I’m on the Hunt for the Best Sunscreens Without a White Cast (2024)

Buzzy brand Naturium has recently expanded into the category with this sheer sunscreen, and it’s quickly becoming a favorite. Cut staffer Asia Milia Ware also recommends this lightweight formula, which is water-resistant for up to 40 minutes, in case you have a pool trip planned. I tend to prefer glow-y sunscreens, but there’s definitely a time and place for this matte formula that has what the brand describes as a “velvety, soft-focus finish.”

I usually wear this sunscreen on its own, but it works well under makeup because it’s moisturizing and gives a little bit of a glow without adding extra shine. The texture is extremely lightweight and so hydrating that it feels like a moisturizer.

A lot of sunscreens tend to feel like they’re just sitting on top of the skin, but this one absorbs quickly and easily. This is perfect if you want sunscreen that doesn’t feel like sunscreen — it’s so moisturizing and hydrating, you’ll feel like you just did an intense skin-care routine. The finish is not too shiny but not too matte, either.

You can probably tell by now that lightweight formulas are my favorite. As it gets hotter and my skin gets oilier, I don’t want a sunscreen that feels like I’m adding another layer of oil to my face. This milky formula feels incredibly smooth and light. I definitely recommend.

Deputy editor Jen Ortiz is loyal to Ilia’s serum tint formula. Available in over 30 shades, the SPF has dewy buildable coverage so you can skip one part of your makeup and your skin-care routine.

“This sunscreen from Kate Somerville is so hydrating and illuminating but doesn’t clog my pores!” shopping writer and editor Hanna Flanagan says. “It also looks really good under makeup.”

Yes, the viral sunscreen you’ve seen everywhere really is that good. “I bought it for the first time in Seoul and have had multiple friends try it,” deputy style editor Joanna Nikas says. “Everyone loved it. It didn’t leave a white cast and melted nicely into the skin. Plus, Korea has much better UV filters than the U.S., so it will keep your skin protected.”

We have serums, we have tints, and now we have an oil. “I have oily skin and often don’t gravitate toward oils, but this nourishing blend from Undefined Beauty quickly absorbs into my skin and leaves me with a radiant glow,” Ware says. “I also love applying it to my décolleté for a luminous glow that reflects off of my body.”

This one comes highly recommended by Farhang, and it’s a favorite among many of her patients. It’s lightweight with a high SPF and, most important, no white cast. It’s also under $10, which is a pretty good deal.

Serious Shade is seriously glowy. If you want to look like you just did an extensive skin-care routine and basically applied a golden-hour filter to your face, this is it. It’s also lightweight and moisturizing. However, if you’re on the oilier side, I recommend you skip this one unless you want to be seriously shiny.

This is many things: gluten-free, vegan, and water-resistant, but most of all it goes on without a white cast. It settles in with a mostly matte finish and without that weird filmy sensation you get with some sunscreens.

“Their big thing is about not leaving a white cast,” Farhang tells us. Not only is it cast-free and lightweight, she loves the added anti-oxidant benefits. It includes “açai and green tea, which also help to decrease free radicals from UV exposure, as well as Rosa Canina fruit oil, which helps minimize the appearance of large pores and excess oil.”

Okay, I’ll admit I was a little worried when I poured some of this tinted sunscreen into my hand. At first glance, the color looked way off, too cool, and a few shades darker than my skin tone, but when I actually applied it, it blended in perfectly. There was no weird color and, even better, no weird smell or residue.

Photo: Retailer

The Unseen Sunscreen seems to be the general favorite, with a silky-smooth, almost primer-like finish. This was my second-favorite from the brand; the gel-like formula goes on clear and dries with a semi-matte finish.

The whole premise of Black Girl Sunscreen is white cast–free coverage for darker skin tones. It’s water-resistant and super-sheer no matter how much you put on. It’s one of my go-tos. You’ll get cast-free coverage and skin that feels hydrated, but also lots of shine, so if that’s not for you, there’s a matte version available too.

