I’ve Tested Nearly Every Sunscreen at Sephora... And This One Is by Far My Favorite
Lightsaver is everything a good sunscreen brand should be in 2025.
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Welcome to Cosmo's first-ever SPF week, a space dedicated to two very important things: 1. reminding you that sunscreen is the most essential step in any skincare routine and 2. sharing the best sunscreen recs to shop right now, according to four very picky beauty editors.
At this point, we all know wearing sunscreen is a no-brainer. What's far more difficult to figure out is an SPF people will actually use. That's why board-certified dermatologist David Kim, MD, launched Lightsaver. "My patients understand the importance of sun protection for skin health but found most formulas deeply unpleasant, so they went without," explains Dr. Kim. "I saw a real need for a better sunscreen because it truly is a daily essential— not just something you use on a beach vacation." As a veteran beauty editor who has tried nearly every SPF on the market and still hasn't found a perfect formula, I hard agree with this statement.
For Lightsaver, which Dr. launched in 2023, "better" means a lightweight whipped texture and a blend of light-activated antioxidants and enzymes that offer skincare benefits even beyond UV protection. The brand's two products, a tinted and an untinted mineral SPF, work on all skin types (including acne-prone ones) and skin tones-no white or gray casts in sight- and come with rousing endorsements from Dr. Kim's 600.000+ social media followers and plenty of discerning beauty editors. Keep reading for my full review of both the Lightsaver face sunscreens, plus how to choose between the two formulas.
I love a tinted sunscreen. It's the one product I pretty much use every day—no matter what I'm doing or how my skin's looking/feeling. Why? Well you always need SPF (regardless of the time of year) and my skin can always use a little extra blurring and brightening these days, and tinted SPFs do exactly that.
The tinted version of the Lightsaver sunscreen only comes in one shade, but it's extremely sheer so it can be used on basically every skin tone. It doesn't provide coverage, but instead softens the look of any discoloration or redness to create the look of a more even, glowy skin tone. And the texture is really great for a makeup base. It's a little grippy (in a good way) and even though it's not a primer it helps my skin tint from sliding around during the day.
Testing out the Lightsaver Tinted Activated Mineral Sunscreen on my hands...look at that glow baby!
While my sensitive, acne-prone skin prefers mineral sunscreen to chemical ones, I (and the rest of the world) absolutely despise the chalky look and feel that most mineral sunscreens give off. Lightsaver isn't most mineral sunscreens though. First off, the texture is amazing—light and fluffy so it absorbs quickly with no greasy residue. And with just a little bit of rubbing, any white or gray cast disappears to reveal a subtle sheen.
Cosmo's assistant beauty editor testing out the Activated Non-Tinted Mineral Sunscreen.
Cosmo's beauty editor-at-large Julee Wilson swatched the Activated Non-Tinted Mineral Sunscreen on her hands with zero white cast.
Final thoughts:
Mineral sunscreens, while great for your skin, can be unpleasant. Lucky for us all, Lightsaver has cracked the code and blessed us with two formulas that feel good and look good—and provide ample UVA/UVB protection with zinc oxide-based SPF 33. They're fragrance-free and non-comedogenic (so unlikely to aggravate sensitive or congestion-prone skin) and have antioxidant benefits too.
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Lauren Balsamo is the beauty director at Cosmopolitan with more than a decade of experience researching, writing, and editing skincare stories. She regularly tests and analyzes new sunscreens, while working with the industry’s top experts to assess new products and formulations.
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.
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