30+ Black-owned Sunscreens to Help Prevent Sunburns and Dark Spots

Written By AJ M

If you just learned about sunscreens or are looking for a new sunscreen to try, then this article is for you!

Sunscreen is a super important step in your skincare routine - it’s one that I try to never skip. Finding a good sunscreen that looks and feels nice on your skin can be hard, especially when a lot of sunscreens can make darker skin look ashy.

Below is a list of over 30 Black-owned and founded sunscreens for the face, body, and lips, but first, let’s go over some important info about sunscreen.

What are sunscreens? Do you really need them?

Sunscreens are skincare products that help protect your skin from being hurt or damaged by the sun. This damage can include things like sunburns, skin cancers, dark marks (also known as hyperpigmentation), and early or premature skin aging.

Whether you’re deeply melanated, pale, or somewhere in between, your skin needs protection because the sun can be a bit too strong for our skin.

What should you look for in a sunscreen?

When looking at sunscreens, you should think about three things:

Amount of protection: Each sunscreen is given a grade to show how much it protects your skin from the sun. This grade is known as a sun protection factor or SPF. In general, a good everyday sunscreen is one that has an SPF of 30 or higher.

Type of protection: You’ll also want a broad-spectrum sunscreen to protect against UVB and UVA rays, which are the two types of harmful rays (or light) that the sun puts out. UVB rays are linked to sunburns, while UVA rays are linked to premature aging (wrinkles).

Type of sunscreen: There are two main types of sunscreens: chemical or mineral (also known as physical). Chemical sunscreens protect your skin by absorbing or soaking up the harmful sun rays. Mineral sunscreens protect your skin the same way but they also block or bounce some sun rays away from your skin. Although mineral sunscreens are usually less irritating and can be great for sensitive skin, they can look ashy or chalky on the skin, so there are tinted mineral sunscreens to help them blend with your skin color. You may also see hybrid sunscreens, which have a mix of chemical and mineral sunscreen ingredients.

All of the sunscreens listed below have an SPF of 30 or higher, are broad-spectrum, and are one of the types of sunscreens mentioned above. You’ll find sunscreens made for your face, body, both your face and body, and ones for your lips.

Each sunscreen is linked to help you learn more and support these brands; the links are not affiliate or sponsored. Let’s hop into the list!

Face Sunscreens - Chemical and Hybrid

  • Cay Skin Isle Glow Face Lotion SPF 45 ($36)

  • Black Girl Sunscreen Make It Matte™ SPF 45 Sunscreen ($21.99)

  • Bolden Brightening Moisturizer SPF 30 with Vitamin C ($28)

  • Keys Soulcare Protect Your Light Daily Moisturizer SPF 30 Sunscreen ($32)

  • Fenty Hydra Vizor Invisible Moisturizer SPF 30 Sunscreen ($40)

  • Undefined Beauty R&R Sun Crème Broad Spectrum SPF 50 ($22)

Face Sunscreens - Mineral

  • BeautyStat Universal C Skin Refiner Broad Spectrum SPF 50 ($85)

  • Cay Skin Mo’Bay Mineral Drops SPF 30 ($36)

  • Fenty Hydra Vizor Fragrance-Free Broad Spectrum Mineral SPF 30 Sunscreen Moisturizer ($40)

  • Fenty Hydra Vizor Broad Spectrum Mineral SPF 30 Sunscreen Moisturizer ($40)

  • Meladore Fortress SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen ($44)

Face Sunscreens - Tinted Mineral

  • Unsun Mineral Tinted Face Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30 in Medium/Dark and Light/Medium ($29)

  • Unsun EVERYDAY Mineral Tinted Face Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30 in Medium/Dark and Light/Medium ($17.99)

  • Buttah Tinted Mineral Facial Sunscreen SPF 30 ($26)

  • AbsoluteJOI Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 40 Mineral Sunscreen in Mocha and Cafe Au Lait ($42)

  • Kinlò Always Golden Daily Moisturizer SPF 40 ($11.99)

  • Kinlò Golden Rays Sunscreen SPF 50+ in Deep, Medium, and Light ($11.99)

  • Undefined Beauty R&R Sun Serum SPF 50 Tinted Mineral Sunscreen - Deep Tint/Warm Undertone, Medium Tint/Warm Undertone, and Light Tint/Neutral Undertone ($28)

Body Sunscreens - Chemical and Mineral

  • Urban Hydration Dry & Eczema Prone Skin Moisture-Locking Sunscreen Body Lotion SPF 30 ($15)

  • Cay Skin Isle Glow Body Lotion SPF 45 ($38)

  • Cay Skin Isle Nourishing Body Mist SPF 50 ($26)

  • Cay Skin Isle Body Oil SPF 30 ($32)

  • Kinlò Always Golden Body Lotion SPF 30 ($19.99; mineral)

You might also like:

Face & Body Sunscreens - Chemical

Face & Body Sunscreens - Mineral

  • Unsun Full Coverage Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30 ($32)

  • Unsun EVERYDAY Face + Body Mineral SPF 30 Lotion ($14.99)

Lip Sunscreens

  • Black Girl Sunscreen Make It Pop™ Sungloss™ Lip Gloss with SPF 50 ($10.99)

  • Cay Skin Isle Lip Balm SPF 30 - Clear, Irie Rose, Nude Ting, and Bad Gyal Berry ($15)

Did you see any sunscreens that you’re interested in? Any that you’ve tried and loved? Let me know in the comments!

I hope this list helps you find a sunscreen that works well for you. Remember that sunscreen isn't just for sunny days; it's something to wear every day all year. Also, don’t forget to reapply your sunscreen as often as the instructions say, which is usually every 2 hours.

Wishing you glowing, protected skin all year : )

If you found this list to be valuable, feel free to bookmark it and share it with someone.

Take care,

Mimi

AJ M
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