For those prone to shine, sunscreen can be a hard sell — but the best sunscreen for oily skin makes daily habit easy. That’s incredibly important, since applying SPF is the best possible way to shield skin from a host of skin-care concerns, like fine lines, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation at best — and skin cancer at worst. The problem? Many people with oilier complexions have long encountered drawbacks, like a greasy sheen and heavy feel.
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But if your skin skews oily, it’s entirely possible to avoid lasting sun damage and not have to settle for greasy skin in the process. The thick, goopy SPF your mother slathered on you as a kid isn’t the case for the feather-light SPFs of today, many of which are oily skin-friendly. You just have to know what to look for. And, in some cases, you can combine your moisturizer and sunscreen steps into one non-greasy, lightweight formula, so you never forget.
So, how can those who are Team Oily Skin finally uncover a holy grail SPF? According to Corona Del Mar-based board-certified dermatologist Stefani Kappel, MD, start with oil-free, mineral sunscreens that contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. “These not only offer better protection against UVA and UVB rays, but they’re naturally less comedogenic, or acne-causing, than chemical sunscreens,” she says. (That said, chemical sunscreens do offer big advantages; they’re usually easier to blend into deeper skin tones, and feel lightweight on skin — which is why we’ve included some good options for oily types in the below list.)
In addition to the type of sunscreen filter, steer clear of formulas that contain pore-clogging oils, like coconut, soybean, and wheat germ oils. While they’re ideal for dry skin (and worth considering if you have combination skin), they may inadvertently activate sebum production, which can be a problem for a skin type that already has larger oil-producing sebaceous glands.
With that in mind, we’ve narrowed down the options to make it easy for you to find the best sunscreen for oily skin. Not only will daily SPF be a given in your skin-care routine, but it’ll feel like a luxury, too.