Summer is here: that means the search for the best SPF is on.
To help guide your choices, CF’s beauty editor tried and tested the very best SPFs for face and body, to create an edit of the best formulas to wear both at home and abroad during the summer.
What makes a good sunscreen?
The best SPFs offer broad-spectrum UV protection against the sun’s rays, while also providing a wearable finish that isn’t sticky, cloying, or overly noticeable on the skin – aka the dreaded white cast.
With sunscreens steadily improving for all skin tones, and with a coterie of wearable creams, sprays, and gels available, there’s simply no excuse to skip this all-important step. Not least because wearing it helps prevent both sunburn and premature skin ageing, such as wrinkling and hyperpigmentation.
Including La Roche Posay and Heliocare, these are 10 of our absolute favourite sunscreens.
This hydrating formula applies just like a serum, and while I'd wait a minute before applying makeup to avoid piling, it's unnoticeable on the skin once on. That's despite being a really high factor – providing the SPF 50 protection you need in the summer sunshine. It's a bonus that it's not expensive either, which is why it is one of my favourite daily sunscreens and always comes with me on my summer travels.
If you find applying SPF a chore, my biggest recommendation is to make it a luxurious experience. The right formulas can even replace your day-to-day body moisturiser as long as you don't have super dry skin. Sisley's silky sun cream is quite rightly celebrated for its ability to add a glossy glow to your limbs. Its packaging is chic enough you'll actually want to take it out of your bag to reapply, too.
It was Citizen Femme's founder – a fellow advocate for wearing SPF everyday – that introduced me to this lightweight sunscreen and it achieves where so many SPFs fail: it really does look transparent on the majority of skin tones. Following her lead, you can use it as your combined sunscreen and moisturiser step, for sun protection that's actually been endorsed by the Skin Cancer Foundation.
Anyone with sensitive skin knows the minefield SPF can be, but La Roche-Posay is always the go-to brand I recommend if you struggle with redness, itchiness, and breakouts. Every product in the Anthelios range, including this lightweight cream that is always in my carry-on when I fly, makes applying your facial sunscreen stress-free.
Constantly busy with active pursuits during the summer? You need to get your hands on Lancaster. Not only does the brand instantly remind me of holidays, but you can also trust its water-resistant claims, and its lightweight, non-oily finish. While no tan is a safe tan when it comes to skin cancer, if you do pick up some colour, the formula will even help prolong your tan – so you are less tempted to top it up.
Trusted by our head of graphic design to not leave a white cast, Ultra Violette's hydrating sunscreen works really well with the rest of your skincare and makeup – meaning no piling or stickiness. As well as offering SPF 50, the addition of Vitamin C-rich kakadu plum and dragosine means it protects against the complexion-dulling effect of pollution and blue light too. In fact, your skin is left so radiant, you may well forgo foundation all together this summer.
Heliocare is probably the most highly-rated suncare brand amongst aesthetic doctors. It's often recommended for individuals who are undergoing acne treatments, such as roaccutane that can make your skin so sun-sensitive you need to actively avoid it. That means if you have a complexion that does tend to burn rather easily, you really can trust both this easy-to-apply mist and the full range of the brand's facial solutions.
The SPF for the city-dweller – this formula not only helps you stay safe in the sun, but also tackles some other unwanted side effects caused by sun exposure and pollution. Alongside factor 50 protection, the sunscreen contains tranexamic acid and niacinamide, which tackle and protect against hyperpigmentation to keep your skin looking radiant all year-round.
This is a sensitive skin-safe sunscreen that feels more like skincare on your face. The highlight (literally) is that it leaves your skin looking glowy, not greasy – so much so that you'll probably reach for it whenever your complexion starts looking tired. The secret: the sunscreen combines its broad spectrum coverage with natural reflective pigments and a priming formula, for a dewy, sunkissed glow boost.
If summer to you means getting in and out of the pool or sea, you know the pain of worrying about whether you are burning while in the water. This gel-like SPF with its 'high water resistant' rating settles those nerves until it's time to reapply, with a pore-blurring finish that ensures your complexion stays looking fresh and hydrated throughout the day.
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