It is hot in Los Angeles and it was hot in Lake Tahoe! Bear and I recently returned from a vacation up there where we tested so many different sunscreens. For proper vitamin D absorption, it is my understanding that you need your belly and thighs exposed to direct sunlight for 15-20 minutes a day. Water sports in the blazing sun is a much different thing, and while skin covered in sunscreen doesn’t absorb vitamin D the same way, it also doesn’t burn and ruin a perfectly good vacation.

So, since I have experimented with a lot of sunscreens over the years, this is a list of the clean, mostly mineral sunscreens I keep reaching for, with my honest notes from real days in real sun. I’ve organized this guide so you can compare everything at a glance and go deeper into the best choices for your needs. There’s a full scorecard below with my picks broken out by how you’ll actually use them: everyday, water-resistant, and kids.  

My Overall Sunscreen Favorites 

These are the sunscreens I personally use over and over again. Then, keep scrolling for the complete rankings, ingredient comparisons, and the shoppable list.

I have many favorites. Badger Adventure, newer to me, has quickly become one I love. Raw Elements is also a brand I’m smitten with, and its spray is great for kids (and us bigger kids). The Pipette stick is wonderful for little ones and adults, too. For my face, I always come back to Body Deli and Josh Rosebrook. The Coola spray is less clean than my other top picks, but it’s the one the teenagers love to spray on themselves.

If you only buy a few, start here:

• Best Overall for Beach and Sports: Badger Adventure, Butterbean Organics, and Raw Elements
• Cleanest Formula: Badger Adventure, Body Deli, Soleo, and Raw Elements
• Best Stick: Pipette
• Best Spray: Coola Sport Spray 
• Daily face: Josh Rosebrook and Body Deli

The Complete Sunscreen Comparison Chart

Here’s the whole lineup in one place so you can size everything up quickly. 

How to read this chart: The 🌿 leaf badge is my cleanliness tier — five leaves is purest, one is the least clean. Stars are my overall verdict after wearing each one, so the two won’t always line up: a formula can be beautifully clean and still not be the one I reach for. I also note which leave a white cast, rub in well, and how they hold up in certain activities. All of the kids’ formulas are water-resistant, too, but I noted kids on the chart so you know that they’re safest for your little ones.

My rating scale:

Stars 

• ★★★★★ — A current or longtime favorite I reach for again and again.
• ★★★★½ — Excellent and in heavy rotation, with one small caveat (a scent, a size, a note to reapply).
• ★★★★ — Reliable and easy to recommend.
• ★★★½ — Good and comfortable, with a question mark I’m still sorting out.
• ★★★ — Does the job, but I prefer others.
• ★★ — Didn’t pass the test for me.

Leaves

• 🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿 — Extremely clean ingredients, often certified by the Environmental Working Group.
• 🌿🌿🌿🌿 — Pretty clean! Only a few ingredients that may not be great like zinc oxide.
• 🌿🌿🌿 —  Contains ingredients that may trigger issues such as allergies in sensitive individuals (like butyloctyl salicylate) 
• 🌿🌿 — Could be cleaner!
• 🌿— Eek! Maybe when there are no other options.

Sunscreen	Clean	White Cast	Rubs In	Best For	My Rating
Badger Adventure Mineral Cream SPF 50	🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿	Low	Absorbs well	Water-resistant	★★★★★
Raw Elements Face + Body Lotion SPF 30	🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿	Very little	Easily	Everyday	★★★★★
Raw Elements Face + Body Spray SPF 50	🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿	Low	Easily	Water-resistant	★★★★★
Body Deli Solar Day Cream	🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿	None noted	Easily, lightweight	Everyday	★★★★★
Raw Elements Baby + Kids Stick SPF 30	🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿	Low	Easy swipe	Kids & touch-ups	★★★★★
Soleo Organics SPF 30	🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿	Some	Rubs in easily	Water-resistant	★★★★★
Babo Sheer Mineral SPF 50	🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿	Slight	Not super easily	Water-resistant	★★★★
Thinksport Clear Zinc SPF 30	🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿	White at first, then rubs in	Fairly, a bit sticky	Everyday	★★★★
Butterbean Organics Simple Healthy Sunscreen SPF 30	🌿🌿🌿🌿	Some, less than most mineral	Wears well	Water-resitant	★★★★
Pipette Mineral Sunscreen Stick SPF 50	🌿🌿🌿🌿	Minimal	Easy swipe	Kids & touch-ups	★★★★★
Josh Rosebrook Nutrient Day Cream Tinted SPF 30	🌿🌿🌿🌿	None	Easily	Everyday	★★★★½
All Good Kids SPF 30	🌿🌿🌿🌿	Extremely white	Sticky, hard to blend	Kids	★★
Le Prunier Plumscreen SPF 31	🌿🌿🌿	Almost none	Easily	Everyday	★★★½
Coola Classic Organic SPF 50 (White Tea)	🌿🌿	None	Easily, not sticky	Everyday	★★★½
Coola Guava Mango Sport Organic Spray SPF 50	🌿🌿	Low	Easy spray	Water-resistant	★★★½
Alba Botanica SPF 30	🌿🌿	Not noted	Goes on like a charm	Everyday	★★
MyChelle Replenishing Solar Defense SPF 30	🌿🌿	None	Well, a touch sticky	Everyday	★★★
Mario Badescu Mineral SPF 30	🌿	Low	Wears well	Everyday	★★½
Coola Mineral Body Lotion SPF 50 (Fragrance Free)	🌿	Strong	Takes effort	Water-resitant	★★

What Makes a Sunscreen Clean and What I Look For

Like most conventional products, sunscreen can hide a lot of icky ingredients. And when those chemicals in sunscreen are baking in the hot sun, it seems to me like a recipe for disaster — after all, skin is our largest organ and it soaks up everything we put on it. To steer clear of that stuff, I look for a few key indicators on the label. Ideally the ingredients are natural, organic and mineral-based, like zinc oxide, with a short list of other (hard-to-pronounce) additions. A reef-safe callout is ideal; ingredients that are gentler on the planet tend to be gentler on our bodies, too.

