Whatever the weather decides to throw at us, effective sunscreen is a daily essential during the summer months. Experts recommend you apply SPF as part of your skincare routine before adding make-up and then top up your coverage every couple of hours.
Not all sunscreens are created equal, and not all are suited to sensitive skin. For the best sun care you’ll want a broad spectrum product that blocks UVA rays (the ones responsible for making you look older) and UVB rays (the more obvious culprits behind that lobster-red look).
Finding an SPF that works with sensitive skin can take some trial and error, and the wrong formula can cause redness, irritation and breakouts. The sunscreen you use on your body might not be right for your face, either.
To help you choose, we’ve waded through the best sun creams, lotions, and sprays to find the SPFs that play nice, even with sensitive skin. Whether you're after a daily shield for your face or something to slather on from top to toe, read on for our top SPF picks at all price points.
How we tested
Our tester has sensitive skin, and the included SPFs are a list of favourites they’ve been using for years, as well as newer finds sampled over several weeks. The texture, absorption rate and the skin finish they created were all examined during testing. To make the list, all products had to offer broad-spectrum sun protection too.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Helen Wilson-Beevers is a beauty expert and has written The Independent’s guides to the best eye creams, the best tinted moisturisers and the best moisturisers for dry skin. She knows what to look out for when testing the best sunscreens for sensitive skin, and what to avoid.
The best sunscreens for sensitive skin for 2025 are:
- Best sunscreen for sensitive skin overall – Murad city skin age defence broad spectrum sensitive skin SPF50: £49.68, Amazon.co.uk
- Best budget sunscreen for sensitive skin – Soltan sensitive skin lotion SPF30: £8, Boots.com
- Best sunscreen for the face and body – Paula’s Choice extra care non-greasy sunscreen broad spectrum sensitive skin SPF50: £34, Cultbeauty.co.uk
- Best sunscreen for wearing under make-up – Katherine Daniels daily DNA defence SPF30 for sensitive skin: £65, Katherinedanielscosmetics.com
Murad city skin age defence broad spectrum SPF50
We’ve used this fragrance-free mineral SPF for several years, and it remains a daily staple. The slimline 50ml bottle is an ideal handbag size, and when squeezing out the cream, there’s never a gloopy mess.
What we love most about the midweight, pale orange sunscreen is how much it balances out an uneven skin tone. The instantly smoothing product absorbs into skin leaving gorgeous luminosity while protecting against UVA, UVB and blue light damage. We’d describe the effect as bringing just enough glow without a hint of greasiness or irritation. Whether wearing make-up or leaving our face bare, this high protection SPF50 buy preps our face like a superior primer. It’s undoubtedly a splurge, but we can’t fault the incredible finish.
Buy now £49.68, Amazon.co.uk
Soltan sensitive lotion SPF30
A sensitive version of the classic Soltan SPF, this hypoallergenic fragrance-free sunscreen is for skin prone to irritation. The glossy white lotion glides on, and spread easily over our tester’s entire body. We noted the water-resistant formula is lightweight, while still providing plenty of product coverage. Because of this, we could slather plenty on, without it being a messy process. After absorption, we saw a subtle sheen which gave our limbs a silky finish. The bottle is slimline with a cap that clicks securely in place, so we could easily take this 200ml bottle out for the day in our bag too.
Buy now £8.00, Boots.com
Paula’s Choice extra care non-greasy sunscreen broad spectrum SPF50
Because this sunscreen suits both the face and body, we appreciated reaching for one dual-purpose product. Initially appearing as a midweight white lotion, the softening formula quickly absorbs and creates an invisible matte finish. The factor 50 sun cream is so weightless on bare skin we hardly noticed it was there. Plus, the inclusion of soothing ingredients like aloe vera juice added a calming feel on our tester’s skin.
The water-resistant SPF offers protection while swimming or during sports, and its sizeable 148ml bottle provides enough product for plenty of top-ups too.
Buy now £34.00, Cultbeauty.co.uk
Ultrasun face SPF30
Although there are others without scent in our list, this is the most fragrance-free option of all those that we tested. There was no whiff of anything as we slathered the SPF on, which is ideal if you like a completely scentless formula. We found the lightweight lotion absorbed into skin rapidly, so the initial white layer did totally disappear.
Our tester also rated the 50ml bottle’s push-down pump nozzle for ease, because it’s impossible to create mess during application. The water-resistant broad spectrum SPF is non-comedogenic and offers particularly high UV protection against blue light damage too.
Buy now £19.20, Amazon.co.uk
Eve Lom daily protection SPF50
This 50ml tube has a pump applicator which is ideal for releasing the white SPF50 formula which is non-comedogenic and free of synthetic fragrance and colourants that may irritate sensitive skin. The consistency is much like a rich moisturiser, and we could see a brightening radiance, thanks to ingredients niacinamide and vitamin C.
Our tester has returned to this product again and again because of its intensely soothing and smoothing texture. The lavishly thick formula manages to be suitably plumping, without feeling cloying. After application, our tester’s skin feels comforted, as well as covered with high-protection SPF.
