8 Black-Owned Sunscreens That Won’t Leave A White Cast

Last Updated on November 20, 2022

Skip the char and the chalk with these cast-free, black-owned sunscreens.

They protect your skin from sunburn and damage. They enable you to avoid hyperpigmentation, dark spots, and sunspots caused by harsh sun rays. And, they lessen your risk of skin cancer, reduce signs of aging, and protect your blood vessels from thinning.

You, no doubt, know the importance of SPF. But one thing that holds many people back from using sunscreen is the all-dreaded white cast that sunscreens are traditionally known to leave on the skin. The darker the skin tone, the more obvious the white cast. In fact, just a few of years ago, sunscreens for dark skin tones didn’t really exist.

Thankfully, the health and beauty industry is always evolving. Hence, there are now products with SPF and sunscreen lotions that won’t leave a white cast when you wear them. There are also sunscreens that cater to black people of all skin types—dry, oily, combination skin, acne-prone, or sensitive. This is great because everyone needs sunscreen, regardless of how resistant your skin is to sunburn or what season it is. And now, there’s no reason to skip the SPF.

Below is a list of our top 8 black-owned sunscreens that are intentionally made for melanin skin. That is, they are perfect for skipping the ghost face.

8 Cast-Free Black-Owned Sunscreens FTW

1. Kinlò Golden Rays Sunscreen SPF 50+

Starting with one of the sunscreens with the broadest spectrum on our list. After growing up on sun-soaked courts, tennis prodigy, Naomi Osaka, is someone you can certainly trust to know a great deal about skin protection. Mineral sunscreens like the Golden Rays Sunscreen SPF 50+ from her skincare brand, Kinlò, are known to offer the best in terms of UV protection. But, they’re also known to do the most when it comes to leaving a white cast.

However, the Kinlò sunscreen has a slight tint which helps to cancel out that cast. It also gives the skin a subtle, enviable golden glow. As a plus for our acne-prone babes, it’s lightweight and non-comedogenic. If you also spend some time in the water, the non-nano zinc oxide formula makes it reef safe. These make it the perfect all-in-one product for people who like to keep their beauty routines simple.

Fun fact: Kinlò is derived from both the Japanese and Haitian words for “gold.”

2. EleVen by Venus Unrivaled Sun Serum SPF 35

There’s a saying that goes “you can always trust a sportsperson to know their SPF”. Did we just make that up? Yes. But is it true? Absolutely. EleVen is a groundbreaking clothing and beauty brand by one of the crowned tennis queens herself, Venus Williams. One of the core standards of the brand is to provide products that keep us UV protected. And of course, the Unrivaled Sun Serum does this well.

One thing we love the most about this SPF serum is that it’s extremely wearable under makeup. Most sunscreens are often too greasy to serve as a good makeup base. But the Unrivaled Sun Serum combines the perfect ratio of lightness and hydration with a velvety finish to make the perfect skincare base when it’s glam time.

3. Black Girl Sunscreen SPF 30

Black Girl Sunscreen made wearing sunscreen mainstream for black people. So, this SPF is naturally a staple out of all black-owned sunscreens available in the market. The product was birthed from the realization that though we may not see it, people of color do get sunburn too.

The Black Girl Sunscreen is a broad spectrum SPF 30 lotion that’s sheer enough to truly disappear when applied to dark skin tones. A customer also noted that there was “no weird pink, purple glowy flashback” when she wore it. This SPF also serves as a daily-use moisturizer and is great for pre-makeup use. Lastly, it’s vegan and fragrance-free so it suits an even broader range of preferences. If you have oily skin, there’s a matte option for you. For combination skin, the hybrid option will give you a dewy finish.

4. Buttah Skin Tinted Mineral Facial Sunscreen SPF 30

Buttah Skin founder, Dorion Renaud, describes his tinted sunscreen as “sun protection that blends with your melanin”. Clearly, Dorion made this lightweight sunscreen lotion with melanated skin in mind.

More than just blending seamlessly into deeper skin tones, the Buttah Skin Tinted Mineral Facial Sunscreen SPF 30 also gives a luxurious matte finish. In addition, it’s free of any chemicals, parabens, or flavorings. So, it’s a perfectly safe way to protect your skin from harmful sun rays and horrific white casts.

5. Unsun Mineral Tinted Face Sunscreen SPF 30

Here’s another mineral sunscreen made with melanated skin in mind. Katonya Breaux created Unsun Cosmetics in 2016 because she disliked the lack of clean sunscreen options for women of color. Now, they offer a wide range of SPF products to address this concern.

Interestingly, the award-winning Mineral Tinted Face Sunscreen is a brilliant 3-in-1 product. From one tube, you get a sunscreen, primer, and color corrector, all in one! Another reason we love this sunscreen is that it’s water-resistant for up to 80 minutes per wear. Can you hear the beach calling? We sure can!

6. Fenty Skin Hydra Vizor Invisible Moisturizer SPF 30

When you hear the name “Fenty”, you already know what time it is. The Hydra Vizor Invisible Moisturizer with broad spectrum SPF 30 is a 2-in-1 moisturizer and chemical sunscreen from Queen Riri’s skincare brand. It’s made with ingredients that keep your skin looking and feeling amazing.

Fenty labeled this product as great “for all skin types”. On the other hand, thousands of reviews hold it to be particularly perfect for people with oily skin. Why? Well, there are several reasons! It’s exceedingly lightweight, oil-free, non-comedogenic (won’t clog your pores), fast-absorbing, and reduces pores. It also comes in a fragrance-free version if you have sensitive skin.

7. Cay Skin Isle Glow Face Lotion SPF 45

Nobody in fashion or beauty is a bigger emblem of loving and accepting the literal skin that you’re in than Winnie Harlow. In 2018, during an all-day outdoor photoshoot, she suffered a severe sunburn and sun damage that irrevocably changed her Vitiligo. This was the life-changing experience that inspired her to create Cay Skin—a collection that offers “better-for-you skincare and suncare protection”.

The Isle Glow Face Lotion is a light-weight, daily sunscreen that gives your skin an instant island glow. It has a fast-absorbing formula that applies seamlessly on all skin tones. It also contains skin-loving ingredients, Niacinamide and Hyaluronic Acid, to keep skin firm and healthy. This is a great option for all skin types, especially sensitive. We’re raising an island-cocktail toast to Winnie for this one.

8. Bea Skincare Solar Defense SPF 50

Our last sunscreen is the second sunscreen with the broadest spectrum on our list of black-owned sunscreens. If your skin concerns include discoloration, hyperpigmentation, sensitive, and/or oil-prone skin, then this SPF was made for you.

The Bea Skincare Solar Defense is a lightweight sunscreen that reduces any pre-existing photodamage when applied continuously. It offers ultimate protection against harmful UVA and UVB radiation. It’s also super suitable to wear under your makeup. There’s a mist version if that’s your preference. P.S: Bea Skincare also ships internationally.

Sunscreen is important, period.

SPF this… SPF that… You hear, “Wear your sunscreen!” every other day. You also hear, “Reapply your sunscreen!” occasionally too. But don’t let the repetitiveness blind you from the significance. Your skin may not frequently burn under the sun as others do, but it can.

So please, don’t skip your SPF. And if you were ever scared that sunscreen would leave you pale-faced, we’ve listed 8 reasons above for you to lose that fear. We hope you give in to these reasons. Best believe, when more black-owned sunscreens come on the market, we’ll be sure to let you know.