“I love this for my patients who have sensitive skin types. I use this after procedures at my office,” says Farhang. “This formulation also has hyaluronic acid to help hydrate the skin.”

La Roche-Posay has many, many sunscreens, and they are pretty much all a safe bet in terms of not leaving a white cast. The Anthelios AOX withstood one of the hottest days so far without burning my eyes. This is another one with added skin-care ingredients for benefits over time, including vitamins C and E.

This is like the Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen plus a dewy glow. It goes on sheer but still feels pretty lightweight. It’s SPF 30 and one of my go-tos, but it is a small bottle.

Supergoop! offers an extensive catalogue of sunscreens — that’s pretty much the brand’s whole thing. At the moment, I prefer the extra-dewy glow of the Watery Lotion, which is exactly what it sounds like, a moisturizing, watery lotion.

While many tend to have that sunscreen smell, you know the smell, this one is pretty much scentless. In terms of feel and results, it’s on par with the Sun Bum sunscreen. It’s mostly matte and moisturizing, sans that weird filmy feeling.

On the other end of the spectrum is a sunscreen that smells very good. Native also has a similarly scented one, and if you’re not averse to putting scented products on your face, these are great. This one smells like coconut, pineapple, and a trip to the beach.

This one is on the pricier side, but Tatcha never steers us wrong. The tinted mineral sunscreen is almost too runny for the two-finger sunscreen rule, but it blends in well. After I applied, it kind of felt like I’d done an extensive hydrating skin-care routine. No surprise there, though, since the key ingredients are hyaluronic acid and niacinamide. Despite feeling hydrating, this sunscreen is surprisingly matte. Nieves also likes it and uses it frequently, but does warn that if you sweat, it will sting your eyes.

If you love the dewy glow of cult favorite Supergoop! Glowscreen, then you’ll love this sunscreen that has a pearlescent shimmer. This has become my recent favorite thanks to its lightweight formula and glowy sheen that’s ideal if you’re missing your skin’s warm glow during the winter months.

Here’s another under-$20 rec to add to your cart. Ware also recommends this oil-free and radiant sunscreen. If you want the added skin-care benefits at a fraction of the cost, this sheer serum formula features hyaluronic acid and leaves you with a radiant finish. It’s lightly scented, if that’s your thing, and available at most drugstores, so you can even grab this last minute before your flight.

Another favorite from Ware is this buzzy formula featuring beetroot, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E for hydrated skin and barrier protection, along with sun protection. After being reformulated, the sunscreen is back and better and still cast free. Reviewers love the dewy finish and lightweight feel.

This Centella- and hyaluronic-acid-infused formula melts into the skin, leaving it feeling hydrated and looking dewy, not oily. It also doesn’t feel too heavy on the skin or even smell like sunscreen.

Formulated with hyaluronic acid, this sunscreen goes on sheer and keeps skin super moisturized. It’s on the heavier side, so it’s ideal if you have drier skin. Plus, I found out that it also works well under makeup.

The recommended amount of sunscreen can feel heavy on your skin and, depending on the formula, might take forever for your skin to absorb. However, this gel formula from Dune absorbs quickly no matter how much you use and leaves your skin feeling hydrated.

Supergoop’s newest sunscreen comes in 14 shades, so you never have to worry about a white cast, just finding the right shade. Each one is flexible and buildable with a natural finish.

Belif’s aqua-bomb collection is full of lightweight, extremely hydrating products and this sunscreen is no different. I’ve reached for this one lately because not only is it moisturizing for my combination skin it doesn’t get oily or greasy throughout the day.

This sheer tint is another favorite from Flanagan. “It has a light tint that evens out the skin tone and doesn’t leave a white cast,” she explains. “I also like the fact that it’s infused with hyaluronic acid and feels like an extension of my morning hydration routine.”