Sheer SPF moisturizer recommendations

August 12, 2021 7:37 AM

I am looking for an SPF moisturizer that will not make me look like I'm living at Versailles in 1760. Can you recommend a relatively sheer one that has at least SPF 30?

I will be returning to bike commuting some time in the early fall and as-is I'm often biking places on errands. Right now, I either go bare faced (boo!) or wear various thick, goopy white moisturizers that look like especially gross stage make-up. Also, honestly, if I'm biking in sunscreen or thick moisturizer and my face sweats at all the moisturizer makes it bead up like I'm a plague victim and the effect is distinctly odd.

People often recommend Cerave - but Cerave is really white and chalky on me.

I have looked at past threads but it seems like a number of products have been discontinued or reformulated.

Ideally, I'd like a nice, sheer light moisturizer with an SPF of 30 or better that I can put on first thing in the morning. It should sink in and look relatively natural. I'm a fairly slow rider and don't really need anything that is designed for protracted sun exposure or extreme sports - if I'm going for a long bike ride during the day I use actual sunscreen. This moisturizer should just be a default for light everyday activity.

And it should not be Cerave!

posted by Frowner to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (31 answers total)

I use Neutragena Ultra-sheer dry touch sunscreen. You can get it in a tube or as a spray-on version. Goes up to 55 spf, I usually use the 30 or 45 tho. It feels like a moisturizer to me, I dont usually wear more as it keeps my skin feeling hydrated all day.
posted by ananci at 7:41 AM on August 12, 2021 [3 favorites]

What's your budget? I use eltaMD UV Clear SPF-46 every day and do not use a small amount. No chalky residue. La Roche Posay makes some nice facial sunscreens as well. Neither are cheap and I usually go through 2+ a month but they make my skin feel good and keep it protected.
posted by coldbabyshrimp at 7:43 AM on August 12, 2021 [3 favorites]

La Roche Posay is excellent and doesn’t make me break out like many others do
posted by raccoon409 at 7:44 AM on August 12, 2021 [3 favorites]

I was coming here to gush about Cerave! But my next best choice is the Olay Complete All Day Moisturizer, the product that was most recommended by my dewiest-looking older friends. Very very light and totally sheer, available cheapish in any drugstore.
posted by Freyja at 7:45 AM on August 12, 2021

Um hi Cerave user here.

Personally, for me, I have never found an all in one SPF + moisturizer that doesn't fuck my skin up. I do my moisturizer first and then my sunscreen.

And my favorite face sunscreen is Japanese. Biore Perfect Milk is my favorite every day wear. Biore Watery Essence is better for me on very gooey days, it's got a more gel like alcoholic texture.

The Neutrogena ultra sheer is very popular but makes me break out like crazy.
posted by phunniemee at 7:47 AM on August 12, 2021 [11 favorites]

I feel your pain. Took me about three years of trial and error (and 30 different brands) to find a mineral-based sunscreen that didn't give the Versaille effect. (And of course, you know you want mineral-based, yes? IOW product that will not cause cancer or fuck with your hormones).

Here ya go, from best down to really good:

• Pratima Neem Rose Sunscreen
• Paula's Choice HYDRALIGHT Shine-Free Mineral Complex SPF 30
• MyChelle Sun Shield Liquid SPF 50 (this has a tint but also comes untinted)
posted by zenpop at 7:47 AM on August 12, 2021 [4 favorites]

I’m super fair and burn within minutes. I’ve recently discovered Black Girl Sunscreen and it’s a game changer! Great protection, very light and no residue, and it hasn’t messed up my skin. You can buy online or at Target.
posted by pearlybob at 7:51 AM on August 12, 2021

Another vote for La Roche-Posay. I’ve worn the Anthelios 50+ every day for years. Evvvvvverrry day - under makeup or not. If they ever discontinue it, I will cry.
posted by Salamander at 7:55 AM on August 12, 2021 [3 favorites]

Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen is pricey but just as sheer as the name suggests. It's got this really weird-in-a-good-way texture that doesn't become shiny or white at all. It's also reef-safe, broad spectrum, etc.
posted by mosst at 7:57 AM on August 12, 2021 [11 favorites]

Stream2Sea comes in tinted and untinted and as a bonus is reef-safe. You can bike into a lake if you want to! The tint is quite neutral.

Andalou Naturals Beauty Balm has a tint that’s slightly orange on me, a light-skinned person, but it’s pretty sheer.

