Editor’s Picks: 11 of the Best Powder Sunscreens to Keep Your Skin Protected On the Go

As a beauty editor, I’ve tested and evaluated powder sunscreens from a range of brands. These are my top picks for every preference:

Best Lightweight

• Supergoop! (Re)setting 100% Mineral Powder SPF 35

Best Mattifying

• Colorescience Total Protection Sheer Matte SPF 30 Sunscreen Brush

Best Luminizing

• Supergoop! (Glow)setting 100% Mineral Powder SPF 35

Best Tinted

• iS Clinical PerfecTint Powder SPF 40

Best Protection

• Colorescience Sunforgettable Total Protection Brush-On Shield SPF 50 
• ISDIN Isdinceutics Mineral Brush On the Go Facial Powder SPF 50

Best Water-Resistant

• Brush On Block Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30

Best Clean Beauty

• Larkly SPF 30 Mineral Powder Sunscreen
• Derma E Sun Protection Mineral Powder SPF 30

Best Budget

• Mineral Fusion Mineral SPF 30 Brush-On Sun Defense
• Hawaiian Tropic Mineral Translucent Sunscreen Powder Brush SPF 30

For more details on each formula, read on.

Supergoop! (Re)setting 100% Mineral Powder SPF 35 is so lightweight, it doesn’t look or feel like anything is on your skin. But despite its sheer and silky texture, it packs some serious protection with 24.7% zinc oxide. There are three matte tints (Light, Medium and Deep), along with a Translucent version. Besides sun protection, you can use this product to set your makeup and reduce shine.

• Pros: Lightweight, high protection, multiple shades
• Cons: Can be difficult to dispense from packaging

Sephora reviewer: “I love this stuff. For context, I’m Middle Eastern with an olive skin tone. I ordered this in Translucent, initially afraid it would give me a white cast. This wasn’t the case whatsoever and it blends into my skin beautifully. It feels extremely light and isn’t too powdery.”

If you’ve got oily skin, Colorescience Total Protection Sheer Matte SPF 30 Sunscreen Brush might be the one for you. In addition to protecting with 22.5% zinc oxide, it was specifically formulated to absorb excess sebum and blur the look of pores. It’s translucent, so it’s suitable for all skin tones, and it leaves you with a soft matte finish. Bonus: It’s also water-resistant for up to 40 minutes.

• Pros: Mattifying, blurs pores, high protection, water-resistant
• Cons: May leave a slight white cast on some skin tones

Colorescience reviewer: “I absolutely love this sunscreen! So great for touch-ups and I love that it helps mattify my skin, since I am more combo-oily. It is actually sheer on my light-medium olive skin too! 10/10.”

If a glowy look is more your thing, consider Supergoop! (Glow)setting 100% Mineral Powder SPF 35. This formula has the same lightweight feel as the brand’s original powder sunscreen, with just slightly higher protection from 24.9% zinc oxide. The difference is that it’s infused with shimmer and has a sheer, golden peach tone. 

• Pros: Luminous finish, high protection
• Cons: Some may find it too shimmery, colour may be too warm

Sephora reviewer: “I love this product ! As someone who usually dreads sunscreen because it makes me sweat more and burns my eyes, this is so easily applied and doesn’t feel like I have anything on! Super duper easy to glide onto the skin and go about your day. With that being said, it did take me a second to figure out the application, but I don’t think that should make anyone steer away from this product. It’s very shimmery and I love the twilight skin appeal of it.”

Most powder sunscreens are sheer, but iS Clinical PerfecTint Powder SPF 40 gives you light, silky coverage in an array of tints. This clinical formula features the maximum concentration of zinc oxide, 25%. Thanks to ingredients like plant enzymes and glycerin, it’s actually hydrating, too. There are five shades to choose from (Ivory, Cream, Beige, Bronze and Deep), with a flawless, pore-blurring finish.

• Pros: Multiple shades, high protection, non-drying
• Cons: Pricey, no translucent option

LovelySkin reviewer: “I like this powder SPF way more than some others I have tried. It’s good for sensitive skin. I also like the colour shades as well. Ivory matched perfectly with my complexion. This is a good powder for reapplying SPF throughout the day. Give it a try!”

Colorescience Sunforgettable Total Protection Brush-On Shield SPF 50 is perhaps the best-known powder sunscreen, and for good reason. It’s one of the most protective formulas you’ll find, with high levels of two active ingredients: 22.5% zinc oxide and 22.5% titanium dioxide. Plus, it provides a lengthy 80 minutes of water and sweat resistance. No wonder it is the only powder sunscreen recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation for active use.¹ Choose from four matte shades: Fair, Medium, Tan and Deep.

• Pros: High protection, water-resistant, multiple shades
• Cons: No translucent option

Colorescience reviewer: “I have substantial sun damage to my face resulting in more skin cancers revealed constantly. In addition to my daily SPF 100 sunblock base and SPF 55 foundation, my dermatologist recommended Colorescience powder as my finishing layer. It provides SPF 50, a third layer of sunblock protection, works well as my setting powder, and is so easy to apply and carry when travelling. I have been using it for three years, without complaint. It is not inexpensive but it lasts so long, I end up getting a good return on my money in the end, and that third layer of SPF 50 is priceless. The light shade seems to work well well with my light to medium complexion.”