The 7 Best Tinted Sunscreens to Easily Add SPF to Your Makeup Routine (2023)

FAQs

The 7 Best Tinted Sunscreens to Easily Add SPF to Your Makeup Routine? ›

Bottom Line. The iron oxides found in tinted sunscreens block both UV and blue light, making them more effective than untinted SPF at protecting your skin indoors and outdoors. As an added bonus, tinted sunscreens also add a light touch of color to your skin and can be used with or without regular foundation.

Bottom Line. The iron oxides found in tinted sunscreens block both UV and blue light, making them more effective than untinted SPF at protecting your skin indoors and outdoors. As an added bonus, tinted sunscreens also add a light touch of color to your skin and can be used with or without regular foundation.

They contain ingredients such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Tinted sunscreens are ideal for using on your face every day because they feel good and go on smoothly. Even better, they give your skin a subtle glow.

We recommend using broad-spectrum gel-based sunscreens with makeup because they protect against both UVA and UVB rays and quickly get absorbed by the skin. These are light sunscreens and do not give makeup a cakey appearance.

If you're using a tinted moisturizer, it would be best to apply it before your priming product. The primer creates a seal on the skin that doesn't allow makeup to fill in your pores. As such, applying a moisturizing product after the primer wouldn't allow the moisturizer to penetrate.

“Opting for a tinted sunscreen that contains iron oxide as the pigment agent can offer several benefits, such as a more natural-looking color and enhanced protection against visible light, which can exacerbate skin pigmentation concerns such as melasma, and minimize the signs of aging.”

So, always apply sunscreen before any kind of base makeup — even if it's infused with sunscreen.

Day recommends "SPF 30 is the perfect place to start when looking for suitable SPF options" and doesn't recommend SPF 15 or below for anyone, especially on the face. You can re-apply a compact that contains SPF with a makeup sponge or portable powder brush that easily fits in your makeup bag.

If it's the summer and you're in a humid location, you can likely get away with a tinted moisturizer alone. But if it's winter and your environment is dry, your skin will benefit from layering on both.

Traditionally, one of the major downsides to mineral sunscreen, both tinted and non-tinted, is that it turns white or ashy on darker skin tones. It's enough to make you skip sunscreen, but it's still important to prevent skin cancer and sun damage.

Is tinted moisturizer or tinted sunscreen better? ›

While tinted moisturizers can be tinted sunscreens and vice versa, the biggest difference is that tinted moisturizers don't necessarily have to contain SPF, and some may offer less protection than most tinted sunscreens, which experts told us should offer coverage of SPF 30 or higher.

Your choice of texture should also depend on what your skin feels like—if you have sensitive and dry skin, use a moisturising, creamy sunscreen; if you have an oily or combination skin type that is also sensitive, go with sunscreens that are either gel-based or have the formulation of a light liquid.

Sunscreen is applied under your makeup as the last step in that routine. Your sunscreen, and any products layered underneath it, will significantly affect the look of your makeup and so picking the best sunscreen to layer under makeup is important.

An easy way to remember the right order is to separate your products into two separate routines. Moisturizer (or sunscreen) should always be the last step in your skin care routine. Primer should always be the first step in your makeup routine. Your skin care routine always comes first.

How long to wait between primer and moisturizer. Ginger recommends waiting at least one minute after moisturizing before applying makeup primer. If you experience a doughy texture or any pilling, she says, then you've put in on too quickly.

Sunscreen: 1 minute

For this very reason, SPF should be the last layer of your morning skin-care routine. The professionals advise waiting a minute between your moisturizer and sunscreen steps to allow each to penetrate and dry down.

Our top picks. Best Overall: Dermafique Soleil All Matte Sunscreen Cream has every quality an effective sunscreen should. Best for Acne Prone Skin: Derma Co 1% Hyaluronic Sunscreen Aqua Ultra Light Gel is light on your skin. Best for Dark Skin: Mamaearth Ultra Light Indian Sunscreen is tested for Indian skin tones.

What Is Skin Tint? Consider skin tints the sheerer versions of tinted moisturizers. However, they tend to have a texture more similar to a serum than a moisturizer, provide less coverage, and they don't moisturize the skin as much.

Is skin tint good for mature skin? ›

“Tinted moisturizers are fantastic for dry or mature skin because they look very skin-like while blurring texture. They do not settle into fine lines and wrinkles the way more matte, full-coverage products can tend to.”

Moreover, when you wear sunscreen under your makeup, it provides a better base for your makeup. After applying sunscreen and before applying makeup, wait for a few minutes. Let the sunscreen set before going ahead with your makeup. This should be the first step of your makeup routine every day.

Applying sunscreen on its own like this ensures that you are getting the protection the product promises. Again, mixing sunscreen into your moisturizer dilutes the SPF, increasing your susceptibility to sunburn and other long-term effects. You should also avoid mixing two different sunscreens for similar reasons.

Summer makes most of us reach out for a setting powder to set and mattify the base, but we advise against it.

The American Academy of Dermatology recommends using a sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30, which blocks 97% of the sun's UVB rays. The highest SPF is 100 and blocks out 99% of UVB rays.

While applying sunscreen foundation alone will not provide the proper sun protection your skin needs, there's no harm in layering sunscreen and makeup with SPF. Who doesn't want as much sun protection as possible?

BB stands for beauty balm or blemish balm. A BB Cream has less coverage than a foundation but more than a tinted moisturiser, while also offering a bunch of additional skincare benefits. The most noticeable difference between a BB cream and a tinted moisturiser is that it can prime your skin as well as moisturise.

