The 7 Best Mineral Sunscreens, Tested Extensively By Our Beauty Team (2025)

Mineral sunscreens offer UVA and UVB sun protection by physically blocking the sun’s rays, and they’re particularly good for those with sensitive skin. The best mineral sunscreens glide on smoothly, don’t leave a chalky white cast and can give additional skin benefits. After extensive testing, we rated the MDSolarSciences Mineral Moisture Defense SPF 50 as the best overall for its silky consistency and smooth application.

If you have a sensitive complexion or are prone to rosacea, acne or eczema—or simply prefer a mineral sunscreen to a chemical one—the options we tested feel lightweight, breathable and layer well with other skincare products. After evaluating a variety of formulas for ease of use, feel, finish and added skin benefits, here are the mineral sunscreens that came out on top during our testing. (We’ve also extensively tested the best sunscreen for babies and the top face sunscreens, many of which are featured in our comprehensive sunscreen guide.)

A lot of mineral sunscreens can feel drying or look chalky or cakey on the skin; this one is formulated with ceramides and humectants that lock in moisture. Antioxidant powerhouses vitamin C and green tea also help protect against environmental damage. I like that this formula has a lightweight feel, spreads smoothly, and makes my skin feel soft and moisturized without being greasy. It has an almost powdery, luminescent finish but doesn’t leave behind a white cast, leaving my skin radiant rather than ghost-like.

Australian Gold has been making suncare products since 1985, and the brand just released a new version of its popular mineral SPF 50 sunscreen. It’s made with titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, moisturizing shea butter and vitamin E (the formula is said to protect against the effects of blue light as well.) One key feature of this formula is that it’s made with a “vanishing” nude tint, which works to combat a white cast.

At first glance, I worried the tint would be too dark for my fair, type II complexion on the Fitzpatrick scale. But instead, it gave lightweight, sheer coverage and helped blur small pigmentation marks, which was a surprising bonus. I was also a fan of the matte finish and the soft feel it left behind. One concern, though: It can transfer its tinted color onto lighter fabrics if you’re swimming or sweating a lot.

We’ve all made sun mistakes in the past, whether we forget to apply sunscreen or skip the hat on a high UV index day. One key ingredient of Isdin’s formula is that it features a proprietary plankton-derived photolyase—a DNA repair enzyme extracted from plankton—that is said to repair existing sun damage. One of our testers liked that this has a silky feel, making her skin feel smooth and soft without being sticky. During application, Forbes Vetted deputy editor Jane Sung found the consistency on the runny side, but easy to apply. “This has a matte, almost powdery finish, and I found it a little drying on my (normal to dry) skin,” she says. “It's a good option for those with combination or oily skin.”

Summer Fridays’ cult favorite ShadeDrops—which we also included in our tested best face sunscreens roundup—gives a sheer, almost glowy finish that’s not drying on skin. Superstar ingredients that may help secure this sunscreen’s place in your beauty rotation include squalane to boost hydration and vitamin E to help maintain skin’s moisture barrier. “This has a serum-like, lightweight texture, and that’s my favorite thing about it,” says Sung. “The formula practically disappears after I’ve applied it, even as I use the full recommended amount for face.” I found this formula to be a winner, too. Because of its subtle tint and glowy finish, my skin looks blurred and moisturized without adding makeup.

Made with Japanese zinc, this lightweight formula doesn’t have the heavy, pore-clogging feel of many traditional zinc sunscreens—even formulated with 20% of it. Ultra Violette’s Future Screen has a slight tint, which works well to counterbalance the white cast of the minerals and give a skin-perfecting effect. I found the consistency slightly watery during testing, but it glided on skin easily, didn’t pill over my moisturizer and left a nice, glowy finish. It seemed to amplify the hydrating capabilities of my moisturizer, so my skin didn’t appear dry even as the day wore on. It also fared well during an outdoor workout without dripping or sliding down my face when I got sweaty.

This formula is excellent for all ages because of its just-right consistency, non-oily texture and blendability. It’s especially good for babies because it’s non-irritating; you don’t have to spend a lot of time rubbing it on a squirming little one (this was the winner in our evaluation of the best sunscreens for babies), and the initial white cast dries to a soft, seamless finish. I like that this sunscreen is consistent and trustworthy: It spreads easily, so I don’t worry about missing spots and ending up with weird, burned splotches. Plus, it isn’t messy and it doesn’t leave my skin looking ghostly. And it’s a more generous amount of product for the price than many other options on this list.

If your skin is prone to irritation and breakouts, this hypoallergenic, non-irritating formula is a favorite of doctors and our testers. (This standout sunscreen is the best overall pick in our roundup of sunscreens for sensitive skin.) Not only does it provide SPF protection, but it also contains niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and vitamin E to improve skin tone, texture and discoloration. I like that this formula doesn’t appear white after rubbing it in, and it doesn’t compromise makeup application or pill when reapplying either. One of our testers also noted that it made her skin feel “moisturized but not sticky.”

How We Tested The Best Mineral Sunscreens

To begin our search, we read a wide variety of mineral sunscreen guides and hundreds of reviews before settling on which top-rated sunscreens to test. We selected mineral options from reputable brands and looked at lesser known yet buzzworthy formulas. We enlisted a panel of testers across a variety of skin tones, and spoke to two leading experts to determine what factors to weigh heavily in our selection process.

