Here I want to share with you the most affordable, cheapest mineral sunscreens I could find. These affordable mineral sunscreens can be used on your face or body and I have options to share for adults and those that can be used on kids. All of them have good ingredients and most are ideal for those who have sensitive skin.
The reason I am sharing this information is because the majority of the reviews I’ve seen online and on youtube, are for mineral sunscreens that cost a lot of money. Many recommendations are for sunscreens that cost $20-$40 or more per ounce of product. I don’t want to spend my money in that way. If you are in the same boat, and you want to find out what products are out there for reasonable prices, then this post is for you!
Full video below with Comparison Photos & Application
It was not easy finding affordable sunscreens with great ingredients, and little or no white cast. For me, I prefer to only use mineral sunscreens because there are two main ingredients used – zinc oxide & titanium dioxide – and they are considered safe for the body. With these products, I tested out as many as I could, over a span of two months for most of the products and some products I’ve used for a couple of years. Mineral sunscreens are difficult to formulate nicely. With each product, I looked at – the ingredients, the application, if there was a white cast, and how my skin felt with it on and to how it looked. Please leave a comment below if you have tried any of these or if you have a different favorite. Also, please share your skin type as well so we can help each other out! Before we begin, it is important to share with you that my skin-type is dry and sometimes normal. That’s important when knowing I tested these products out.
The Worst Ones I Tested
The winner for the worst mineral sunscreen I have ever used in my life was: Two Peas Organic SPF 50 with 20% zinc oxide. The price was $12 for 3 ounces or $4.00 an ounce. It had a 4 star rating on Amazon with over 300 reviews. I am not sure how it has such high ratings. See the video clip to watch how terrible it looks and how it applies & how it would not rub into the skin. Basically, it was more of a solid than a liquid and it had a terrible play-dough scent which made me feel ill.
My second worst experience was with the Ethical Zinc SPF 50+ Natural Clear Zinc Sunscreen. This one was pricier at $17 for 3.4 ounces or $5.00 an ounce. It had a 4 star rating on Amazon. This product felt like I was applying Crisco to my face. This also had that play-dough scent which made me feel unwell. As I attempted to apply the Two Peas and the Ethical Zinc, the only way I could make myself look even remotely presentable was to wipe product off onto a washcloth while applying it. Removing it while applying it doesn’t make any sense. But, otherwise my face would have looked like I had clown makeup on as it was so thick, would not rub in and had the worst opaque white cast.
The last product I want to share in this worst category is the Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Oxide, Dry-Touch Suncreen SPF 50 for sensitive skin. The price was $11 for 2 ounces or about $5.50 an ounce. It had a 4.2 star rating with over 1000 reviews. This product is nowhere near as bad as the first two I just mentioned. This one just had one main issue, so I placed it into this category. The actual ingredients are fine and it has over 20% zinc oxide, which is great. The texture was thick and creamy, though a bit dry. It was not easy for me to blend in. The reason I am putting this in the worst category is because it left me with a strong, prominent white cast. I know some people who may like this product, but I really had a bit of an issue with the white cast.
Most Affordable Good Mineral Sunscreens
The Blue Lizard Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30. The price was $13 for 3 ounces or about $4.30 an ounce. It had a 4.6 rating with over 120 reviews on Amazon here. I think this product could possibly be used for any skin type and that’s why I am recommending it first. I’ve read reviews from people with oily or acne-prone skin, who enjoyed it. The texture of it is liquidy – and a little goes a long way. Upon application, to me, it feels nicely moisturizing without being greasy. It does leave my skin feeling very slightly tacky in some areas, but it sets & dry down after 10 or 20 minutes & then my skin feels normal again. If there’s a slight whitecast, for me it goes away once the product settles into the skin after a little while.
This one is called: Astivita Zinclear SPF 50 with 25% zinc oxide – made in New Zealand. This was one of the cheapest products at $5 for 3.4 ounces or less than $1.50 an ounce on Amazon here. They just raised the price by a dollar as their sales are increasing. When I bought it, they only had 11 reviews – now they have almost 30. The product has some good ingredients for dry skin – formulated into such a nice texture that is smooth, creamy and applies nicely. You could probably use it in place of a moisturizer. It leaves my skin feeling hydrated, smooth and normal – once it settles or sets, there is no tackiness and my skin goes back to feeling how it did before I put it on. To me, it seems like it could be ideal for dry skin – and I think it might be fine for normal skin as well. There was a slight scent and at first there was a very slight white cast, but for me it settles into the skin and any white cast becomes completely unnoticeable or goes away after about ten minutes. This is truly one of my favorites & I plan on stocking up on it!
The next most affordable mineral sunscreen I’ve found is Jason Mineral sunscreen, SPF 30. It was only $6.50 for 4 ounces or $1.60 an ounce. It had a 4 star rating with over 350 reviews on Amazon here. It has some nice ingredients and I had no [major] problems with using the product – although the texture is heavy and a bit thick and not the easiest to blend in. It initially left a slight white cast but it was hardly noticeable for me, and it later became unnoticeable once it was on the skin longer. A handful of the reviewers on Amazon said that the product left no white cast for them. For me, I noticed that after wearing it for most of the day or even several hours, my skin had kind of a dry and textured feel to it. It reminds me of how my skin gets after traveling for many hours – where you just really want to wash your face. For the price, I think it’s a decent product as I’ve tried so many mineral sunscreens that were [so much worse]. One reviewer said that it caused her eyes to burn or sting when washing it off – and unfortunately I had the same problem. For me, I will continue using it up – but as a body sunscreen.
