Choose a face sunscreen in two steps. First, read the protection: an SPF of 30 or higher, with UVA protection shown on the pack as a UVA logo, a PA rating or the words broad spectrum. Then choose a texture you will want to wear every morning: a fluid, a gel, a cream, a stick or a tinted formula. Protection only works when it is applied generously and often, so the texture you enjoy matters as much as the number on the tube.
What Does SPF Measure?
SPF, the sun protection factor, measures protection from UVB, the rays mainly responsible for sunburn. The higher the number, the more UVB the sunscreen filters. In Europe, SPF 30 and SPF 50 are labelled high protection and SPF 50+ very high protection. No sunscreen filters every ray, which is why you will never see total protection on a responsible label, and why sunscreen sits alongside shade, a hat and sunglasses rather than replacing them.
How Do You Read UVA Protection?
UVA rays are present all year, in every season, and pass through cloud and window glass. The SPF number says nothing about them, so look for one of these signs on the pack.
- The UVA logo: the letters UVA in a circle, used in Europe to show that UVA protection is at least a third of the SPF.
- A PA rating: a system from Japan and Korea that runs from PA+ to PA++++. More plus signs mean more UVA protection.
- Broad spectrum, or a UVA protection factor: wording some houses use to show that UVA and UVB are both covered.
Throughout this guide we give each sunscreen's protection exactly as its own pack states it. If the PA system is new to you, our Korean Skincare: The Steps and How to Build a Routine shows where sunscreen sits in that routine.
Fluids and Gels: A Light Finish
A fluid spreads in seconds and settles without weight, the easiest everyday choice for most skin. A gel is more watery still and feels fresh, which suits skin that tends towards shine.
Guerlain's Abeille Royale UV Skin Defence is a lightweight fluid that lists SPF 50 with PA++++, made to be worn alone or beneath make-up as the last step of the morning. La Mer The SPF 50 UV Protecting Fluid is a light fluid that absorbs quickly without heavy residue and wears smoothly under make-up. Benton Cica Gel Sunscreen Serum SPF50 PA++++ has a watery serum texture with centella asiatica, made to leave no greasy feel or white cast. Estée Lauder Perfectionist Pro Multi-Defense Aqua UV Gel is a broad spectrum SPF 50 in a lightweight gel with eight antioxidants, made to layer under make-up or alongside your moisturiser.
- Abeille Royale UV Skin Defence Fluide Protecteur Éclat Jeunesse SPF 50 Sunscreen
- The SPF 50 UV Protecting Fluid Sunscreen
- Cica Gel Sunscreen Serum SPF50 PA++++
- Perfectionist Pro Multi-Defense Aqua UV Gel Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Sunscreen
Creams: For Skin That Likes Comfort
If your skin feels dry or tight by midday, a cream gives the comfort of a moisturiser and the protection of a sunscreen in one step. Creams take a moment longer to settle before make-up.
Dior Solar La Crème Protectrice SPF 50 is a face cream with UVA and UVB defence, designed for comfortable wear and for use under make-up. Lancôme's Rénergie H.P.N. UVMUNE Cream SPF 50 is a day cream in a jar, made to help defend against long UVA rays, with niacinamide and a form of hyaluronic acid in its formula. Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Sun Defence for Face SPF 50 is a broad-spectrum cream with a lightweight, non-oily texture, made to leave no white cast. Clinique SolarSmart SPF 40 Face Cream sets UVA and UVB protection in a moisturising base, in a tube that travels easily.
- Solar La Crème Protectrice SPF 50 Face Sunscreen
- Rénergie H.P.N. UVMUNE Cream SPF 50
- Eight Hour Cream Sun Defence for Face SPF 50 Sunscreen
- SolarSmart SPF 40 Face Cream
Sticks: For Reapplying on the Go
A sunscreen stick is solid and twists up like a lipstick. It glides over the nose, cheekbones and ears, and over make-up without disturbing it, which makes it the simplest way to top up during the day. Covering a whole face evenly with a stick takes care, so wear a fluid or cream in the morning and keep the stick for later.
Clarins Invisible Sun Care Stick High Protection SPF 50 has an invisible, velvety finish with a dry feel, made to layer over make-up. Isdin's Invisible Stick SPF 50 states PA++++ on its pack, and is water- and sweat-resistant with an invisible finish for wearing alone or over make-up. Lierac Sunissime The Protective Sun Stick SPF 50+ is a compact twist-up stick for the face and sensitive areas. Payot Solaire Very High Protection Sun Stick SPF 50+ has a texture that melts on contact, is water-resistant, and covers UVA and UVB.
- Invisible Sun Care Stick High Protection SPF 50
- Invisible Stick SPF 50 Sunscreen
- Sunissime The Protective Sun Stick SPF 50+
- Solaire Very High Protection Sun Stick SPF 50+
Tinted Sunscreens: Protection With a Little Colour
A tinted sunscreen adds a sheer wash of colour that evens the look of skin and softens the pale cast some filters can leave. On a quiet day it can stand in for a light foundation; test the tint along your jawline in daylight.
La Roche-Posay Anthelios UVMune 400 Tinted SPF 50+ is a hydrating tinted cream made to help defend against UVB, UVA and ultra-long UVA rays. Vichy Capital Soleil UV-Age Daily Tinted Water Fluid SPF 50+ is a light, tinted water fluid with UVA and UVB protection, made to wear alone or under make-up; shake it well before use. Heliocare Color Gelcream Light SPF 50 is a light, tinted gel-cream with broad-spectrum UVB and UVA protection. Svr Laboratoire Dermatologique Sun Secure Tinted Comfort Cream SPF 50+ is made for dry to very dry skin, with 100% mineral filters and resistance to water, sweat and rubbing.
- Anthelios Uvmune 400 Tinted SPF 50+ Sunscreen
- Capital Soleil UV-Age Daily Tinted Water Fluid SPF 50+ Sunscreen
- Color Gelcream Light Sunscreen Protector SPF 50
- Sun Secure Tinted Comfort Cream Dry to Very Dry Skin SPF 50+ Sunscreen
Sunscreen Under Make-Up
Sunscreen is the last step of your skincare and the first of your make-up. Give it a few minutes to settle, then press foundation on lightly rather than rubbing. An SPF in foundation or powder is a welcome extra, but you would need far more of it than anyone wears to reach the number on the label, so never rely on it alone.
How Much, and How Often to Reapply
Most people apply less sunscreen than is used to test it, and so get less protection than the label suggests. A common guide for the face and neck is two lines of product along the length of two fingers; remember the ears and hairline. Outdoors, reapply roughly every two hours, and always after swimming, sweating or towelling, as the packs above advise. Water-resistant does not mean it stays on indefinitely.
Do You Need Sunscreen Every Day?
On most days, yes. UVA reaches you through cloud and glass, in winter as well as summer, so a daily habit is simpler than deciding each morning. It matters more still if you use retinol or exfoliating acids, which can leave skin more sensitive to the sun. On bright days, add shade in the middle of the day, a hat and good sunglasses, which we explain in How to Choose Sunglasses: Frame Shape, Lenses and UV Protection. If your skin reacts to a sunscreen, or you are choosing one for a child, ask your pharmacist.
If you are choosing your first face sunscreen, begin with a fluid: light enough to wear every morning without thinking about it, and the easiest foundation for the habit that matters most.