Buy now £75.00, Evelom.co.uk
Wild Science Lab root + fruit bright start SPF30
This vegan-friendly sunscreen is packaged in a vibrant pink 50ml recyclable glass bottle with a pump-release nozzle. We found the creamy yellow formula takes a bit of rubbing in, but once absorbed it leaves a sheer smoothing effect which felt soothing on our skin. The texture is much like a thick moisturiser, and our tester noticed calming hydration with use, alongside a brightened complexion. That’s unsurprising when you learn that ingredients include aloe vera and vitamin C, as well as citrus essential oils which added a crisp uplifting scent we could smell for hours.
Buy now £39.00, Wildsciencelab.com
Green People scent free facial sun cream SPF30
This vegan-friendly SPF is scent-free and contains ingredients including green tea, rosemary and aloe vera. The light-yellow product felt instantly comforting on our face, but it did take a bit of rubbing in to start with. Once absorbed, our tester’s skin was noticeably softened with a matte finish.
The 50ml cylindrical bottle is recyclable and has a push-down nozzle which releases product without much effort, and its lid clicks securely in place too. Because the cream is quite thick, we found slathering it on to be intensely smoothing over any stubbornly dry patches of skin.
Buy now £23.20, Ocado.com
ZitSticka megashade SPF50 serum
What’s different about this 50ml SPF is the pipette applicator and serum-style consistency. Although our tester couldn’t get loads out at once, we liked being able to add droplets onto our skin before spreading across the face. The runny liquid is very buildable too, making additional top-ups throughout the day a mess-free process.
The SPF50 is specifically for acne-prone skin, because of its lightweight, non-comedogenic formula. It also contains skincare ingredient hyaluronic acid, and we could see a dewiness too. Our tester noticed a moisturising effect, and we’d say make-up looks more glowing with this SPF serum underneath.
Buy now £20.99, Superdrug.com
Katherine Daniels daily DNA defence SPF30
This little 50ml bottle stashes away neatly in the smallest make-up bags. A good thing too as we found that foundation and tinted moisturisers smooth onto skin, and stay put, when wearing this mineral SPF so it’s now an essential in our getting ready routine.
A fragrance-free option, it is lightweight on skin, while adding a moisturising base layer. It spreads easily over skin and absorbs quickly, so our tester can add the optimum SPF amount with minimal rubbing in. And to be honest, we also wear this SPF30 under make-up to protect our skin indoors as it shields against blue light damage from screens, as well as while out in the sun.
Buy now £65.00, Katherinedanielscosmetics.com
The Inkey List polyglutamic acid dewy sunscreen SPF30
We love how well this tube of broad spectrum SPF adds light hydration to our skin, and that makes it an ideal priming base for underneath make-up. The fast-absorbing formula smooths onto skin and soaks in without a hint of residue being leftover.
Key ingredients include hydrating polyglutamic acid, glycerin and squalane and the SPF feels refreshingly lightweight on our skin. That makes for quick and easy mess-free top-ups throughout the day too. It’s suitable for all skin types, including those prone to redness or irritation. We’ve found the SPF to be a non-imposing layer of skin protection which creates a subtle radiance.
Buy now £10.50, Amazon.co.uk
Teoxane advanced perfecting shield SPF30
This midweight SPF is formulated to help add a smoothing appearance to fine lines and wrinkles, and we have noticed ours appear diminished with use. The cream adds a glowing finish to skin and feels luxurious to use, without causing any irritation. Ingredients include hydration-promoting hyaluronic acid and reparative amino acids. It has a slight colour-correcting tint too, which adds to the radiance created and means you won’t see any chalkiness whatsoever. Using this SPF is like applying a fancy moisturiser and primer all-in-one, but one with comprehensive broad spectrum sun protection benefits.
Buy now £52.00, Aestha.co.uk
La Roche-Posay anthelios UVmune 400 invisible fluid 50+
This SPF is an IndyBest favourite. The bottle needs a good shake before use, and the formula will appear runny at first. However, it soaks into skin without much rubbing in and the white-looking liquid dries as a transparent layer. The tube has a nozzle applicator too, which makes application far easier.
Because it is fragrance-free, the fluid is suitable for sensitive skin and doesn’t cause any stinging or irritation. It’s lightweight, leaves skin feeling soft and offers broad spectrum protection. Plus, the 50ml bottle is a handy compact shape for travelling and the formula is both water and sweat-resistant too.
Buy now £16.00, Lookfantastic.com
The Body Shop skin defence multi protection light essence SPF50
The 60ml tube has a twist-off cap, and our tester found just a gentle squeeze released generous amounts of the white lotion. As it is quite runny, we had to be careful not to waste any. The cruelty-free, vegan-friendly SPF sank in rapidly and left a subtle sheen, creating a healthy-looking finish on our face. We could see an overall long-lasting glow from this lightweight SPF50, and there was no product pilling when adding make-up on top either.
Buy now £9.99, Amazon.co.uk
The verdict: Sunscreen for sensitive skin
Our best buy goes to Murad’s city skin age defence broad spectrum SPF50, for adding skin-balancing luminosity and fragrance-free high factor sun protection. Meanwhile, Paula’s Choice’s extra care non-greasy sunscreen broad spectrum SPF50 caters for both the body and face and includes soothing ingredients. Finally, for a lightweight, rapidly absorbing formula, we liked Ultrasun’s face SPF30.
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