With the weather warming up, it’s really important to have a good mineral sunscreen that can work well with or without makeup. Sunscreen like many cosmetic products can be very personal in terms of texture, finish, and smell. When it comes to mineral sunscreen, the white cast left behind by the zinc oxide and titanium dioxide can scare people off. For this reason, women spend a lot of time and money trying to find their favorite mineral sunscreen. A good sunscreen needs to protect you from the sun’s harmful rays but also feel great on your skin. Have a look at this blog post where I break down what to look for when shopping for a mineral sunscreen. This is an updated review of my favorite mineral sunscreen for 2024!
What’s your skin type and lifestyle?
Before I get into my favorite mineral sunscreen products, it’s important to note the type of skin you have and the kind of lifestyle you lead. These factors will help you determine which sunscreen to use, how much to use and when to reapply. Are you out in the sun for a few hours each day? We often don’t wear an adequate amount of SPF, or reapply either. Are you short on time and need an all-in-one sunscreen and moisturizer? Is your skin oily in the summer or dry? Continue reading to learn about my top three mineral sunscreens. I share the benefits of each and the best tips on how to wear them effectively with or without makeup.
My Favourite Sunscreen Products:
1) Dry Mature skin – Helena Lane Sun Cream- SPF 30
Helena Lane Skincare hails from Vancouver, BC. Her sun cream is a completely waterless, oil-based sunscreen with a nice, dense texture. This cream is beautiful, moisturizing and rich making it my favorite mineral sunscreen for dry skin. It provides protection comparable to SPF 30 with 19% non-nano zinc oxide. The zinc oxide content offers you broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection. Helena Lane’s Sun Cream applies like a butter but melts into the skin without leaving a trace behind. When applying, use a little spatula to ensure that water stays out of the jar. This product is perfect for anyone looking for a rich moisturizer and SPF in one. It comes in two scents and two sizes: the Chamomile Calendula is unscented and the Lemongrass Lavender is perfect for repelling those pesky bugs that come out in the summer. Helena Lane’s Sun Cream is perfect for sensitive skin and babies over 6 months. The only drawback is that this sun cream will melt on hot days if kept in a warm environment. It’s not great for travel to warm destinations, but it is great for year round use as long as it stays in your bathroom cabinet.
2) Oily Skin – Ava Isa Every Morning Lotion SPF 30
Like the Helena Lane sun cream, the Ava Isa Every Morning Lotion SPF 30 is a broad spectrum mineral sunscreen made with 25% zinc oxide. This hydrating, skin barrier friendly sunscreen is perfect for people who want an uncomplicated yet deeply hydrating mineral sunscreen. Just because your skin tends to get oily in the summer, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t need hydration or protection! The Ava Isa Every Morning lotion features one of the most innovative skincare actives- a lipid rich cholesterol for skin barrier repair and anti-hyperpigmentation that is also a pre-cursor to vitamin D3. This lotion blends glossy and smooth into the skin. It applies as a white lotion and blends to be clear on all skin tones with no white cast. The lightweight texture of this lotion never feels greasy. I also love the travel-friendly packaging and size!
3) Dry to Combination Skin – LASPA Mineral Sunscreen Lotion SPF 45
LASPA sunscreens are is made in Toronto Canada with great attention. I love the range of sun care products this brand offers. They truly got it all! The Mineral Sunscreen Lotion SPF45 has a beautiful milky texture. It applies smoothly and the aloe vera leaf juice gives it a nice cooling affect on the skin. Glycerin, olive oil and apricot kernel oil protect and nourish the skin leaving it glowing. This sunscreen contains 25% zinc oxide which gives it its milky white color. However, the LASPA Mineral Lotion absorbs easily into the skin and leaves behind a dewy non-whitening finish. If your skin is extremely dry, I would recommend layering a hyaluronic serum on before your sunscreen. I find this lotion is perfectly fine on its own in the summer.
4) Just Sun Daily Defense Tinted SPF 30
Just Sun Daily Defense Tinted SPF 30 is a beautiful lightweight facial moisturizer that serves as a 3-1 product – protects, moisturizes and revitalizes. This is important because often conventional sunscreens protect from the sun, but the rest of the ingredients in the formula don’t do any favours for your skin. SPF protection is important, but it’s just as important to have nutrient-dense ingredients like jojoba, shea butter, and raspberry seed oil to moisturize and heal the skin from the sun. Formulated with non-nano zinc oxide: 10.1 % and titanium dioxide: 6%, this tinted mineral SPF melts into the skin beautifully. It makes it perfect for anyone with combination to dry skin and can be used by the whole family. I often find that mineral sunscreens marketed for children are very hard to blend in. That’s not the case with Just Sun. If making a purchase in my store, ask me for a sample!
How much to use?
The recommended amount of product you should use ranges between a quarter of a teaspoon to half a teaspoon for adults. These amounts should have your face covered. It’s important to be able to see the product when you apply it before blending it out. Be sure to reapply after 2 hours in the sun or sooner if you’re sweating and swimming. One shot glass (1 oz) is recommended for an adult’s face and body according to SkinCancer.org. 1/4 tsp is great for the face. Don’t forget your ears!
What’s the correct way to apply sunscreen?
Once you’ve applied your SPF, anything you add on top will dilute the SPF. This is because SPF ratings are given on the product worn on the skin alone without anything else on top. If you don’t wear makeup, then you can use an SPF product as a moisturizer (regular or tinted) and stop here. Remember to reapply when you’re in the sun for prolonged periods of time.
If you’re a makeup wearer, you’ll have to apply your makeup after your SPF product. A makeup product with SPF can give you additional protection here, but you need to apply 1/4 tsp (or two finger lengths of it) to be protected adequately. Even with makeup on, you will have to reapply your favorite sunscreen after 120 minutes in the sun. The sunscreen will have to cover your makeup base at some point. These tinted options are great for reapplication over makeup. Don’t skimp on the sunscreen when you reapply. Refer back to that point above that I made about covering your face with 1/4 teaspoon of your favorite mineral sunscreen. So, get yourself a sunscreen product you like and you will wear that will leave your skin protected and glowing.
Final Thoughts
Wearing a sunscreen is absolutely essential for taking proper care of your skin. It will protect you from damaging UV rays, and will keep your skin looking healthy and youthful. The makeup will not.
If you want to see these mineral Canadian sunscreen products on my skin, check out my recent YouTube video for a demo!
It’s also important get out of the sun at peak times, and wear other protective clothing such as a hat and sunglasses. I always lose my expensive sunnies, so recently I’ve been loving the options Peepers offers because they’re stylish and affordable.
I hope this clears up any confusion about mineral SPFs, and the order at which to apply it. Finally, if you have any questions or comments about sunscreen or skincare in general, don’t hesitate to post your questions below.