITE, the cream is runny when you pore it on your hands but it’s SOOOO thick once you get it on your face.

It doesn’t rub in easily, I tried washing it off immediately after I put it on but it will not come off!! I washed my face twice and I can still feel the residue on my skin. It’s hard to explain, but it left my skin stiff and kinda sticky.

Friends recommended other sunscreens but bc I have sensitive skin, I only use Aveeno products, I bought this hoping I could use it as a daily face cream but I’ll never put this on my face again! Have never had this much trouble with Aveeno before, so disappointed!!.

If there is a person who is very particular about sunscreen, its me. I constantly have to reapply every 45 minutes to an hour because I burn so bad. I also usually spend each event on the side lines wiping my eyes with a towel or my shirt wondering why I even applied cream or spray sunscreen on my face to begin with because once I sweat or get in water, every sunscreen I’ve tried melts and drips into my eyes.

This causes an extreme burning and discomfort in my eyes for the rest of the day and I can never seem to enjoy myself. With this Aveeno® Positively Mineral Sensitive Skin Sunscreen Stick Broad Spectrum SPF 50, I didn’t experience this because the sunscreen applies smooth, but solid.

I will admit, it did take me a minute to get over the fact it looks like you are rubbing deodorant on your face, but the sunscreen goes on so smooth and works like a charm so it is well worth it. I never experienced any burning on my skin during the days I used it.

I also really like that it is made for sensitive skin like mine and free from parabens, fragrances and phthalates. I typically get breakouts on my face and shoulders after using regular spray or cream sunscreens but with this product that is targeted for sensitive skin, I feel guilt-free putting it on because I did not experience a break out after using it!!.

My skin is very sensitive and burns easily. I’ve been using physical barriers for a long time. This sunblock is lightweight in texture and spreads easily. It doesn’t cause any issues with my skin. SPF 30 is adequate in most cases, and it’s easy to re-apply.

I wish the container was larger. MY MAIN COMPLAINT as a Canadian consumer, is that I can’t find it in Canada. I had to order from MB in the US. The shipping cost more than the product. I can get many ,many MB products in Canada (in store and on line) but not this.

What’s the problem?.

I live in New Zealand and bought this product after reading a recommendation in, I think, the NYTimes. It turned out to be expensive because of the delivery costs. BUT I like the product. It’s quite liquid and goes on easily (although the spray nozzle needs pumping).

I usually unscrew the top to get access to the sunscreen – that’s how I found out how liquid it is! Yes, I like it, it’s silky and pleasantly unperfumed. I would like to continue using it.

This Mineral Sunscreen is light weight and does not leave my face feeling oily. Even on the hottest days in AZ, my cheeks do not turn red when I wear this product. The 30 SPF works! There is no scent which makes me confident that the ingredients are safe.

I highly recommend this sunscreen.

I am always looking for a high use number sunscreen that doesn’t look like a mask when you put it on. This one is very hydrating which surprised me with such a high 50 number of protection. I wear it everyday after I put on my serum.

It goes on smooth and covers well. Even though it doesn’t claim to be waterproof, I was able to use it when I played tennis all spring and the heat of summer. I would definitely recommend this product.

I didn’t particularly find anything special about this sunscreen. Sure it’s non irritating and I like that it’s fragrance free and alcohol free, but I found it not as hydrating as I thought it would be.

You really need to pair it with a good moisturizer because with a lightweight gel cream, it pilled in certain areas. It also left a slight cast but it dissappeared on my skintone after a while.

I use sunscreen every day, whether ir’s raining or sunny – so several factors are important to me when choosing sunscreen. I love that this is zinc based, it has multiple skin beneficial ingredients and the cream texture is so soft.

This was sent to me by the brand to try and I’m so thankful they did, because I’m picky about sunscreen.

I have very sensitive skin and had been looking for an Australian made Suncream with high spf. I read the reviews and thought that I’d like to try it myself (after checking the ingredients for things that I know I am sensitive to) and decided to try the smallest size.

This was to make sure that it worked for me before investing in a larger bottle. Happy to say that it works fantastically on my skin and I have been really enjoying using it. I will wait until I finish the bottle before investing in the much larger bottle that seems better value for money.

I’ve been using this sunscreen for a couple of years now and love it. Other brands that I had tried have given me a rash, but not this one. I love the coconut smell and how easily it goes on, and it gives me great protection from the sun! I’ve just started using the Coco Milk as an after-sun-moisturiser and find it to be equally as good.

They’re not the cheapest around, but you get what you pay for! Highly recommended.

I really like this brand. Quality and texture is really good. Long lasting. Met my expectations. Use long time. Not need improvement. I can recommend everyone, no cons. My favourite product. Very nice packaging.

Good protection.

This product seemed okay at first, was easy to find and the product details specified that it’s non-comedogenic. But this sunscreen is too greasy, the texture and feel is not en pointe compared to Asian Beauty sunscreens.

The orange packaging is quite nice but really, it’s a bit of a waste to buy sunscreen just for the packaging. I think it’s ok if you’re in a pinch and need an emergency sunscreen but would be too heavy for daytime use especially if you have to reapply.

I also don’t think this would be a great option for those of you who wear foundation, might melt off!.

I tried Avene High Protection Sunscreen and I have to say, I was more than happy! Most sunscreens leave my face feeling really oily and I have trouble enjoying putting makeup on top of them- this one felt great.

I was able to put it on smoothly and apply my foundation afterwards. And, I didn’t burn out in the sun so it works as well!.