The Best Tinted Sunscreens for Every Skin Type (2024)

Sephora

Best for Light Coverage: If you’re simply looking for a sheer but moisturizing base to even out your skin tone and add some grip for your bronzer and blush, this is a bangin’ choice that acts like a makeup primer but also wears well on its own as a tinted moisturizer, according to Cathryne Keller, SELF’s Associate Wellness Director. “It has a blurring effect and I feel like I don’t need foundation—just a little bit of concealer here and there and I’m good to go,” she says. “It feels hydrating but doesn’t make my skin look too greasy or shiny.”

• Available in 14 shades
• Mineral SPF ingredient: zinc oxide

Amazon

Best for Sensitive Skin: This SPF offers the best of both worlds: It has a mineral formula that’s much less likely to irritate sensitive skin and a thin, liquidy texture that’s nothing like the SPF your parents coated you in as a kid. It’s also oil-free and non-comedogenic, so you don’t have to worry about it clogging your pores or breaking you out, Dendy Engelman, MD, board-certified cosmetic dermatologist and Mohs surgeon at Shafer Clinic in New York City, tells SELF. Its lightweight feel also makes it great for layering on top of skin care and under makeup, Dr. Gohara adds.

• Available in one universal shade
• Mineral SPF ingredient: titanium dioxide

Amazon

Best for Oily, Acne-Prone Skin: This oil-free option won’t add greasiness to skin that’s prone to breakouts, but still manages to provide necessary moisture with hyaluronic acid. (Oily skin can get dehydrated too—get you a girl who can do both!) And if you’re prone to hyperpigmentation, the formula also contains niacinamide, a popular form of vitamin B3 that can help brighten and even your skin tone, Joshua Zeichner, MD, associate professor and director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, tells SELF.

• Available in one universal shade
• Mineral SPF ingredient: zinc oxide

Sephora

Best for Dry Skin: Glowscreen lets those of us with parched skin cosplay as someone with a radiant complexion, thanks to its glimmery (but not glittery) finish. It also packs hyaluronic acid and vitamin B5—both of which add moisture for a plumper feel. “It gives me a godlike pearlescent glow with a whisper of coverage,” says Amy Rose Spiegel, SELF’s Health Director. “When I know I’m going to sweat on my commute, I often just choose to skip makeup in favor of this light formula’s pretty finish—it makes me feel like I’m radiating hot vitality.”

• Available in four shades
• Chemical SPF ingredients: avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene

Amazon

Best for Mature Skin: The soothing vitamin E in this formula gives skin the moisture it craves while acting as an antioxidant to protect against inflammation. All sunscreens shield your skin from new sun damage—one of the most common triggers of premature aging—but this one also aims to fix existing damage with the addition of peptides and a unique-to-the-brand enzyme, Dr. Engelman says.

• Available in one universal shade
• SPF ingredients: zinc oxide

Amazon

Best Tinted SPF Moisturizer: This is basically a BOGO deal—you’ll get the hydration benefits of hyaluronic acid paired with a brightening effect from niacinamide. Plus, it gives a dewy sheen to the skin, according to Jenna Ryu, SELF’s Lifestyle Writer. “Sunscreens almost always break me out, but when I saw a bunch of people on Reddit raving about this one, I had to give it a go. The coverage is super sheer, lightweight, and natural,” she says. “I always get complimented and asked if I did something different with my skin or if I got a facial.”

• Available in one universal shade
• Mineral and chemical SPF ingredients: zinc oxide, octinoxate

Sephora

Best Complexion Brightener: This sunscreen is practically lightning in a bottle, thanks to brightening vitamin C and niacinamide. “It evens out my skin tone and makes my face look moisturized, and I don’t feel like I need more coverage, especially if I’m just running errands or working from home,” Keller says. “It has a bit of a shimmery finish, but it doesn’t look shiny or greasy—it just gives me a nice glow.”

• Available in two shades
• Mineral SPF ingredient: zinc oxide

Amazon

Biggest Shade Range: This 2022 Healthy Beauty Award winner is a true foundation-sunscreen hybrid with a natural finish and buildable coverage that our tester says lasts all day. “This is one of the few times that I’ve actually finished a foundation—and I immediately ordered another one!” they wrote. And we have to give it major props for having a vast shade range with neutral, cool, and warm undertones.

• Available in 17 shades
• Mineral SPF ingredient: zinc oxide

Wolf & Badger

Best Multitasker: If you want a your-skin-but-better finish (don’t we all), this tinted sunscreen delivers. It seamlessly evens out redness and smooths texture for an airbrushed effect. “I can wear it in place of foundation, but it also works well under makeup, absorbs quickly, and feels hydrating,” Keller says. “I hope they never stop making it!” The formula also packs green tea, gotu kola, and horse chestnut, a unique blend of plant extracts that have skin-soothing and protective qualities.

• Available in one universal shade
• Mineral SPF ingredient: titanium dioxide

Amazon

Best for Reapplication: You can dust this SPF all over your face—even on top of makeup—which is convenient when it’s time to reapply your sunscreen. And yes, you should be touching up about every two hours (and even more often if you’re sweating or swimming). Dr. Gohara says this powder has been one of her favorites for more than a decade. “It’s a perfect way to reapply without smelling like a beach!” she says. “It’s great at absorbing midday oils, too.” (Pro tip: Start with a base layer of cream or liquid sunscreen. Powder SPFs should only be used for touch-ups because they wear off easier and it’s difficult to know if you’re applying an adequate amount.)

• Available in four shades
• Mineral SPF ingredients: zinc oxide, titanium dioxide

Elizabeth Arden

Best Splurge: This creamy SPF boasts green tea, which has a high concentration of antioxidants to help ward off skin-cell damage, as well as ferulic acid, which helps protect the structures that give your skin its plumpness, like collagen and elastin. “This is one of my favorite tinted sunscreens,” Dr. Engelman says. “It contains a subtle tint and is formulated with an amazing combination of ingredients that strengthen the skin barrier while safeguarding from UV rays and pollutants that contribute to aging.”

• Available in one universal shade
• Mineral SPF ingredients: zinc oxide, titanium dioxide

Sephora

Best Tinted SPF Lip Balm: Don’t forget about protecting your lips! Those babies need SPF just as much as the rest of your skin does, and this moisturizing pick also packs a (buildable) punch of color. It has mango, shea, and murumuru butters to nourish and plant oils to add shine. Its satiny matte finish stays put too.

• Available in four universal shades
• Mineral SPF ingredient: zinc oxide