Applying tinted moisturiser with a brush is a great way of building heavier coverage and is ideal for covering blemishes and dark circles. We recommend using a Kabuki brush for smooth results.

To keep your tinted moisturizer in place for longer, apply a light dusting of setting powder over it. Dip a large powder brush into your powder and gently sweep it across your face. Be sure to get right under your eyes where you applied concealer.

While most tinted moisturizers have SPF 15 or higher, after about two hours the sun protection wears off. Reapply your face sunscreen every two hours for optimal UV protection. You can also mix your sunscreen with tinted moisturizer—use a makeup brush to blend the SPF into your face makeup.

Can I use tinted sunscreen alone? ›

Go for a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher. This ensures your skin protected against UVA and UVB rays. It gives you a kind of coverage worthy of a light foundation. It means you can wear tinted sunscreen alone without any other complexion makeup over the top.

Tinted sunscreens have been found to reduce relapses of melasma more than non-tinted, broad-spectrum sunscreens. Tinted sunscreens have also been shown to reduce hyperpigmentation, both on the skin surface and under a microscope.

If your skin is dry, and/or you want more moisture, you can always apply a serum or moisturizer to your skin before applying tinted moisturizer.

You need to give it time to be absorbed, because in order to be effective, it must interact with skin cells. (A sunscreen with a physical block like titanium dioxide or zinc oxide can be applied last, after a serum or moisturizer.) Apply a serum next and, finally, moisturizer if you need it.

Yes, even if you're wearing makeup with SPF in it, you should be reapplying your sunscreen as directed above. You might be wondering why reapplying sunscreen over makeup with SPF is so necessary.

Applying foundation first creates an even base to reduce overall redness, discoloration and minor blemishes. If you apply your concealer first, you may end up wiping some off when you apply foundation or using a lot more product than necessary, which can create a heavy, cakey look.

As Phillips mentioned, you want to wait a full minute or more to allow the primer to dry completely before going in with makeup, as this will help to curb pilling or patchiness. Another mistake people make is choosing a primer that's wrong for their skin type.

As much as it's debated, foundation comes after primer.

"Whether it's a BB cream, cream to powder, liquid or mousse foundation, is totally your choice," she said. "Afterwards though, I always suggest lightly off-setting your foundation with a powder foundation that warms your face."

It's always advised that you let your moisturiser fully absorb before applying primer, makeup, or sunscreen. If your moisturiser hasn't absorbed, your primer may go on unevenly, which defeats the purpose of applying one. It should only take a few minutes for your moisturiser to set.

Is tinted sunscreen as effective? ›

“Tinted sunscreen is as, or possibly more, effective as regular clear or white sunscreen because it contains iron oxides, like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which are mineral particles that have been shown to block not only UV light, but also visible or blue light emitted from our laptop and phone screens.” says ...

To know yours, simply look at the colour of your veins. If the veins visible on through your skin appear green, your undertone is warm and will lean towards yellow. If your veins appear blue, you likely have a cold, pink undertone.

If you're searching for a non-greasy tinted sunscreen that won't clog your pores, we recommend the La Roche-Posay Anthelios Mineral Tinted Sunscreen. It comes in a universal tint that suits various skin types, and it's fast-absorbing, so your skin won't feel tacky or sticky.

Tinted sunscreens come in several different formulas (liquid, cream, powder) and finishes (dewy, matte, satin), and feature sheer-, medium-, and full-coverage options to choose from.

Is tinted sunscreen like foundation? Yes. Tinted sunscreens can even out and blur skin texture like a foundation, but come with the built-in benefit of sun protection. Packed with hydrating ingredients, many have a silky texture and can replace both moisturizer and primer, making them convenient 4-in-1 products.

“For maximum protection, sunscreen should be applied directly onto skin, underneath any makeup, other moisturizers or skincare products,” says Dr. Katz.

If you use chemical sunscreen, apply it before moisturizer so your skin has time to absorb it. Mineral sunscreen goes on after moisturizer, as it needs to sit on top of your skin to shield it. When choosing facial sunscreen, opt for one with SPF 30 or higher to adequately protect your skin.

A lot of women need only tinted moisturizer, says Mercier, adding, "I love tinted moisturizer, because its sheer coverage evens out your complexion in the most natural-looking way." And because it's so sheer, it doesn't have to be a perfect match; just remember that "it's better to go darker than lighter, so you warm ...

When it comes to shielding themselves from harmful UV rays, stars like Kourtney Kardashian, Drew Barrymore and Hailey Bieber turn to EltaMD UV Clear Facial Sunscreen. Right now, the dermatologist-favorite product — along with more EltaMD sunscreen and skin care — is steeply discounted at Walmart.

To summarise, it is not recommended to mix sunscreen and foundation together. “Instead, you can do proper layering of the products and ensure that each product can work separately on your face.

What is the strongest SPF sunscreen? ›

Let's first break down how the SPF system works: "SPF 15 guards against 93 percent of UVB rays, SPF 30 protects against 97 percent, SPF 50 is about 98 percent, and SPF 100 blocks 99 percent," Joshua Zeichner MD, a board-certified dermatologist from New York City, tells Allure.

BB stands for beauty balm or blemish balm. A BB Cream has less coverage than a foundation but more than a tinted moisturiser, while also offering a bunch of additional skincare benefits. The most noticeable difference between a BB cream and a tinted moisturiser is that it can prime your skin as well as moisturise.