Best clean sunscreen (mineral and chemical, ingredient-checked)
Updated · Based on 4158 screened products
Short answer: we checked 271 sunscreens; 203 list none of our watchlist groups. The picks below are the 45 mineral and 136 chemical face and body sunscreens among them. The 68 flagged ones most often list titanium dioxide (64).
Top clean picks (buttons are affiliate links, disclosure)
The other 22 that pass are SPF lip, tinted, makeup or eye products and similar items, which this page leaves out (see "Included product types"). Flags among the 68 flagged sunscreens: titanium dioxide (64), butylphenyl methylpropional / lilial (7) and parabens (6) (a product can have more than one). All 271 have their UV filters checked against the ingredient list. We only list sunscreens whose filter type we could determine from the INCI: mineral = zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide only; chemical = organic UV filters (including hybrids). Sunscreens whose filter type we could not verify are not on the site. Wear broad-spectrum sunscreen either way (FDA – Sunscreen: How to Help Protect Your Skin from the Sun).
Included product types: face and body sunscreens (lotions, creams, fluids, sprays, sticks and moisturizers sold as SPF products) in our checked mineral or chemical filter groups. Not included: SPF lip balms, tinted or makeup products with SPF (foundations, primers, powders, tints), SPF eye creams and after-sun.
Affiliate disclosure: buy buttons and "View on Amazon" cards on this page may be affiliate links (rel="sponsored"). If you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Commissions never affect which products pass our ingredient screen or their order. As an Amazon Associate, CleanGlow earns from qualifying purchases. Learn more.
Brand checks for popular sunscreen makers: is Supergoop clean, is La Roche-Posay clean and clean Neutrogena alternatives.
All clean matches by product type
Mineral filter picks
| # | Product | Brand | Filter | Fragrance-free | Score | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Silk Sunscreen SPF 50 | Tatcha | Mineral | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 2 | PLAY Mineral Lotion SPF 30 | Supergoop! | Mineral | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 3 | Baby Face Mineral Sunscreen Stick - SPF 50 | ATTITUDE | Mineral | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 4 | Baby Lightweight Mineral Lotion - SPF 50 | ATTITUDE | Mineral | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 5 | Pure & Free Baby Sunscreen Stick Broad Spectrum SPF 50 | Neutrogena | Mineral | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 6 | Ultra Sheer Mineral Face & Body Stick SPF 50 | Neutrogena | Mineral | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 7 | Resist Super-Light Wrinkle Defense SPF 30 | Paula's Choice | Mineral | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 8 | Brightening Daily Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 with Niacinamide | Caudalie | Mineral | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
TatchaThe Silk Sunscreen SPF 50Sunscreen (Mineral Filters)✓ No watchlist ingredients foundSee ingredients →
Supergoop!PLAY Mineral Lotion SPF 30Sunscreen (Mineral Filters)✓ No watchlist ingredients foundSee ingredients →Buy at Amazon (brand store) Buy at Supergoop! Sephora (search) Ulta
ATTITUDEBaby Face Mineral Sunscreen Stick - SPF 50Sunscreen (Mineral Filters)✓ No watchlist ingredients foundSee ingredients →Buy at Amazon (brand store) Buy at ATTITUDE
Full ingredient check: Baby Face Mineral Sunscreen Stick - SPF 50 →
ATTITUDEBaby Lightweight Mineral Lotion - SPF 50Sunscreen (Mineral Filters)✓ No watchlist ingredients foundSee ingredients →Buy at Amazon (brand store) Buy at ATTITUDE
Full ingredient check: Baby Lightweight Mineral Lotion - SPF 50 →
NeutrogenaPure & Free Baby Sunscreen Stick Broad Spectrum SPF 50Sunscreen (Mineral Filters)✓ No watchlist ingredients foundSee ingredients →Buy at Amazon (brand store) Buy at Neutrogena Ulta
Full ingredient check: Pure & Free Baby Sunscreen Stick Broad Spectrum SPF 50 →
NeutrogenaUltra Sheer Mineral Face & Body Stick SPF 50Sunscreen (Mineral Filters)✓ No watchlist ingredients foundSee ingredients →Buy at Amazon (brand store) Buy at Neutrogena Ulta
Full ingredient check: Ultra Sheer Mineral Face & Body Stick SPF 50 →
Chemical filter picks
| # | Product | Brand | Filter | Fragrance-free | Score | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unseen Sunscreen Body SPF 40 | Supergoop! | Chemical | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 2 | Clear Body SPF 50 Sunscreen Spray, Non-Comedogenic | Neutrogena | Chemical | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 3 | Anthelios UV Pro-Sport Sunscreen Spray SPF 45 | La Roche-Posay | Chemical | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 4 | Superscreen Hydrating Daily Cream SPF 40 | Supergoop! | Chemical | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 5 | Ultra Sheer Invisible Gel Face Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40 | Neutrogena | Chemical | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 6 | Suntouchable All Set for Sun SPF 45 | e.l.f. Cosmetics | Chemical | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 7 | Suntouchable Invisi-Stick SPF 50 | e.l.f. Cosmetics | Chemical | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
| 8 | Anthelios Cooling Water Sunscreen Lotion SPF 60 | La Roche-Posay | Chemical | ✓ | 9/9 | Amazon (brand store) |
Supergoop!Unseen Sunscreen Body SPF 40Sunscreen (Chemical Filters)✓ No watchlist ingredients foundSee ingredients →Buy at Amazon (brand store) Buy at Supergoop! Sephora (search) Ulta
