The Best Mineral Sunscreens for Your Face to Pack on Spring Break (and Wear Every Day) (2025)

If I have one beauty (and health) tip for you, it’s this: sunscreen is the most important step in your daily skincare routine.

You should be wearing sunscreen on your face every day and all year round (use a formula that offers broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection and at least SPF 30); doing so will help protect your skin from the sun's harmful rays, which can lead to skin cancer, premature aging, and other skin damage. Yes, this is an important rule for hot summer days by the pool, but it’s equally as crucial on chilly, cloudy days in March (the sun’s UV rays are still doing you dirty then, too).

With so many different types of sunscreens on the market, it can be overwhelming to pick the best option for your skin and lifestyle. As a clean beauty enthusiast who also happens to be pregnant, I have become partial to mineral sunscreen options—so it was my pleasure to do the work for you and test out a slew of the best mineral sunscreens out there.

Whether you’re in search of your new favorite daily sunscreen for your face or making your packing list for your upcoming spring break trip, discover the main differences between mineral and chemical sunscreens here, then find your new favorite formula that you won’t want to leave home without.

What is the difference between mineral sunscreen and chemical sunscreen?

There are two types of sunscreens—mineral sunscreen and chemical sunscreen—and their active ingredients work in different ways to protect your skin from the sun.

Mineral sunblock, aka physical sunscreen, utilizes natural minerals to reflect or block deleterious UV rays from the sun. Many of them are formulated with ingredients like zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide, which create a barrier on your skin’s surface to physically block out and scatter UVA and UVB rays, protecting your skin from sun damage.

How is this different than chemical sunscreen? Chemical sunscreens are formulated with active synthetic ingredients, such as avobenzone, octinoxate, oxybenzone, homosalate, and octocrylene. These ingredients act like a sponge to absorb the sun’s harmful rays and keep your skin protected.

So, which product is better? Both types of sunscreens effectively protect your skin, so it’s more about your personal preference and skin type. If you have sensitive skin or struggle with acne, you may want to go the mineral sunscreen route because they are hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic (won’t clog pores), and won’t cause irritation. Often times, it is preferable that pregnant women wear mineral sunscreen because the natural mineral filters aren’t absorbed into the skin or bloodstream. Mineral sunscreens are also reef safe, if environmental friendliness plays a role in your choice.

TL;DR: sun protection is paramount to your health, so the best sunscreen is one that you actually wear!

What is the difference between face sunscreen and regular sunscreen?

Do you really need to use a different sunscreen on your face than your body? The answer is a resounding yes, because the skin on your face is thinner and has more specific needs than the rest of your bod. (I am breaking out just thinking about slathering gloppy body sunscreen on my face).

Facial sunscreens are often formulated to be lighter and non-greasy so they blend well into your skin without leaving white cast or feeling oily (this also helps them wear well under makeup). The formulas can be tinted or have an invisible finish. In addition to being non-comedogenic, some face sunscreen formulas are boosted with skin-loving ingredients like protective antioxidants to help prevent free-radical damage, squalene for a smoother complexion, or brightening niacinaminde.

Regular sunscreens, which are formulated for use on the rest of your body, are focused more on delivering waterproof, longer-lasting protection. For this reason, these products can have a thicker, more lotion-like vibe that can feel too heavy or greasy for your face and can also leave unwanted white cast.

The Best Mineral Sunscreens to Take on Spring Break

With a range of finishes and formulas to choose from, shop this amazing lineup of 10 mineral sunscreens that will make reapplication a joy.

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Tinted Mineral Light Fluid SPF 50

Protect your skin and achieve a fresh-faced look with this blendable tint sunscreen that can be found at most drugstores. I love this dermatologist-tested tinted mineral sunscreen because it delivers powerful SPF 50 protection while also being gentle, non-greasy, and ideal for all skin types (even sensitive). It wears smoothly under makeup, but I often times wear it on its own for an easy, natural-looking tint.

Colorscience Sunforgettable® Total Protection® Face Shield Flex SPF 50

This gone-viral tinted mineral sunscreen with SPF 50 protection is 100% worth the hype. It features a unique tone-adapting buildable coverage that matches a wide range of skin tones and gives you a gorgeous, even complexion (no foundation needed). Plus, it’s formulated with nourishing and antioxidant-rich ingredients to protect, hydrate, and support overall skin health. Tip: if you’re in between two shades, go with the lighter one.

The Outset HYDRASHEER™ 100% Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30

Look no further for your pool bag mainstay. This sheer mineral sunscreen gives you the SPF 30 protection you need, plus a boost of antioxidant snow mushroom and botanical hydrators to support skin barrier health. The formula is fragrance free and absorbs like a dream, no white cast in sight.

KORA Organics Silky Sun Drops

This silky SPF 30 sunscreen serum feels more like a nourishing skincare product than a typical sunscreen. The lightweight, certified organic formula packs a punch, bursting with botanical extracts to shield your skin from environmental aggressors and help prevent signs of aging, powerful UVA/UVB sun protection with no white cast, plus a boost of hydration.

Saint Jane Beauty Luxury Sun Ritual Pore Smoothing Face Sunscreen SPF 30

Want sun protection with a side of pore-smoothing benefits? This luxurious makeup-skincare hybrid product is a primer, moisturizer, and SPF all in one, working to blur the look of pores and deliver mineral SPF 30 with a sheer, natural finish.

Well People Daygleamer Mineral Sunscreen Serum

Brighten and protect your complexion with this silky smooth mineral sunscreen serum that delivers a beautiful radiant finish. The hydrating formula is infused with an antioxidant-rich oil complex and aloe leaf juice, plus brightening niacinamide, and vitamin C for added skin-nourishing benefits. It also wears beautifully under makeup.

Current State of Skin Zinc Oxide + Blueberry Daily Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 30

This lightweight daily SPF is loaded with fast-absorbing plant oils, calming botanical extracts, and protective antioxidants to defend your skin against the sun’s harmful rays and free radical damage, and even helps ease redness for healthy, hydrated skin. No greasy vibes here: this ultra-sheer formula is fast absorbing and leaves zero white cast.

Epicuren Discovery Defend & Balance Tinted Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50

Part tinted moisturizer, part mineral-based CC cream, this lightweight formula is a splurge, but gives you everything you could want in a sunscreen: powerful SPF 50 sun protection, a subtle tint that adjusts to your natural skin tone for a seamless finish, water resistance (up to 40 minutes), plus hydrating and antioxidant-rich ingredients like vitamin C, vitamin E, green tea extract, and kukui nut oil to revive and protect skin.

MDSolarSciences Mineral Tinted Crème SPF 50

This lightweight tinted sunscreen checks all the boxes: it’s lightweight, gives you mineral SPF 50 sun protection, blurs imperfections like a primer, and encourages your skin’s health with a powerful-yet-soothing blend of vitamin C, green tea, cranberry fruit, and pomegranate extracts. It leaves your complexion with a smooth, matte finish that looks like a social filter IRL. Plus, it’s dermatologist-developed and safe for sensitive skin (yes, even those who are rosacea, acne-prone, melasma, and eczema-prone).

Summer Fridays ShadeDrops® Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Mineral Milk Sunscreen

With its alluring milky serum texture that applies super-smooth, this award-winning mineral sunscreen protects skin from harmful UVA/UVB rays and leaves your complexion with a natural finish. The moisturizing formula is boosted with powerful antioxidants to help prevent visible signs of aging, plus hydrating ingredients for softer, plumped-up skin.