The internet loves to hate on American sunscreens these days, touting formulas made in Europe, Korea, and Australia as superior. While I somewhat agree with this sentiment (it's true; international sunscreens have more active ingredients to formulate with than in the United States, which creates a more pleasant SPF experience in terms of wear and application), there are a few US sunscreen brands that are worthy of praise. At the top of the list is EltaMD.
EltaMD is the GOAT of US sunscreen brands. They make a ton of different SPFs, from waterproof mineral sunscreens to sunscreen sticks, but there's one formula in particular that I recommend to literally everyone: UV Daily. EltaMD's UV Daily is the closest thing to a universal sunscreen for everyday use, and lucky for you guys, it's 20% off right now for Amazon Prime Day.
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The formula is lightweight and fast-absorbing, moisturizing but not at all greasy, and comes in an untinted version as well as two tinted versions. The tints are sheer and adaptable—there's one for light to medium skin tones and one for deeper skin tones—and are great for blurring the look of redness, dark spots, and blotchiness. The tint doesn't replace face makeup like a traditional tinted moisturizer or skin tint, but is a nice base for no-makeup makeup days.
On most mornings, I'll use UV Daily after my Rx azelaic acid cream as my face moisturizer and sunscreen in one. In the summer, the formula is hydrating enough for my oily skin (thanks to hyaluronic acid) that I can skip moisturizer entirely. (If your skin is on the drier side, I'd definitely layer it over a lightweight moisturizer, though.) It's also tested to be non-comedogenic (or non-pore-clogging), and I can confirm, as someone with very acne-prone skin, that this SPF has never been the cause of my breakouts.
UV Daily is a hybrid sunscreen, which means it uses both mineral and chemical blockers (specifically zinc oxide and octinoxate) to protect skin from UV damage. Now normally I only use mineral sunscreen (my sensitive, acne-prone skin just does better with it), but I've never had any issues with the chemical filter in this formula exacerbating redness or inflammation.
All in all, EltaMD's UV Daily is one of those sunscreens that I continually keep in my rotation (despite being sent dozens of new sunscreens to test and review each month) and always recommend to friends. Even the ones who are super picky about skincare always end up texting me saying how UV Daily is the best SPF they've ever tried.
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Lauren Balsamo is the beauty director at Cosmopolitan where she writes, edits, and produces all types of beauty content—from product reviews to personal essays and trend reports. She has covered beauty for more than a decade at Cosmopolitan. Follow her on Instagram.
