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We’ve Tested The Best Facial Sunscreens That Provide Sun Protection Perfect For Every Skin Type

We all know that applying sunscreen is important all year round. Whether you’re just sitting in the office all day or spending a lot of time outdoors soaking up the summer sun, it’s always important to protect your skin from UVA and UVB rays.

Although there are plenty of sunscreens on the market that promise to protect the skin and prevent skin cancer, most of the ones that claim to be the ‘ best sunscreen of 2023 ‘ also come with an eye-watering price tag. 

As daily sunscreen-wearers who also like to reapply throughout the day, we found that we were going through sunscreen bottles like no tomorrow — and spending a lot of money just to keep our skin safe.

So, we’ve spent the past few months testing all the sunscreens that the drugstore has to offer. From zinc oxide packed mineral sunscreen options that don’t leave a white cast on darker skin tones, to chemical sunscreen picks that contain hyaluronic acid and are suitable for acne-prone skin, we’ve covered the full range of options – we’ve even got some tinted sunscreen options in the mix.

What is the recommended SPF amount for face?

No matter how sunny, or cloudy it is, you should be wearing SPF every single day because the UV rays can damage your skin on days when the weather looks miserable.

In the morning, as the last step in your skincare routine, you should use around a teaspoon’s worth of product – which is about 2 finger’s worth. But, you’re not finished there, during the day you should try and reapply your sunscreen every 2 hours. 

Remember that when you’re using sunscreen, you also want to make sure you’re using a good face cleanser in the evening to wash everything off.

What sun protection factor (SPF) should I use on my face?

The skin on the face is extremely delicate and spends more time in the sun than the rest of your body, so we would always recommend an SPF50 sunscreen.

The lowest you should go for is a moisturizer with sunscreen spf 30. This is enough to protect your skin, although we would be a bit more cautious about staying in the sun for too long, and you’ll definitely want to reapply. Any lower than SPF30 is not going to give you the sun protection you need – it’s not worth the risk of skin cancer, believe us.

When you’re applying your face SPF, make sure to cover both your face and neck. A lot of people forget to bring their SPF (and the rest of their skincare products) down to their necks, but the delicate skin here is just as gentle as the rest of your face and will be quick to show the signs of skin ageing.

The Best Drugstore Facial Sunscreen Approved by our Dermatologists

We have put all of the drugstore sunscreens to the test in our mission to find the best sunscreens for face at an affordable price point. In our tests, we look for sunscreens that absorb into the skin quickly without a white cast, have a comfortable feel on the skin, and complement the rest of the products in our skin care routines.

Here are all of the best face SPFs that made the cut:

Garnier Ambre Solaire Super UV Face Fluid SPF50+

Starting off this article with a dupe for the La Roche-Posay Anthelios sunscreen. The Garnier Ambre Solaire Super UV Face Fluid comes with SPF50 and features the same formula as the popular LRP product, just at a fraction of the price.

This is going to be great for combination skin and oily or acne-prone skin as the formula feels lightweight on the skin without feeling thick and oily. If you have drier skin, it doesn’t mean that you won’t like it, you just may want something that can help keep the skin moisturized a little more.

It blends well into the skin and has no white cast at all, it has a slightly dewy finish but nothing that looks too greasy at all. It pairs well with all of my makeup, is suitable for reactive skin, and comes at a great price.

MISSHA All Around Safe Block Essence SPF45

Next up is a Korean sunscreen from Missha, it’s their All Around Safe Sun Block Essence. Despite being called an essence, the texture feels much more like a cream.

The texture of this product is really what sets it apart from the rest, it has an almost whipped finish that doesn’t have the same emollient feel that a lot of hydrating creams have – this makes it a great option for all skin types, even those of you with oily skin.

As soon as you apply it to the face there’s no white cast whatsoever and it sinks into the skin effortlessly. The finish is natural and doesn’t really look like you have anything on your skin.

Ambre Solaire Super UV Anti-Dryness Protection Cream SPF50+

This is a fairly new SPF on our radar, but one that has made quite the impact. At just £6, it’s surprising just how good this SPF is — there’s just nothing about it that we could fault, it’s a great cream-based sunscreen for dry skin.

It’s a hydrating SPF so is perfect for my dry skin which can always do with an extra layer of moisture, but it doesn’t feel too thick on top of other skincare products. The SPF face lotion has no white cast and it gives a really pretty dewy look to the skin. It’s best for sensitive skin that could do with an extra bit of TLC, but that isn’t to say that every other skin type won’t enjoy it.

Bondi Sands SPF 50+ Fragrance-Free Face Sunscreen Lotion

Bondi Sands is a super popular SPF brand that makes products for both the face and body. They have 2 different versions of the SPF, one with fragrance and one without – we prefer the fragrance-free option as it will work better for sensitive skin types without causing any irritation.