I reach for clean, mostly mineral sunscreens, the kind built on non-nano zinc oxide with a short, recognizable ingredient list, because what’s gentler on the planet tends to be gentler on us, too, and a reef-safe formula is always a bonus. If you like to research a product or an unfamiliar ingredient yourself, the Environmental Working Group has a sunscreen guide I come back to often. Everything below comes from real days in real sun.

A note about water resistant sunscreen

“Waterproof” sunscreen isn’t really a thing, which surprised me. The word isn’t even allowed on labels anymore. The FDA stopped letting sunscreens be labeled as “waterproof” or “sweatproof” back in 2011, because every formula eventually washes or sweats away. What you’ll see instead is “water-resistant,” followed by a suggested time before reapplying will be needed, such as 40 or 80 minutes.

Not every sunscreen is water-resistant, either, which is also worth knowing before you head to the water. So if a bottle doesn’t mention water resistance at all, it likely isn’t. For everyday wear, that’s perfectly fine. For pool days and surf sessions go for the water-resistant 80-minute line — and you’ll still want to top it off through the day.

The Best Clean Sunscreens of 2026

Here’s every sunscreen I’ve tested, listed alphabetically, with my honest notes and where to find each one.

Alba Botanica SPF 30

This goes on like a charm and feels nice, and the coconut shea butter version smells really good. I love that you can find it almost anywhere, which makes it an easy grab, though it isn’t one of the cleanest formulas on this list.

All Good Kids Sunscreen SPF 30

This one didn’t pass the test for me. It went on extremely white on the face and body, and it stayed sticky once it was on.

Babo Sheer Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50

Great for Bear — very kid-friendly. It gives a slight white tint and isn’t the easiest to rub on, but it’s wonderful for shoulders and chests, and it’s one of the best I’ve found for keeping littles protected.

Badger Adventure Mineral Sunscreen Cream SPF 50

Nice texture, absorbs well, and it doesn’t leave me looking very white. It’s newer to me and it’s become one of my top favorites for active outdoor days.

Body Deli Solar Day Cream

I love the Body Deli products, and this is one I always come back to for my face, with a nice neutral scent and a really lightweight feel.

Butterbean Organics Simple Healthy Sunscreen SPF 30

I’ve worn it in Jamaica without any problems, it’s water-resistant, and while there’s some white cast, it’s much less than a lot of mineral sunscreens.

Coola Classic Organic Sunscreen SPF 50 (White Tea)

I love Coola’s classic sunscreen, and the gentle white tea is my scent. It’s reef safe, doesn’t leave a white tint, and isn’t sticky. I don’t actually reach for it as an everyday face sunscreen, but it’s a nice one to have around.

Coola Guava Mango Sport Organic Sunscreen Spray SPF 50

This is the Coola spray the teenagers love, and I understand why. It smells incredible and it’s the easy, grab-and-go option for sport days. It’s less clean than my top picks, but nothing beats it for how quickly it goes on.

Coola Mineral Body Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 (Fragrance Free)

The spray and this mineral lotion behave like two very different products, so I want to be clear: the fragrance-free mineral lotion left a surprisingly strong white cast on me, stronger than I expected. Reach for the Coola spray above if that’s what you’re picturing.

Josh Rosebrook Nutrient Day Cream Tinted SPF 30

One of my go-to face sunscreens. It uses zinc, so it protects against UVA and UVB rays, and it’s blended with organic ingredients like almond oil, calendula, and shea butter that make it feel more like skincare.

Le Prunier Plumscreen SPF 31

This one has a beautiful texture and leaves almost no white cast, which is rare for a mineral formula. My only hesitation is the natural scent, which is a little unusual to my nose, but the finish is genuinely excellent.

Mario Badescu Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30

A nice everyday facial sunscreen that feels good and wears well through the day. I’m not entirely sure how natural the formula is, so I’d read the label yourself, but on comfort and wear it holds up.

MyChelle Replenishing Solar Defense SPF 30

This one smells great, feels lightweight, and leaves no white cast. It’s a touch sticky, though not so much that I’d skip it.

Pipette Mineral Sunscreen Stick SPF 50

I am truly in love with this stick! It’s great for kids and touch-ups, and it doesn’t leave you looking overly white, so you can swipe it on a wiggly kid and send them back into the sun.

Raw Elements Baby + Kids Stick SPF 30

A stick like this is such a smart format with a kid. It makes it easy to apply quickly on the face and then let them run right back out.

Raw Elements Face + Body Lotion SPF 30

This absorbs well, rubs in easily, and leaves very little white cast, which is exactly what I want from a daily lotion. It’s one of my current favorites.

Raw Elements Face + Body Spray SPF 50

Really easy to apply, and I loved the texture. It’s great for kids, but beware: the 2-ounce bottle disappears quickly.

Soleo Organics SPF 30

This rubs in rather easily and is great at the pool or beach thanks to a three-hour water-resistance window.

Thinksport Clear Zinc SPF 30

This looks white going on but rubs in fairly well once you work it in. It’s a little sticky, and not a personal favorite next to some of the newer formulas, but the ingredient list is clean and it does the job.