It’s no secret at a good sunscreen is a non-negotiable in any beauty routine, but we get it—dealing with white tints, heavy formulations and having to layer it under your makeup is just not a good feeling. That’s where tinted sunscreens come in. But which are the best?
We tested a variety of new and classic formulas in order to recommend the best tinted sunscreens that will not only make your life and beauty routine so much easier, but your skin so much better. The excuses are officially over.
toty Ilumina CC Cream SPF 50+ ($42)
Mineral SPF, green tea and vitamin E combine in this radiance-boosting CC cream. Plus, it’s noncomedogenic, meaning it won’t break you out—we actually noticed a reduction in midday shine when wearing this. Win-win.
Type
Mineral
Coverage
Medium
Shade Range
15
Iris&Romeo Best Skin Days ($48)
Created for over-40 skin, this 5-in-1 product combines the best of makeup and skin care with skin-loving ingredients like hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and SPF 30. The result: radiant, dewy skin that looks healthy, not weighed down or cakey.
Type
Mineral
Coverage
Light to Medium
Shade Range
12
Live Tinted Hueguard Skin Tint SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen Broad Spectrum ($34)
So much more than a tinted sunscreen, this nourishing formula offers up hyaluronic acid and sea buckthorn oil to keep skin hydrated all day. Plus, it’s approved for deep skin types, with zero white cast to be found—a rarity for mineral sunscreens.
Type
Mineral
Coverage
Light to Medium
Shade Range
11
Naked Sundays BeautyScreen SPF50 Peptide Foundation Tint ($38)
Spiked with heavy-hitting ingredients like peptides, polyglutamic acid, niacinimide and vegan squalane, this all-in-one sunscreen not only evens out skin tone, it delivers a serious dose of healthier-skin actives, too.
Type
Mineral
Coverage
Light to Medium
Shade Range
13
Naturium Dew-Glow Tinted Moisturizer SPF 50+ ($23)
For a healthy, dewy glow, look no further than this brightening and hydrating formula. Packed with hyaluronic acid and brightening ingredients, its sheer-to-light coverage is all you need for a wash of just-left-a-facial radiance.
Type
Chemical
Coverage
Light
Shade Range
3
Rare Beauty Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 20 Sunscreen ($30)
This lightweight, buildable fluid doesn’t feel anything like sunscreen. Vitamin E and botanicals nourish and treat skin while a blend of physical and chemical SPF protects.
Type
Chemical and Physical
Coverage
Light to Medium
Shade Range
24
WYN Beauty Featuring You Hydrating Skin Enhancing Tint SPF 30 ($29)
Created to move and stick with you, Serena Williams’ makeup line does just that. Available in a vast shade range, this fits-everybody skin tint promises 72 hours of hydration with a gel-like second-skin finish.
Type
Chemical
Coverage
Light to Medium
Shade Range
36
Kosas Revealer Skin-Improving Foundation ($42)
Dubbed as “foundation for skin-care freaks,” this complexion launch from cool-girl brand Kosas is one for the books. A riff off of the brand’s best-selling Revealer Concealer, this lightweight, ingredient-centric foundation not only boasts impressive sunscreen protection, but actives such as hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, peptides and squalane (to name a few) to improve skin with each wear.
Type
Mineral
Coverage
Medium to Heavy
Shade Range
36
Saie Slip Tint ($36)
No-makeup makeup fans, this one’s for you. Ideal for a second-skin wash of color, this clean, tone-evening formula is jam-packed with effective ingredients (think: hyaluronic acid and licorice root) to nourish skin for naturally glowing, protected skin.
Type
Mineral
Coverage
Light
Shade Range
14
Tower28 SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen Foundation ($32)
Created to quiet redness and discoloration while still letting skin shine through, this one-and-done foundation-meets-sunscreen is a makeup-bag staple for anyone who tries it—including those with sensitive skin, as it’s approved by the National Eczema Association.
Type
Mineral
Coverage
Light to Medium
Shade Range
17
glo skin beauty C-Shield Anti-Pollution Moisture Tint SPF 30 ($51)
Think of this tube as your skin-care superhero. Infused with vitamins C and E for antioxidant protection, mineral SPF, hydrating squalane and calming chamomile, this skin-loving formula evens skin tone, treats and protects in one elegant, streamlined step.
