Your acne flare-ups certainly shouldn’t stop you from wearing SPF
Identifying the right skincare products for acne-prone skin can often be taxing. When it comes to sunscreen in particular, finding the right one becomes tougher for this skin type, as acne flare-ups leave the skin either too oily or too dry, irritated, and sensitive. Sunscreens were typically goopy, pasty and comedogenic—anything but skin-friendly. Such sunscreens only make bumps and inflammation more prominent, prompting the skin to produce more oil.
In recent times, however, thick and unbendable sunscreens have been replaced by lightweight and skin-loving formulations for the better. They can be applied seamlessly, even in copious amounts. Not just the new-age chemical ones but many mineral sunscreens have also ditched the old-school texture and prioritised ease of application. Applying sunscreen is non-negotiable, more so if you have acne-prone skin as anti-acne ingredients like salicylic acid, retinol, benzoyl peroxide and azelaic acid can further affect your skin’s photosensitivity. If you’re looking for the best sunscreen for acne-prone skin, here are some tried-and-tested picks.
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Sun Relief Rice + Probiotics With SPF 50+ PA++++, Beauty of Joseon
Infused with 30 per cent rice extracts and probiotics—two ingredients key to the K-beauty ingredient glossary—this lightweight lotion-like (chemical) sunscreen also features sugarcane, coconut fruit, camellia and ginseng root extracts, vitamin E, and adenosine to keep the skin calm and nourished, while offering convenient sun protection.
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Very High Protection Lightweight Cream SPF50+, Caudalie
An ideal sunscreen for acne-prone skin must feel weightless and get absorbed into the skin in no time. Caudalie’s watery sun cream is just that. Formulated with skin-benefitting ingredients such as sunflower seed oil, grape seed oil, and vitamin E, this milky-textured sunscreen doubles as a moisturiser, allowing you to skip layers of skincare products and letting your acne-prone skin breathe.
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Unkissed, d’you
When a sunscreen is a serum—not cream, blue-tinged, not opaquely white—you know it’s not your typical sunscreen. With 14 plant-based extracts that are soothing and hydrating, this is a great sunscreen for acne-prone skin. It doesn’t clog the pores, prevents the skin from becoming oily, and keeps potential sun damage at bay. Free of fragrance and irritants, this sunscreen is perfect to wear under make-up as well.
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PerfectionistPro Multi-Defence Aqua UV Gel SPF 50, Estée Lauder
A gel-based sunscreen that’s translucent and water-based for summer, this emulsion-textured pick is packed with eight antioxidants along with extracts of green tea, barley, wheat germ, chamomile and ingredients such as caffeine, sodium hyaluronate, resveratrol and squalane, making it a skin- and sun-care solution simultaneously. The product feels weightless and gets absorbed into the skin in no time, even supporting reapplication.
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Sunscreen Spray, Happier
You’ve found your go-to sunscreen, but struggle with reapplication? Happier’s Sunscreen Spray will help you tackle this with its easy spray-on format. The runny, lotion-like formula is perfect for on-the-go applications both on your face and body. It’s fragrance-free, sensitive skin-friendly, and non-comedogenic, leaving no white cast. It contains aloe vera extract, hyaluronic acid, allantoin and Kakadu Plum extract, making it an excellent reapplication sunscreen for acne-prone skin.
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All-day Airy Sunscreen, Klairs
This sunscreen from Klairs is yet another testament to how effective sunscreens from Korean beauty brands are. The gel-based product feels like a gentle moisturiser on the skin, promising the ease of blending it out and keeping the skin hydrated. The sensitive, skin-friendly formulation is enriched with niacinamide, panthenol, aloe vera, and adenosine along with extracts from berries to keep redness, dullness and unevenness at bay. Bonus: it is 100 per cent free of oils, which is what you should be looking for in a sunscreen for acne-prone skin.
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Sun Project Water Sun Cream SPF 50 PA+++, Thank You Farmer
The chances that you won’t stumble across this viral sunscreen are very slim. A moisturiser and sunscreen hybrid—yet non-sticky—this product is a keeper if you want your skin to look luminous. Ingredients like aloe vera, sodium hyaluronate, sunflower seed oil, bamboo water, and Centella Asiatica extract equip this formulation to support the skin’s barrier, tame inflammation, and keep the skin plump and hydrated.
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Vegan Moisturising Sun Serum, The Face Shop
The Face Shop’s sunscreen mimics the texture of a serum to ensure effortless application. With brightening and anti-ageing ingredients like niacinamide, vitamin E, panthenol, edelweiss extract, and nourishing seed oils, this sunscreen is devoid of fragrances and toxins that could irritate the skin.
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