We ultimately tested ten mineral sunscreens before settling on the winners on this list, also including top picks from our database of tested sunscreen stories. Almost every sunscreen we tested was around SPF 50 (except for Summer Fridays’ ShadeDrops SPF 30 Mineral Milk Sunscreen). We didn’t test anything higher to control for potential white cast, which increases along with the amount of SPF and therefore white-pigmented minerals in the formula.

Our team extensively evaluated specs for each formula, including active ingredients, additional ingredients, scent, size and price per fluid ounce. Along with our testing panel, which was comprised of various skin types and tones, we ultimately scored each sunscreen on application, feel, finish and scent.

What To Consider When Choosing A Mineral Sunscreen

According to the experts I spoke with, it’s important to look for a broad-spectrum sunscreen (one that offers UVA and UVB protection) with an SPF of at least 30. Mineral sunscreens are all broad spectrum by nature. However, finding a formula you’ll consistently put on is most important. “The best sunscreen is the one that you will use,” says Dr. David Orentreich, a New York City-based dermatologist and spokesperson for The Skin Cancer Foundation. “If it sits on the shelf, it won’t do you much good.”

Active Ingredients

The main active ingredients in mineral sunscreens are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. “Zinc oxide is more popular—it protects against UVA and UVB,” says Michelle Wong, cosmetic chemist and science communicator with Lab Muffin Beauty Science. “Titanium dioxide has stronger UVB protection than UVA, but you typically need to combine it with zinc oxide or a chemical sunscreen (to make a hybrid sunscreen).”

Mineral sunscreens are touted for the fact that they’re well tolerated. Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide “are inert and sit on top of the skin and have been around for decades,” says Orentreich. “They reflect light, and some people say they can feel more occlusive.” However, the formulations are evolving as particle sizes in mineral sunscreens have been made smaller. Many now use nano-sized particles that spread more easily.

Feel And Finish

The feel is critical to finding a mineral sunscreen you’ll want to wear (one that doesn’t feel overly thick or heavy). “If you have more of a mineral in a sunscreen, the texture will generally be heavier,” says Wong. “The formulator will need to put other ingredients in there to keep it evenly dispersed and offer good protection.” She says that minerals are often coated with things like silicone to help them remain spread out and glide onto skin more easily.

Smaller mineral particles are being used in newer mineral sunscreens to minimize and prevent the telltale white cast. Another development—as is seen in some of our top picks—is that many companies add a nude tint to offset the white color. “The upside is the tint is usually made with iron oxide,” says Wong. “Iron oxide can absorb blue light (which can exacerbate hyperpigmentation and melasma in darker skin tones).”

If you want something that doesn’t feel oily, a sunscreen with a matte or natural finish (like Isdin’s Photo Eryfotona Actinica SPF 50+ and Ultra Violette’s Future Screen SPF 50) may be the best for you. On the other hand, if you prefer a more glowy look, choose a mineral sunscreen with a dewy finish.

Chemical Vs. Mineral

Historically, mineral sunscreens have gotten a bad rap because of how thick their formulas can be and white cast. “Cosmetic acceptability is typically higher in hybrid sunscreens or chemical ones just because they’re soluble and texture-wise they feel nicer,” says Wong. But the newer formulas we tested were easy to apply, felt good on skin and gave flattering finishes.

In terms of safety, Orentreich stresses that both chemical and mineral sunscreens are good choices. “Mineral sunscreens are not absorbed, while chemical sunscreens are absorbed a little bit,” he says. But that’s no cause for alarm. “Studies suggest that chemical sunscreens can be absorbed into the bloodstream, but it is important to note that sunscreen ingredients currently FDA-approved have been used in the U.S. for many years, and there is no evidence that these ingredients are harmful to humans.”

The bottom line: If you have sensitive skin, then a mineral sunscreen may be a better fit. “Most people can use one or the other or both. One is not better than the other in terms of sun protection,” says Orentreich.

My Expertise

As a magazine writer, I’ve covered lifestyle topics for 20 years, much of which has included writing beauty and health pieces. I’ve written for magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Self and Women’s Health, and I’ve written dozens of product reviews and roundups for NBC Shop Today, Consumer Reports’ Shop Smart and more.

In my teens and early 20s, I spent several summers working as a lifeguard on Lake Michigan in Chicago, and I was prone to making bad decisions regarding sunscreen. I’m of Irish and German descent and have fair skin, so I learned the value of proper sun protection the hard way. Today, I attempt to slather sunscreen on my reluctant children to protect them from making the same mistakes.

At Forbes Vetted, our beauty team’s experience with skincare—and notably, sunscreens—runs deep. We have written about the best sunscreens, face sunscreens and sunscreens for babies. Forbes Vetted deputy editor Jane Sung produced and oversaw this story, and has personally tested dozens of mineral sunscreens. She leads the beauty and grooming vertical at Forbes Vetted, has covered beauty and style for two decades.

To determine the best formulas, we tapped two experts for this story: Dr. David Orentreich, a New York City-based dermatologist and spokesperson for The Skin Cancer Foundation, and Michelle Wong, cosmetic chemist and science communicator with Lab Muffin Beauty Science. We regularly update this story to reflect availability and price changes.