The texture of this is quite similar to the Garnier Hydrating SPF which we love, it’s a nice cream texture that feels very moisturising. The only slight issue is that we can’t say it blends into the skin nicely, it remains feeling quite thick on the skin and is very dewy.

It’s not the kind of SPF you’d want to use on a no-makeup day, because it does look slightly greasy. However, when you do put some makeup on over the top of this product, there’s no pilling at all – which is surprising. Makeup glides on over the top and we really like the overall finish that the SPF gives.

It’s a good SPF for makeup days but if you don’t normally wear a lot of makeup, one of the other sunscreams may be better for you.

Altruist Sunscreen SPF 50

Now we’ve come to the most affordable product of them all. For just £4 for 100ml of product, we didn’t have the highest of hopes but were left utterly impressed. If you want a good SPF with broad spectrum protection on a budget – you really can’t get much better than this.

The Altruist range was developed by a dermatologist and made to be non-comedogenic, hypoallergenic and suitable for sensitive skin – so this is the kind of product that should work for everyone. The goal is to create products that make your face feel good while working to protect the skin and reduce sun damage.

This product in particular wasn’t designed to be a sunscreen for your face by the looks of it, and they do have a specific facial fluid SPF which is £9 for 50ml, but it’s still suitable for use on the face so we wouldn’t bother with their facial fluid.

It’s slightly thick and does require a bit of blending, but nothing that you can really complain about – there’s no leftover white cast at all. It leaves a dewy finish, but definitely not greasy, and layers nicely underneath makeup.

Altruist Sunscreen SPF 50

Price: £4.00 for 100ml

White cast: None

Finish: Dewy

Overall rating: 9/10

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Solait Anti-ageing Face Sun Cream SPF50+Very High

Superdrug’s own range of skincare products receives a lot of attention, but we don’t see too much about their sunscreens, you’d be missing out if you don’t try them. 

The first one we tried is the SPF50+ facial fluid which is only £3.99 for 50ml. For the price, you really can’t complain too much – the only thing to be aware of is that it does take a while to blend in and does have a slight white cast which won’t make it suitable for every different skin tone.

It’s a very thick product so if you apply the correct amount (3 fingers worth of product) to your face, it takes a pretty long time to blend in – the alternative method would be to apply the product in layers and blend in a small bit at a time. It feels quite heavy on the skin due to its thick texture and also leaves the skin looking very dewy – slightly greasy.

Because of the finish, it’s not the kind of SPF you’d want to wear on its own, but makeup does go on nicely over it. It may not be the best SPF designed for the face on this list, but for the price, it is good value for money and will protect your skin from UV rays.

Solait Anti-Ageing Sensitive Face Sun Cream SPF30

Next is another SPF from Superdrug, their Sensitive SPF30. As we said, SPF30 doesn’t normally cut it for us, but we noticed that the reviews of this product were much more positive than for the SPF50, so we were intrigued.

Although the texture is similar, it applies much more easily to the skin and doesn’t have that horrible white cast. But the main reason we prefer this much more than the SPF50 version is because it has a very natural finish that doesn’t really look shiny at all. It works for your skin so much better, doesn’t irritate the skin, and some of us notice that our skin has become much smoother and brighter since using it.

We’d definitely recommend the SPF 30 over the SPF 50, just because the formula is a lot nicer for everyday wear – but just be careful that the protection isn’t as high so it’s even more important to reapply throughout the day.

NIVEA SUN UV Face Anti-Age & Anti-Pigment Sun Cream SPF50

Nivea does a few different variations of their factor 50 face lotion SPF, including an anti-shine formula which would be great for people with oily skin. We went for the anti-age and anti-pigment version.

This is a creamy formula that really sinks into the skin whilst you apply it. It feels hydrating on top of the skin and leaves your skin feeling great — and there was no white cast to be seen.

The finish is fairly natural, so you could easily wear this with no makeup as it’s not shiny or greasy at all.

Altruist Invisible Sunspray SPF 50

We’ve now got another Altruist sunscreen that has made its way onto the list. This is an SPF that is more designed for the body than it is for your face, but like the rest of the Altruist products – it’s non-comedogenic so it should be fine on your face.

This fine mist comes out completely clear as soon as you spray it, so you never have to worry about a white cast at all. Once blended, it gives a pretty dewy finish to the skin after application. A lot of people find those spray sunscreens can leave marks on the skin or be hard to blend, but this product doesn’t fall into those same issues, the Sun UV face suncream has a nice finish and can be sprayed directly to the face or into your hands first for easier application.

There’s not really anything you can fault about this SPF, it’s perfect for when you need to quickly apply SPF thanks to the spray, and for £5 it’s worth having in your collection at all times. 

Give Your Skin The Protection It Needs

From our list of the best affordable sun creams, you should be able to find a product that works for your skin type. With a range of products designed for dry and oily skin, there really is something for everything.

It just goes to show that you don’t have to be spending lots of money on good quality skincare, products at the drugstore do their jobs and will save you significant amounts of money. What sunscreen do you use?