If you have sensitive skin, says Melanie Palm, MD, board-certified dermatologist at Art of Skin MD, you should be using mineral or physical sunscreen, not chemical sunscreen: “Look for a mineral sunscreen formulated with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, [not] a chemical sunscreen with ingredients like benzophenone, oxybenzone, and dibenzoylmethane, which are more likely to cause irritation.” She adds that non-irritating active ingredients like colloidal oatmeal or niacinamide are also beneficial and can help soothe the skin.
“For sensitive skin, I recommend seeking sunscreen products with fewer preservatives and fragrance-free products,” says dermatologist Erum Ilyas, MD, of Schweiger Dermatology in Pennsylvania. “[You should also consider that] the tendency to develop contact dermatitis to sunscreen may not be from the active ingredients but from the inactive ingredients.” Based on this information, we researched dozens of sunscreens for sensitive skin and evaluated them for key ingredients, form, application frequency, and price.
Here are the best sunscreens for sensitive skin on the market today.
A combination of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide provides SPF 50 protection while plum extract, vitamin C, and eucalyptus provide a nourishing antioxidant blend that keeps skin looking and feeling healthy. The sunscreen is also water-resistant for up to 80 minutes, the maximum amount available, and offers a matte—not greasy-looking—finish. Of course, we also love that Australian Gold sunscreen is made totally with reef-friendly ingredients and is never tested on animals, so look no further if your goal is to find a mineral sunscreen that works well and makes the environment happy.
Price at time of publication: $16
Price at time of publication: $10
It may, however, leave a white cast after application, so you’ll want to make sure you’re thoroughly rubbing in the lotion to prevent any streaks.
Price at time of publication: $13
“Spray sunscreens can have the same protection offered by traditional lotion- or cream-based sunscreens if they are applied correctly,” Dr. Ilyas says, “but the real challenge with most sunscreens is that it’s not common to find mineral-sunscreen-based aerosol sprays.”
That’s why we chose the Blue Lizard Mineral Sunscreen Spray for sensitive skin as our pick for best body spray: It’s a mineral sunscreen, and it comes in an easy-to-apply spray formulation, checking off two very important boxes for people with sensitive skin. What’s more, it’s unscented, making it even more sensitive-skin-friendly thanks to having fewer irritating fragrances. It also features an “earth-friendly propellant,” eliminating some of the common concerns associated with aerosol sprays.
Price at time of publication: $20
That’s one of the reasons why Dr. Ilyas recommends Vanicream products to her patients with sensitive skin: The products are free of all common irritants, like dyes, fragrances, and parabens, and are even gluten-free for people with gluten sensitivities. Vanicream’s Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ is also noncomedogenic to prevent breakouts, plus it applies smoothly and easily and is reef friendly. Win-win for everyone.
Price at time of publication: $18
While a spray is efficient, it may not offer the most reliable protection, but rubbing a lotion or cream into a sand-covered, wiggling small child is no picnic, either. That’s one of the reasons why we love the Vanishing Color Broad Spectrum foam by Banana Boat: not only is it uber kid friendly, with apple and blueberry scents, it goes on the skin in colorful shades and then rubs in clear, ensuring that you’ve actually covered the exposed skin on your active kiddo before you send them running back to the pool again. It also offers an SPF of 50 and 80 minutes of water resistance, making it an easy-to-use and effective option for your child.
Price at time of publication: $13
Price at time of publication: $43
As a total bonus, this Thinksport sunscreen is also broad-spectrum, vegan, and free of common irritating ingredients like parabens and phthalates. It can be difficult to wash off, but that’s kind of what you want when shopping for the ultimate water-resistant sunscreen.
Price at time of publication: $22
If spray sunscreen is more convenient for you, we like the Blue Lizard Mineral Sunscreen Sensitive SPF 50+ Spray. It’s easy to apply and rub in, plus it’s made with an earth-friendly propellant with ultra-low global warming potential.
We scoured the internet for crowd-favorite mineral sunscreens designed to protect your skin from the sun with minimal irritation. We prioritized sunscreens labeled for use on sensitive skin, as well as sunscreens labeled noncomedogenic, hypoallergenic, and oil-free.
What to Look for in Sunscreen for Sensitive Skin
Mineral Sunscreen Ingredients
First things first: Unless you have a good reason not to use a mineral sunscreen, you should swap all your chemical sunscreens out for products with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, says Dr. Ilyas—in general, these are not only gentler but also safer, blocking the sun’s rays rather than absorbing and diffusing them.
