You know I’m quite hooked with SPF – especially during the hot months.
I never liked how I looked with a tanned face, so I usually keep my face away from the sun. As I grew older – I’ve also learnt that SPF is you BFF against wrinkles and premature ageing – so pass over that bottle of SPF!
You see, I always thought I had oily skin, only because I had an oiler forehead and nose. My nose does get oily throughout the day, but my forehead was actually having a normal amount of sebum.
I wanted to point this out, because many people out there treat their skin type wrong. It’s completely normal to have more sebum on your T zone, and I’ve learnt to accept it.
Not to mention that extra sebum means more elasticity for the skin. 😉

Anyway, the bottom line is that I have combination skin: some areas are dry, others are oiler. So I need a SPF cream that can smooth the shine and keep the moisture in.
These are the best 5 SPF creams I tried so far!
SVR Sun Secure Blur SPF 50
SVR has this amazing foamy SPF, especially designed for the face. Its texture is airy, not sticky at all and it feels really nice when applying.
As the name suggests, the foamy texture gives a nice blur effect on the skin, covering small redness spots or PIH marks. Remember, it’s not a foundation, so the blur effect is very subtle.
It does have a very weird colour though: it’s orange. And that’s because it has beta-carotene in it. That’s what makes carrots orange.
This is the only SPF in this list that offers protection against all types of rays: UVA, UVB, infrared and visible light (like the blue light from your phone).
One thing that I don’t like about this product is that is has perfume in it. Fragrance isn’t doing anything for the product’s formula or for your skin – it just there to please the nose.
And I find it extra odd that they market this product as a perfect solution for highly sensitive skin – but with allergen-free fragrance.
Anyway, if your skin doesn’t react in any way to fragrance, and you don’t want any stickiness to your SPF, you might want to give this one a try!
Pros
- easy to apply mousse-like consistency
- anti-shine
- leaves a nice blur effect onto skin
- offers protection against all types of rays
Cons
- has fragrance
- rather small packaging
- bright orange colour
SVR Sun Secure Blur SPF 50
SVR Sun Secure Blur SPF 50
Altruist SPF 50 Spray
Altruist is one of those cult skincare products that people must know about. The story behind the brand is also really beautiful.
The brand is very minimal, doesn’t do a lot of marketing and they make very affordable and high quality SPFs.
Their range is small: they only have two SPFs (30 & 50) in form of a cream or as spray.
I didn’t get my hands on the creams yet (they have some troubles restocking some products), but I absolutely love the spray version!
A spray SPF is perfect for reapplying your sun protection – especially when you wear make up. Remember – you should reapply your SPF every two hours, when you are constantly exposed to sun light.
The spray is great, because it also gets to other areas that you wouldn’t normally apply regular creams – like your ears.
Related: Body parts You Always Forget to Protect During Summer
There’s a tricky part applying this though. I was – well, actually still am – applying it directly to the face, just like I do with thermal water. In their directions, they suggest to spray it in your palm and then dab it to your face. This is just a safety measure, so you don’t inhale the SPF and to have a better control on how much you actually apply.
This SPF spray does leave a shiny finish, but it will go away in 5 minutes or so. It stayed very well on my oily areas.
Last, but not least this is a mineral SPF – which means you don’t have to wait 20 minutes after applying it and it’s a great alternative to chemical SPF filters.
Pros
- mineral SPF
- easy to apply
- very affordable
- non-stick finish
Cons
- can’t find any TBH
Altruist SPF 50 Spray
Altruist SPF 50 Spray
Actinica SPF 50+
Actinica is promoted as a “medical device” that fights against skin cancer and that is indicated to be used by people who are suffering from the disease.
It’s a powerful SPF and ironically I like using it during winter.
The recommended pumps for face and neck are 3. But I find it very difficult to spread that much cream on my face and neck. If I apply 3 pumps, I get tiny pieces of SPF peeling off my face.
Another thing to mention about Actinica is that it get quite white when applied to the face. But let it sink in and in a few minutes it will get absorbed.
This SPF leaves a slightly sticky film. That’s why I like using it during autumn and winter because I fell it doesn’t let my skin dry out that much.
All being said, I think the sticky finish makes it perfect to be applied under make-up – if you use any. I haven’t put make up on in a very long time, so I can’t tell you how it goes with make up.
Pros
- strong SPF
- keeps moisture in
- ideal to apply make up over
Cons
- leaves a sticky film
Actinica SPF 50+
Actinica SPF 50+
Cetaphil Dermacontrol SPF 30
The Cetaphil Dermacontrol is actually a moisturising cream. My dermatologist recomended it because she also gave me acids to use for my PIH.
This SPF is great for winter months, when the sun is not that strong. Also if you’re a little lazy, like me, applying moisturiser and SPF at the same time is a win.
Compared to other moisturisers that have SPF in them, this one from Cetaphil has a very light texture. It’s easy to apply and it doesn’t dry too fast, so you have enough time to evenly apply it.
It also comes in a quite generous package – 120 ml.
The only slight disadvantage of this moisturiser is that it has only SPF 30 – which doesn’t make it ideal for summer too. If I want to use it, I double it with the Altruist SPF 50 spray, to increase the protection.
Pros
- light texture
- absorbs fast
- doesn’t leave any shine
- it’s a moisturiser too
- generous packaging
Cons
- only SPF30, which doesn’t make it ideal for summer
Cetaphil Dermacontrol SPF 30 Moisturiser
Cetaphil Dermacontrol SPF 30 Moisturiser
La Roche Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+
I think this was the first anti-shine or matte SPF I tried and I was very happy with it.
It’s really good when it comes to leaving a matte finish and I would say it goes really well with oily skin types too.
They also updated the formula by eliminating the fragrance.
My only two cents about this SPF is that it comes in a rather small package (50 ml – just like SVR) and it dries too fast.
It does have a light texture, but every single time I apply this it dries on my face before I manage to evenly spread it. I get white lines of SPF on my jawline almost every single time I use it.
A solution for this would be to apply it in steps – one zone at a time. But who has time for that?!
Pros
- light texture
- absorbs fast
- truly anti-shine
Cons
- dries too fast on the face, and can leave white marks
- comes in small packaging
La Roche Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+
La Roche Posay Anthelios XL SPF 50+
That’s it for my research so far. I’ll definitely research and try other SPFs and I’ll come back to update this article too.
I know that European sunscreens are very appreciated in the US and apparently SVR is very difficult to find, since it’s really expensive on amazon. So if you are visiting Europe, stock up on some good SPFs too.
I feel like my skin is getting onto a dryer side – or maybe it’s just the acids controlling the sebum production. I’ll probably have to start looking into SPFs for dry skin too.
What skin type do you have, have you heard or tried any of these SPFs?
3 comments
I have oily skin so I love hearing about products that don’t mess with that. I’m currently loving the Tula sunscreen!
Oh, I’ve heard of it! I’m not sure if we can buy it here, but if anything pops up, I’ll get it.
I’m a total skincare junkie and like to take care of my skin by protecting it well against sun damage! Love how you’re breaking these products down, thanks a lot!