This Trader Joe’s Sunscreen May Be Even Better Than Its Much Pricier Counterpart

First off, who doesn’t love a steal? Since it first hit shelves at select TJ’s a few years back, the Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen has been widely touted as a cheap dupe for Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen SPF 50 (also one of our face sunscreen picks). Both come in 1.7 ounce tubes. Supergoop’s tube costs $38; the TJ’s sunscreen costs about $9.

Because it’s relatively inexpensive, I buy several tubes at a time and stash them everywhere. There’s one with the rest of my skin care in my bathroom so I can apply it as the final step in my morning routine (or the only step, if I’m lazy or in a rush). I keep other tubes with my keys and wallet, tucked away in the bags I use most often, and in my car’s center console storage compartment, where it’s shielded from the sun and less likely to heat up come summer.

It’s the only face sunscreen I’ve used that I regularly reapply throughout the day. Any time I think, “Oh, I should put on some more sunscreen,” which usually happens as I’m leaving the house, I actually have a tube within reach. I can smear some on and go about my day without worrying about sticky hands or temporarily looking like a ghost. I also never worry about how much all that protection is costing me.

But again, saving money doesn’t matter if you end up disliking the product. I recommend Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen to everyone because in terms of feel, look, and smell, its formula is about as neutral and innocuous as they come.

It’s a scent-free, clear gel that doesn’t leave a white cast — because, as a chemical sunscreen, it doesn’t contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, unlike mineral sunscreens and some combination sunscreens. It’s also oil-free, so it doesn’t feel sticky or tacky during or after application, and it dries quickly (maybe a couple minutes) to a shine-free, invisible finish.

“It’s a very lightweight and skin-friendly formula,” Rachel Johnson, a cosmetic chemist and consultant, told me in a Google Meet interview. She especially likes TJ’s sunscreen for those with oily and combination skin, as well as those prone to contact dermatitis and clogged pores. And while it may not contain a ton of nourishing, hydrating ingredients that dry-skin types (like me) appreciate, it layers very easily over your serums or moisturizer to accommodate for that.

In fact, TJ’s sunscreen is a particularly good last step in a skin-care routine not only because it protects you from the sun’s harmful rays, but also because one of its primary inactive ingredients — dimethicone crosspolymer, a common silicone in skin care and makeup that’s not always found in sunscreens — acts as an emollient to help seal in moisture while imparting what Johnson calls “a soft, silky texture.”

“Dimethicone’s primary use is as a skin protectant. It’s used in baby products like baby eczema creams, so it’s going to be safe for most anyone to use,” Johnson said. It’s also used in cosmetic primers, so if you wear makeup, you can use Trader Joe’s sunscreen as a combination sunscreen and primer — the last step of your skin care and the first step of your makeup.

I was aware of all of these benefits when I first grew loyal to TJ’s sunscreen more than a year ago. Back then, I would’ve told you that yes, I really love TJ’s sunscreen, but you don’t absolutely have to make it your go-to like I have.

Then I got a facial, and as my facialist was doing extractions on my pores, she said something that low-key blew my mind. She asked if I used Trader Joe’s sunscreen, and when I confirmed that I did, she remarked, “Man, that stuff is tenacious as hell.” (Except it was actually a much saltier four-letter word than “hell.”)

A deep dive into TJ’s ingredients list explains why and has convinced me that it really is a superior sunscreen to many others, including its pricier predecessor, Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen.

Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen contains three polymeric film formers — dimethicone crosspolymer, polymethylsilsesquioxane, and polyester-7 — that “give you good skin adhesion and very good staying power,” Johnson said. “Once it dries, it’s going to stay on for a long time.”

Some sunscreens contain none of these ingredients, Johnson also noted; others may include just one. Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen contains dimethicone crosspolymer and polymethylsilsesquioxane, but not polyester-7. While one-to-one comparisons across different ingredient lists are surely speculative, since those lists don’t note the precise amount of each ingredient, Johnson considers TJ’s to be “more adhesive” than the Unseen Sunscreen, which is especially impressive for a lower-cost dupe.

“These polymeric film formers are very common ingredients; however, because of their price points, some brands can’t afford to add them, so they’ll just add a little bit,” she explains. “That’s where your performance starts to vary.”

Though it’s recommended that all sunscreens be reapplied at least every two hours (or more frequently after you sweat or go in the water), it’s not like the SPF in your sunscreen completely shuts down 120 minutes after you apply it. Instead, it gradually wears off. It stands to reason, therefore, that a sunscreen with ingredients that adhere to the skin for longer are more likely to give you a boost in your protection.

That extra adhesion does mean that the product could “fall into open pores,” as Johnson put it (and my facialist basically told me). However, because it’s oil-free and noncomedogenic, it shouldn’t cause blackheads; again, Johnson actually recommends TJ’s sunscreen for people with clogged pores.

“You are getting a matte or blurring effect that fills wrinkles and minimizes pores,” she explained. “So it’s filling your pores for an overall smooth appearance and application, but it’s not clogging them.” Just make sure to cleanse your face regularly and thoroughly. “If you double cleanse, you have nothing to worry about,” she added.

I’ve been loyal to Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen for well over a year, fully convinced in the knowledge that my choice in face sunscreen couldn’t get any better — until very recently (like, after I turned in the first draft of this story) when I happened to find a 5-ounce tube of a new-to-me product, Trader Joe’s Invisible Gel Body Sunscreen, on the shelf at my local TJ’s for $12.99.

Reader, it’s got the same active ingredients as the Daily Facial Sunscreen in the same amounts. Its list of inactive ingredients is also exactly the same. It feels the same on my face. It costs about 50 percent less per ounce. Of course, Trader Joe’s is notorious for trial-ballooning new products that then disappear faster than an application of invisible gel sunscreen, but if I were you, I’d make a run on my local TJ’s, stat.

You know that saying, you can have something cheap and good, or good and fast, or fast and cheap — but never all three? Given the fantastic price and performance of Trader Joe’s sunscreen, I think you can.

This article was edited by Hannah Rimm and Maxine Builder.