Type
Mineral
Coverage
Light
Shade Range
10
StriVectin Full Screen Broad Spectrum SPF 30 ($39)
Free of oxybenzone and octinoxate, this reef-safe SPF comes in a single tone-evening shade—it’s ideal for light-to-medium skin tones—and boasts vitamins A, B, C and pro-vitamin D to treat skin while protecting it, too.
Type
Mineral
Coverage
Light
Shade Range
One Shade
Peter Thomas Roth Max Mineral Tinted Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 45 ($38)
This whipped broad-spectrum SPF is packed with zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, safflower extract and vitamins C and E, is safe for sensitive skin and offers a light tint to help diffuse any unevenness or redness in the skin.
Type
Mineral
Coverage
Light to Medium
Shade Range
One Shade
ILIA Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 ($48)
Free of silicones, fragrance or oil, this super-clean formula won’t clog pores as it shields skin from UV rays and delivers a natural wash of believable color. Whether the drops are worn one their own or mixed into your favorite moisturizer, the water-serum texture makes it easy to build up to more coverage or down for a barely-there look.
Type
Mineral
Coverage
Light to Medium
Shade Range
30
IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream with SPF 50+ ($47)
The ultimate all-in-one product, this full-coverage cream comes in a wide variety of shades, covers imperfections, shields skin from harmful UV rays and infuses skin with an anti-aging hydrating serum (think: collagen, peptides and niacin) to make sure all your better-skin bases are covered—all in one step.
Type
Mineral
Coverage
Full
Shade Range
22
EltaMD UV Daily Tinted Broad Spectrum SPF 40 ($33)
Crafted with hyaluronic acid, this moisturizing option is so gentle, it’s safe for use on all skin types, even post-procedure complexions. Even better, it offers a natural veil of color to even out skin tone.
Type
Physical and Chemical
Coverage
Light
Shade Range
2
Sisley Tinted Sunscreen Cream SPF 30 ($205)
A luxurious option, this sunscreen glides on and covers skin like foundation. In addition to protecting skin from UVA and UVB rays, the formula also helps to even out redness, smooth fine lines and give your skin a luminous glow. Essential oils in the product also give this product a naturally refreshing scent.
Type
Physical
Coverage
Medium to Full
Shade Range
2
Clarins UV Plus Anti-Pollution’ Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Tinted Sunscreen Multi-Protection ($48)
An exclusive anti-pollution complex in this formula helps to strengthen skin’s resistance to free radicals and protect skin from redness, tightness, discoloration and damage from UVA/UVB rays and common pollutants. The super blendable formula melts into skin, making it an easy choice for every morning.
Type
Chemical and Physical
Coverage
Medium
Shade Range
3
HydroPeptide Solar Defense Tinted SPF 30 ($53)
This creamy sunscreen comes out white but adjusts to your skin tone as it’s blended into the face. The finish is rather luminous, giving your complexion a healthy radiant glow. Ingredients like aloe, green tea, acas and hyaluronic acid round this out as equal parts sun protection and skin care.
Type
Physical
Coverage
Light to Medium
Shade Range
One Shade
Alastin HydraTint Pro Mineral Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 36 ($76)
A great all-in-one solution that provides better coverage than most tinted formulas out there, this cream fights sun damage, free radicals and pollution while infusing skin with botanical anti-agers.
Type
Physical
Coverage
Medium
Shade Range
One Shade
La Roche-Posay Anthelios Mineral Tinted Ultra Light Face Sunscreen Fluid SPF 50 ($39)
This lightweight sunscreen combines broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection with an antioxidant complex to fight free radicals. The tint disappears into skin for weightless coverage that doesn’t get slick or settle into fine lines.
Type
Physical
Coverage
Light to Medium
Shade Range
One Shade
Suntegrity “5 in 1” Natural Moisturizing Face Sunscreen SPF 30 ($48)
This chemical-free tinted sunscreen protects, moisturizes, and covers the skin with a super natural, light radiant finish. In addition to nano-sized zinc oxide minerals that protect the skin from UVA and UVB rays without leaving behind any white residue, the product includes hyaluronic acid, organic aloe vera, jojoba, sunflower, pomegranate oils and green tea for antioxidant protection and to hydrate the skin as it shields. A handy guide on their site helps you identify the exact shade that’s right for you before you buy.
Type
Mineral
Coverage
Medium
Shade Range
3