The 4 Best Sunscreens of 2025

Any sunscreen you’ll use is better than one you won’t. So it’s worth trying several to find the one that’s best for you. Our picks stand apart for their superlative look and feel (or their value price). But every sunscreen we review below meets the minimum criteria experts recommend: broad-spectrum protection and an SPF of 30 or higher.

Physical sunscreens

Alba Botanica Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 contains no added fragrance and is generally less expensive than other nanoparticle-free physical sunscreen lotions we considered, but most of our testers did not like it because it was difficult to rub in and made skin feel sticky.

The All Good Mineral Sport Sunscreen SPF 30 contains less non-nano zinc oxide than the Thrive formula we recommend, and it leaves more of a white cast.

Testers disliked the artificial, syrupy scent of Australian Gold Botanical Sunscreen SPF 50, which left a whitish cast on our skin.

We found that Aveeno Baby Continuous Protection Sensitive Skin Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 took significantly longer to rub in compared with most other physical sunscreens we’ve tried, and it consistently left a white cast. Aveeno’s Protect + Soothe Mineral Sunscreen Stick SPF 50 and Kids Continuous Protection Zinc Oxide Mineral Sunscreen Stick SPF 50 offer the best values among physical sunscreen sticks we’ve considered. (Even so, the former regularly costs just north of $9 per ounce.) These Aveeno sticks are larger than physical sunscreen sticks from Blue Lizard and Thinksport—more like the size of a stick of deodorant—yet still impractical for full-body coverage.

We previously recommended Blue Lizard Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50, a fragrance-free physical sunscreen that was runnier than most and absorbed easily. In January 2025 the company reformulated, and while the active ingredients, zinc oxide (10%) and titanium dioxide (8%), remain the same, this sunscreen now includes aloe extract and the SPF booster butyloctyl salicylate, among other inactive ingredients. We’re continuing to evaluate this reformulated favorite and will update this guide with our complete findings.

Babo Botanicals Baby Skin Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50, a sunscreen lotion with non-nano zinc oxide as the lone active ingredient (and with butyloctyl salicylate as a possible SPF booster), feels and smells good. But it left more of a white cast than our top pick from Thrive.

Badger Daily Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 is a reef-friendly, unscented formula that looks and feels nice on skin but is rated water-resistant for only 40 minutes.

Banana Boat Sensitive 100% Mineral Sunscreen, Banana Boat Baby Mineral Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50+, Banana Boat Kids Mineral SPF 50+, CVS Health Baby Sun Lotion SPF 50, and Equate Kids SPF 50 all left more of a white cast than our pick from Thrive. However, they are well priced and, in general, highly rated by customers.

The separated, watery consistency of Bare Republic Mineral Body Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 made it difficult to use.

Many of our testers found Coppertone Pure & Simple Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50, a physical sunscreen that contains the SPF booster butyloctyl salicylate, to be goopy. Though its zinc oxide percentage is among the highest of the sunscreens we tested (over 24%), most testers found that the runny formula made complete absorption nearly impossible.

Hawaiian Tropic Mineral Skin Nourishing Milk SPF 50 is a nice-feeling, near-odorless physical sunscreen that comes in a convenient pump bottle. But it’s available only in a 3.4-ounce quantity, and leaves more of a white cast than our pick from Thrive.

We liked Hello Bello Mineral Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 for its price and skin feel. But it’s frequently out of stock, and several of our testers actively disliked this sunscreen’s scent. The Hello Bello formula contains the SPF-boosting inactive ingredient butyloctyl salicylate.

Kōkua Sun Care Hawaiian Natural Zinc Sunscreen SPF 50, which contains the same concentration (25%) of active ingredient non-nano zinc oxide as our reef-safe pick from Thrive, looks and feels as nice on skin. But it costs twice as much.

Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Kids Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50+ felt nice but left more of a white cast than our top picks.

Pipette Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 is not water-resistant and requires shaking before every use.

Supergoop Mineral Play Lotion left more of a white cast and is more expensive than our top picks. Somewhat confusingly, the Supergoop Play SPF 50 stick is also a physical sunscreen. (Another Supergoop Play formula we recommend is a chemical sunscreen lotion.) We found it a bit more difficult to spread and took longer to dry down on the skin when compared with other sunscreen sticks we liked.

Test panelists appreciated the lack of added fragrance in Vanicream Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50+, a non-nano physical sunscreen formulated for sensitive skin that is beloved by people with eczema, rosacea, and related conditions that sunscreen can aggravate. But this formula is frequently out of stock.

Chemical sunscreens

Aveeno Protect + Hydrate Sunscreen Broad Spectrum Body Lotion SPF 60 felt watery and difficult to rub in, with many panelists noticing a white cast after application.

The deodorant-stick-size Banana Boat Ultra Sport Sun Stick SPF 50 is among the least expensive and most user-friendly sunscreen sticks we’ve tried, but it is still difficult to use and apply anywhere other than small swaths of skin.

Neither Coppertone Sport Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 nor Neutrogena Beach Defense Sunscreen Lotion SPF 70 ranked as well as our chemical picks in terms of translucence, skin feel, and ease of application.

Coppertone WaterBabies Lotion SPF 50, a chemical sunscreen, is easy to apply and wear, but the flowery scent of this fragranced formula isn’t for everyone.

Coppertone Ultra Guard Sunscreen Lotion SPF 70 was a pick in this guide for years until it was discontinued.

Hawaiian Tropic Skin Defense Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50, a chemical formula, felt nice on skin, but testers found its traditional sunscreen smell to be overly strong.

Equate Ultra Light Broad Spectrum Sunscreen Lotion for All Skin Tones SPF 50 felt overly greasy.

Early on in our testing, we eliminated one chemical sunscreen lotion, Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Lotion Sunscreen Weightless Face SPF 30, because of its bottle. With one drop on the floor, the pump broke, making it difficult to dispense.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Melt-In Milk Sunscreen SPF 60 is a much-revered chemical sunscreen lotion. Per ounce, it tends to cost more than 10 times as much as our picks. In a practical sense, each hour spent wearing this formula costs a few dollars.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen SPF 45 comes in a bottle that’s small enough to toss in a purse, but despite the marketing, the feel was not significantly drier than that of other sunscreens we tried.

Our testers did not rate the No Ad Sport 50 Sunscreen and No Ad 85 Sunscreen nearly as highly as the less-expensive Equate Sport Broad Spectrum Sunscreen Value Size SPF 50.

Combination sunscreens

CVS Health Clear Zinc Broad Spectrum Sun Lotion SPF 50 is a fine choice, but it leaves a white cast on darker skin.

Coppertone Pure & Simple Baby SPF 50 took longer than most sunscreens to fully absorb into our skin.

Panelists generally liked EltaMD UV Sport Broad-Spectrum SPF 50, rating its feel and appearance highly. But at $7.50 an ounce, it’s costlier than any of our picks.

Shannon Palus contributed reporting. This article was edited by Tracy Vence and Kalee Thompson.