This essay first appeared on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, in The Strategist Beauty Brief, a weekly newsletter in which our beauty writers share their must-tries, can-skips, and can’t-live-withouts. But we liked it so much we wanted to share it with all of our readers. If you want more first impressions of buzzy launches, quick takes on what’s trending on TikTok and Instagram, and deep dives into the week’s best beauty launches, sign up here. The Strategist Beauty Brief is delivered every Wednesday.
If you’re a regular reader of the Strategist Beauty Brief, you know we’re pretty picky about our products. Yes, we’re always down to try a dupe and test an internet trend. But we’re passionate about our basics too. So we thought we’d drop in to share a bit about our favorite, tried-and-true products — the everyday face moisturizers, body lotions, and deodorants of it all. For our second installment, we’re sharing our can’t-live-without face sunscreens. Read on to find out which sunscreens we’ll be wearing on our faces this spring.
Ever since picking up a bottle in Japan when I was 19, this is the sunscreen that I always come back to. It doesn’t leave a white glare behind. It doesn’t have a pungent sunscreen smell. It doesn’t pill — in fact, it’s fast-absorbing and nongreasy, so you can reapply it throughout the day and layer makeup over it. It also crucially has never broken out my acne-prone skin. Some products you have to hunt for a lifetime to track down, but with facial sunscreen, I know I got it right on the first go. —Rachael Griffiths
Supergoop has been my mainstay brand for a while now. I’m a longtime fan of its Unseen Sunscreen as an SPF-slash-makeup primer, but have been really impressed with its new hydrating daily cream. It’s lightweight and nongreasy and an all-in-one moisturizer. On my low-effort days, I just wash my face in the morning and slather this on, and my skin feels hydrated all day. —Arielle Avila
I just bought my fifth bottle of this a few months ago, right before my trip to Ghana in December. I’m obsessed with this sunscreen, and unless I’m testing some other formula for the best sunscreens piece I write and update, this is what I’m slathering on my face. I like the consistency, which is thick and moisturizing, and most importantly, I love the finish. It leaves my skin with a noticeable glow, so much so that when I wear it, people are often shocked to learn that I’m not wearing a skin tint or illuminating moisturizer. —Tembe Denton-Hurst
This bottle of Shiseido Urban Environment sunscreen goes on first thing in the morning (after a cleanser and moisturizer). It’s light enough — I don’t look like the Safdie brother in that scene from Oppenheimer. Some hydrating hyaluronic acid is inside there, too. Throughout the day, while I’m on the go, I like the stick from the same line for reapplication. It’s completely sheer, so no white cast to worry about. I can roll it over everywhere, getting those hard-to-coat places like the tops of my ears. Plus, it’s the perfect purse size — bigger than a lipstick, smaller than a wallet. —Ambar Pardilla
Since I’m blemish-prone, Elta MD SPF 46 has been my go-to for nearly a decade, but I recently started cheating with iS Clinical Extreme Protect SPF 40. Unlike Elta MD’s formula, which is a hybrid mix of chemical and physical protectants, iS Clinical has an all-physical formula rich in zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. I use sunscreen as my morning moisturizer, especially in the warmer months, and I love that this one is super-hydrating. It leaves a silky finish but isn’t greasy. —Dominique Pariso
I’ve been using this tinted mineral sunscreen from Lightsaver as the last step in my skin-care routine. It goes on smoothly and absorbs quickly and doesn’t feel greasy or leave a white cast — in fact, it’s quite lightweight and moisturizing, thanks to the addition of squalane and niacinamide in the formula. I layer it with another SPF-infused skin tint on top just to be safe, and my complexion feels both evened out and protected. —Kitty Guo
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