NeutrogenaClear Body SPF 50 Sunscreen Spray, Non-ComedogenicSunscreen (Chemical Filters)✓ No watchlist ingredients foundSee ingredients →Buy at Amazon (brand store) Buy at Neutrogena Ulta
Full ingredient check: Clear Body SPF 50 Sunscreen Spray, Non-Comedogenic →
La Roche-PosayAnthelios UV Pro-Sport Sunscreen Spray SPF 45Sunscreen (Chemical Filters)✓ No watchlist ingredients foundSee ingredients →Buy at Amazon (brand store) Buy at La Roche-Posay Ulta
Full ingredient check: Anthelios UV Pro-Sport Sunscreen Spray SPF 45 →
Supergoop!Superscreen Hydrating Daily Cream SPF 40Sunscreen (Chemical Filters)✓ No watchlist ingredients foundSee ingredients →Buy at Amazon (brand store) Buy at Supergoop! Sephora (search) Ulta
Full ingredient check: Superscreen Hydrating Daily Cream SPF 40 →
NeutrogenaUltra Sheer Invisible Gel Face Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40Sunscreen (Chemical Filters)✓ No watchlist ingredients foundSee ingredients →Buy at Amazon (brand store) Buy at Neutrogena Ulta
Full ingredient check: Ultra Sheer Invisible Gel Face Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40 →
e.l.f. CosmeticsSuntouchable All Set for Sun SPF 45Sunscreen (Chemical Filters)✓ No watchlist ingredients foundSee ingredients →Buy at Amazon (brand store) Buy at e.l.f. Cosmetics Ulta
Full ingredient check: Suntouchable All Set for Sun SPF 45 →
How we ranked
Every pick is a clean product in our directory: its listed ingredients contain none of our 10 watchlist groups, which are based on IARC Monographs – List of Classifications classifications and EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009 prohibitions/restrictions (see methodology). Clean products are ordered by a data score (max 9):
- Full ingredient list on file (5+ INCI entries): +2
- Ingredient list from the brand's own product page (not a crowd-sourced database): +2
- Verified direct buy link (brand product page or Sephora page verified in Sephora's sitemap): +2
- Fragrance-free by our INCI check (no parfum/fragrance/aroma, no essential oils, no labelled fragrance allergens): +1
- Official product photo: +1
- Any product photo: +1
Products with the same score are ordered by, in turn: (a) the number of buy links we can offer, where a verified brand or Sephora product page counts double an Amazon brand-store link or a retailer search link; (b) whether we have an official product photo; (c) the length of the ingredient list, shorter first. Item (c) is only a neutral ordering signal to keep the order stable; it says nothing about safety or quality. Only if all of these are equal do we fall back to alphabetical order by brand and product name.
To keep the list varied, the top 3 are always three different brands and no brand appears more than twice in a table, so a lower-scoring product from another brand can appear above a higher-scoring one from a brand that is already listed.
Filter type comes from our own reading of each ingredient list; UV filters permitted in the EU are listed in Annex VI of EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009 (see also Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/1176 (UV filters)). Titanium dioxide is on our watchlist (IARC Group 2B for inhaled powder), so mineral picks here use zinc oxide.
The score only measures how complete and verifiable our data is. It is not a rating of performance, and we did not test products, collect reviews or compare prices. Affiliate commissions never affect inclusion or order.
FAQ
How many sunscreens did you check, and how many pass?
We checked 271 sunscreens. 203 list none of our 10 watchlist groups and 68 list at least one. Of the ones that pass, 45 mineral and 136 chemical face and body sunscreens are on this page; the other 22 are SPF lip, tinted, makeup or eye products and similar items.
How do you tell mineral from chemical sunscreen?
From our own reading of each ingredient list: mineral means zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide are the only UV filters; chemical means organic UV filters, including hybrids. UV filters permitted in the EU are listed in Annex VI of EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009.
Why is titanium dioxide on the watchlist?
IARC classifies titanium dioxide as Group 2B ("possibly carcinogenic to humans", Monograph Vol. 93; IARC Monographs – List of Classifications); the classification concerns inhaled powder, so it matters most for sprays and loose powders rather than lotions. On labels it appears as "titanium dioxide" or CI 77891. Because it is on our watchlist, the mineral picks on this page use zinc oxide.
What else got sunscreens flagged?
The most common flags among the 68 flagged sunscreens are titanium dioxide (64), butylphenyl methylpropional / lilial (7) and parabens (6). A product can have more than one flag. Debated UV filters such as oxybenzone are not on our watchlist; see ingredients to avoid in sunscreen.
How did you choose and order the picks?
Only products whose listed ingredients contain none of our 10 watchlist groups qualify, and the order follows the rules in the "How we ranked" section of this page. We did not test the products, collect reviews or compare prices, and affiliate commissions never change which products qualify or their order. The full criteria are in our methodology.
Related
- Best clean mineral sunscreen
- Best clean mineral sunscreen for sensitive skin
- Mineral vs chemical sunscreen
- Ingredients to avoid in sunscreen
- All sunscreens
Hazard is not risk. An IARC classification says whether a substance can cause cancer under some conditions (e.g. titanium dioxide is classified for inhaled powder), not that a cosmetic containing it is harmful at normal use. EU restrictions set use limits. This page is informational, not medical advice; talk to a dermatologist about your own skin.