“Chemical sunscreens work by absorbing light, [so] once the sunscreen maxes out its ability to absorb light, the rest flows over to your skin,” Dr. Ilyas explains. “Physical sunscreens block light by shielding the skin directly.”
Most mineral sunscreens are made with zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, or a combination of both, so those are the ingredients you should be checking for when shopping.
Application Type
For the most part, how you choose to apply sunscreen is less important than applying it thoroughly and regularly, and you have three basic choices when it comes to getting that SPF onto your body.
Lotion, cream, or stick: You’re going to rub this sunscreen onto your body in some way, whether it’s with your hands or an applicator. This method is good for your face and for targeting specific areas of your body.
It can be tedious to use this type of application if you need to cover large parts of your body, though, and you have to be careful to really rub the sunscreen into all exposed areas.
Aerosol spray: According to Dr. Ilyas, one of the benefits of aerosol sprays is that you get even application and coverage. It’s also easy to cover large parts of your body quickly, and aerosol sprays can make reapplication at the beach—when your skin is covered with sand—much simpler.
“Applying until the skin glistens is the visual cue to know when enough has been applied,” Dr. Ilyas explains.
That said, there are a lot of caveats to using aerosol spray sunscreen. You can lose a lot of product to your environment on windy days, or even get a blast of spray to the face (and you really shouldn’t inhale it). If you do need to use a spray sunscreen on your face, spray it into your hands first and then rub it into your face. And remember, says Dr. Ilyas, that aerosols are flammable and should not be applied near an open flame.
Pump spray: With a pump spray sunscreen, you don’t run the same risks with an aerosol spray but you get a similar ease of application … except for the fact that you do have to rub them in, which reduces their convenience: “The process is so similar to regular sunscreen applications that it is difficult to say if there is a practical advantage to using these,” Dr. Ilyas notes.
One advantage to a pump spray? Dr. Ilyas says it’s easier to find mineral sunscreen in a pump spray because the nozzle can accommodate the thicker product without clogging.
SPF 30 or Higher
Dr. Ilyas says she always recommends that her patients use sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30, but keep in mind that when it comes to mineral sunscreen, the higher the concentration of zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, the better. Some experts believe that mineral sunscreen is generally less effective than chemical sunscreen, but obviously, if you have sensitive skin or frequently react to the ingredients in chemical sunscreens, mineral sunscreen may be your best bet for sun protection.
If you’re not planning to layer your sunscreen under makeup with SPF or wear it in conjunction with other forms of sun protection, such as SPF clothing, aim for a product with a zinc oxide or titanium dioxide concentration of at least 10 percent or a product with a combination of both, since they boost one another’s effectiveness in blocking UVA and UVB rays when combined.
Finally, make sure your sunscreen is labeled “broad spectrum,” which means it protects against both UVA and UVB rays, providing maximum protection against sun damage.
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“If you have sensitive skin and you’re concerned about a potential allergic reaction, I recommend opting for physical or mineral sunscreens instead; these are formulated with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, ingredients that are incapable of causing allergic reactions, but are just as effective in blocking UVA/UVB rays,” Dr. Palm explains.
If you’re already using mineral sunscreen and still experiencing an allergic reaction, Dr. Palm says you might have a sensitivity to the fragrances or preservatives used in the formulation. You can try switching brands to a mineral sunscreen without those same fragrances or preservatives, but if you don’t want to practice trial and error with your sunscreen, Dr. Palm recommends seeing a dermatologist. They might perform patch skin testing to identify the exact cause of your contact allergy, eliminating the guesswork.
The Skin Cancer Foundation suggests applying sunscreen every two hours at a minimum, with more frequent applications when you’re swimming or sweating. Water-resistant sunscreen should include the amount of time it will protect you for when wet; it’s typically 40 or 80 minutes, so make sure you know how long yours will last and reapply after that amount of time, not after two hours.
But even mineral sunscreens can cause irritation if they have a lot of added fragrances or inactive ingredients, so look for sunscreens with fewer allergy-causing ingredients. It could also be the method of application that’s irritating you; if you’ve been out in the sun for a while already, rubbing more product onto your face could be causing some discomfort. You might want to try a stick sunscreen, which glides over your skin, rather than a cream that has to be vigorously rubbed in.