I found both at a co-op.
posted by Comet Bug at 7:57 AM on August 12, 2021

(I also second Biore Watery Essence if your skin does well with alcohol-heavy formulations. My breakout-prone skin doesn't mind it at all and it's very light and comfortable.)
posted by mosst at 7:57 AM on August 12, 2021 [5 favorites]

I hate the way most sunscreens feel on my face when sweating, and I love Biore Watery Essence. I wear it over moisturizer and it sinks in quickly and feels like nothing on my skin, but it works.
posted by MadamM at 8:05 AM on August 12, 2021 [3 favorites]

Biore Watery Essence is fantastic and has become my go-to. I put it on over my moisturizer.
posted by dazedandconfused at 8:05 AM on August 12, 2021 [3 favorites]

A lot of people seem to be recommending sunscreens and they are all great recommendations, but for a moisturizer with SPF I don't think you can go past any of the Paulas Choice moisturizers with SPF. I use the Skin Restoring Moisturizer with SPF 50 but have used others of their SPF moisturizers and found them all good so you can pick depending on your skin concerns. I also use the Cerave when I'm around the house so white cast doesn't matter and found it's one you have to massage in to get rid of most of the white cast, but if you want a slap on and go moisturizer with SPF then Paulas Choice all the way for me.
posted by wwax at 8:06 AM on August 12, 2021 [4 favorites]

Seconding Supergoop's Unseen Sunscreen and Black Girl Sunscreen. They are similar and excellent. Supergoop is more expensive, but the cap on the BGS fell apart more easily so hopefully they'll figure out that packaging thing (it had multiple pieces that fell apart I think due to the sunscreen itself. One piece cap fabrication please!)
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 8:07 AM on August 12, 2021 [1 favorite]

It's only SPF 15 but I adore L'Oreal Futur-E SPF 15. I'm very pale and wear contacts that get easily irritated by regular sunscreens so I rely on moisturizer with sunscreen. This rubs in great. Even if it's too light of an SPF for summer months, might be worth a try in the winter. A bottle probably lasts me 4 months or so and I use it every single morning.
posted by jabes at 8:10 AM on August 12, 2021

Kiehl's Super Fluid, which is SPF 50. Expensive, but extremely sheer and the sun protection is for real. Noticeable sunscreen smell when you first put it on, but once it's dry you can't smell it.
posted by wryly at 8:44 AM on August 12, 2021

CeraVe also gives me ghost face. I used Neutrogena Clear Skin Lotion for a year or so and I think it ticks your boxes - it's not explicitly a moisturizer, but it's moisturizing, high SPF, and doesn't leave a white cast.

My skin now hates almost anything moisturizing and I use La Roche Posay Anthelios dry touch.
posted by momus_window at 9:12 AM on August 12, 2021

Another recommendation for Paula's Choice sunscreen moisturizers. They have good SPF, no perfumes, and no dyes.

I'm a huge fan of the Super-Light Wrinkle Defence SPF 30. It's very sheerly tinted and works on a lot of skin tones. I have breakout-prone skin and this causes me zero issues.

If you're looking for a completely un-tinted moisturizer with SPF, there are a lot of options on their sunscreen page for all sorts of different skin types.
posted by burntflowers at 9:25 AM on August 12, 2021 [1 favorite]

I have tried literally well over 50 sunscreens in my life and am really picky about it. I haven't found my holy grail, but I'm currently using Drmtlgy's universal tinted moisturizer (here - often available for 20-30% off if you sign up for their email list). I was pretty skeptical about using a tinted moisturizer, as I never wear foundation (or make up at all except mascara). However it feels super light to me as a sunscreen - like a medium lotion. I picked it as the tinted sunscreens apparently protect better against blue light, so I thought I'd give it a go. I like it better than Drmtlgy's non-tinted sunscreen, which feels heavier to me and smells more like sunscreen. Both have niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, which are moisturizing/great for skin. I'd say it functions as a light moisturizer as well as a sunscreen. I have very fair skin and, contrary to my expectations, it blends extremely well with my skin tone and doesn't leave any weird tinted patches. I also like that it has zinc oxide, a physical sunscreen that is photostable and full-spectrum. I like it better than Elta MD, which I have also tried (to me, better smell and less sticky feel). I also like the Colorescience tinted sunscreen, which feels to me similar to Drmtlgy, but it's significantly more expensive and I believe doesn't have the niacinamide and hyaluronic acid. I'm interested in branching out and trying Korean sunscreens (including some mentioned above), although they are chemical rather than physical blockers, which can be more cosmetically elegant but some don't prefer (sometimes active ingredients not approved in the USA, some chemical blockers potentially photo-unstable, etc.)...
posted by ClaireBear at 9:29 AM on August 12, 2021

EltaMD UV Clear SPF-46 is my favorite sunscreen. It’s expensive but I always end up going back to it. I find it pretty lightweight and not greasy.
posted by aka burlap at 10:36 AM on August 12, 2021 [2 favorites]

Purito Comfy Water SPF50 is a mineral sunscreen that's light, untinted, doesn't leave a white cast (for real), and scent-free. If you're in Canada, Cliniderm also has a similar sunscreen that's SPF30. I love both, but switched the Purito when Cliniderm went out of stock for months (it's back now).
posted by pised at 11:39 AM on August 12, 2021

La Roche Posay sunscreen/moisturiser is the one that works for me on my face, and goes up to SPF 50. And, it seems to stay effective even though I am VERY sweaty - riding bike/hiking/swimming. Doesn't have a strong smell and doesn't make me break out or give me a rash, like 99% of other sunscreen. It also goes on quickly and absorbs so less of the chalky white feel. just started using it this year and you don't have to use tonnes (although I do live in Scotland, so we don't get that much sun!) so although it's pricey, it lasts for a while.
posted by sedimentary_deer at 1:20 PM on August 12, 2021 [1 favorite]

Paula‘s Choice has many great SPF‘s for all kinds of skin types. You can order samples off the website and find the best one for you.
posted by exquisite_deluxe at 3:34 PM on August 12, 2021

I’ve had good luck with Garnier Ambre Solaire Super UV Anti-Dark Spots Face Fluid SPF50+. It’s quite liquidy but sinks right into my skin and doesn’t leave any sort of white cast (I have olive skin). It’s quite moisturising. I can’t say how well it holds up to vigorous activity as I tend to avoid such things in hot weather!
posted by unicorn chaser at 3:51 PM on August 12, 2021

Another vote for Paula's Choice sunscreens. I have been using their Ultra-Sheer Daily Defense Broad Spectrum SPF 30 as my daily sunscreen for years, and find that it really does disappear into your skin, even when applied liberally (which is necessary to get proper protection), and does not feel greasy at all.
posted by mydonkeybenjamin at 6:51 PM on August 12, 2021

I should add that for my skin (normal + oily T-zone) I don't need to use a separate moisturizer with the PC sunscreen, i.e. it functions as a moisturizer with SPF in it.
posted by mydonkeybenjamin at 7:00 PM on August 12, 2021

Purito Comfy Water SPF50

I say this with a heavy heart, as I loved the Purito Centella Green Level Unscented sunscreen, but Purito pulled all of its sunscreens off the market at the end of last year and the beginning of this year after testing showed that the SPF was more like 19 than 50. Anyone who has been buying and applying Purito sunscreens this year should switch to another brand for their face and put the Purito sunscreen on their hands or the tops of their feet so as not to waste it.

Purito gave refunds for everything sold between June 2020-December 2020 and said that it is is working with a new manufacturer and will conduct random batch tests; currently, it's in the process of developing three new sunscreens. Blogger Ali of Queen of Wrong Style reported in March that Purito was doing customer surveys and was including 10 customers in product testing. I don't know when the new sunscreens will be launched.
posted by virago at 6:18 AM on August 13, 2021 [1 favorite]

OH MY GOODNESS the weird moisturizer sweat beads. I know them well. I basically can't wear tinted moisturizer in the summer months because of this.

Nthing any and all suggestions for the Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen and the Biore Watery Essence 50++, I've tried both and loved them. I also really like the Coola face-specific sunscreens, but they are mineral-based, so that may not be the best option? (I think they rub in to skin pretty nicely, but I am also mega-pale, so I may not be a reliable source on this.)

Agree that they are pretty much all standalone sunscreen products and you'll probably also need some kind of supplementary moisturizer if that is important to you in the morning. I really like anything that's like a water gel moisturizer for summer to decrease the weird sweat bead issue. Dr. Jart Water Fuse and Clinique Moisture Surge are two that I've tried and liked for this.
posted by helloimjennsco at 9:20 AM on August 13, 2021

I'm between sunscreens right now. I just finished Pacifica Sea & C Mattify & Protect Daily Priming Lotion SPF 35 (WTF with these long names). Anyway, it costs $16 for 1.7 oz., the active ingredients are zinc oxide (6%) and octocrylene (7.6%) and I've realized that now that I'm 56, it's too drying for the dry parts of my combination skin.

On my to-try list:

Emily of My Dad the Chemist really likes Pipette Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50. It contains the emollient squalane (derived from sugarcane) and 20% zinc oxide, yet blends in easily on Emily's "yellow/gold Asian" skin and "almost feels like a moisturizer instead of a sunscreen." Rereading the My Dad the Chemist review was enough to get me to order a $4 1 oz. travel size of the sunscreen from Pipette's website to try it out. (The full size is $12 for 4 oz.)

Another mineral sunscreen touted for its texture is Hero Force Shield Superlight Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen, which has 17.53% ZO and "a weightless cream-gel formula" that leaves "no white cast whatsoever," according to Anvita Reddy of PopSugar. The extensive ingredient list includes purple sweet potato (an antioxidant), turmeric (an anti-inflammatory), raspberry seed oil (Vitamins A and E). It is pricier than the Pipette: $19.99 for 1.7 oz.
posted by virago at 12:05 PM on August 13, 2021

Two weeks ago after 18 months of bike commuting and seeing my skin getting progressively darker I finally wondered if all of that unmediated sun is good for me and asked my wife to get me some sunscreen that would stay on me and not make me look all pasty (I always get the zinc stuff for active use). She got me the Anthelios 50+ and while I can't speak to its effectiveness wrt actually blocking the sun, because at this point how could I tell, it applies well, doesn't come off, and hasn't caused any irritation to my skin. I was shocked when I found out how much the stuff costs but my wife says a bottle should last me 1.5-2 months.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 11:30 AM on September 10, 2021