The next product I am impressed with is the Alba Botanica Sensitive SPF 30 Mineral sunscreen. The cost was only $5.39 for 4 ounces – about $1.35 an ounce. It had a 4.1 star rating with over 750 reviews on Amazon here. Like the others, it has some great ingredients. This product probably has the best texture out of all the ones I’ve mentioned so far – for me, anyway. It glides on better and is a lighter formula than the others ones I just mentioned. It is quite easy to apply and left my skin feeling nice and not greasy at all. This one didn’t leave a noticeable white cast on me at all. I don’t use this on my face anymore though. I absolutely love using this for a body sunscreen and have never had any issues and the texture is perfect. But, for my face, the last time I used it I got a little zit on my cheek in an area where I never normally get them. Basically, this is my favorite body sunscreen and I highly recommend it for that.
My Top 2 Runner-Up Best Mineral Sunscreens that are Cheap
The Cerave hydrating sunscreen, SPF 30 Sheer tint is in the top ranking for mineral sunscreens – specifically if you have dry skin. I do not think it would work for most with oily skin. The price is $15 for 2.5 ounces or $6.00 an ounce. It has a 3.8 rating with over 220 reviews. I do not currently see it on Amazon, so here is a link to the product on the Ulta website.
It has a very moisturizing, smooth texture. It applies easily but for me, but it’s a tiny bit difficult to see if I missed areas or blended it enough or even applied enough. It has a very faint hardly noticeable smell. I personally have noticed that there are quite a few people who love and adore this sunscreen. So, I took that into consideration when putting it higher up on the list of mineral sunscreen recommendations. For me, though, it made my skin look greasy and at times, wet. If I was in humid or hot weather, it really didn’t look good. Even though this was my experience, there are a lot of high ratings and reviews where people have really enjoyed this tinted sunscreen. I wish they could have perfected the formula because I still really like the product – but I feel like it needs some tweaking.
For me, I ended up fixing it by taking some of the Neutrogena sunscreen or the Astivita and I mixed it in with the Cerave tinted sunscreen. It created the perfect shade for my skin tone, as well as the perfect consistency and texture. It just dried it down a bit. It made the formula less wet and it looked amazing. If you are a bit on the fence about the Cerave sunscreen, you may want to try mixing it with some other sunscreen. I love how the Cerave evens out my skintone, in a nice subtle way.
The next product I want to mention is the Australian Gold Botanical SPF 50 sunscreen. I don’t recommend it for dry skin. The price was $14 for 3 ounces or about $4.50 an ounce. It had a 4.4 rating out of 4800 reviews on Amazon here.
Like the Cerave sunscreen, this one is also tinted. But, it’s not as dark as the Cerave and it seems to blend in and become unnoticeable. This product feels like a primer to me. My skin does not respond well to this one or products that have the feel of silicone primers. But, many people with oily skin love how their skin looks and feels with this product. When applying, it feels creamy, though strangely dry at the same time. For me, it was hard to see if I had enough on and where it was, as I am just so used to normal sunscreens that first apply white. It made my skin look mattified. This one has a lot of really high ratings and though it doesn’t work for me, a lot of people really like it. Update: The company recently reformulated and also came out with more shades! It might be worth giving it a try if you have normal or oily skin!
Sunscreens for Kids & Good Body Sunscreens
My top recommendation for a mineral sunscreen for the body is the Alba Botanica Sensitive SPF 30 Mineral sunscreen. It has the nicest texture and goes on so smoothly. It’s not too thick and blends in really easily. If you happen to purchase the Astivita or Jason sunscreen and if you don’t like it for your face or it’s not compatible with your skin type, they are also really great sunscreens to use on the body.For kids, I think the Astivita sunscree would be the absolute best one because it has the highest amount of zinc, the most protection, it’s the best price and has such a nice soothing formula.
My Personal Favorite Mineral Sunscreen for 2020
Cotz SPF 40 Sensitive Mineral sunscreen is my holy grail, #1 top favorite. It has 20% zinc oxide. I could not find anything that compared to this one. This is the best product, in my opinion, for the best price. The cost was $18.75 for 3.5 ounces or about $5.30 per ounce on Amazon here. It had a rating of 4.2 stars with 265 reviews. I noticed it sometimes a bit cheaper on Walmart.com. I have also seen the price as high as $25 – so the price really varies based on where and when you buy it. I really wanted to keep the price as low as possible with these reviews, and I know this is pricier, but for me it is totally worth it.
I’ve been using this one for a couple of years now. When it blends in, it leaves absolutely on white cast. I’ve seen other reviews of it from people of a variety of skin tones and types, and it seems to work for most people. I find that it’s really moisturizing and would be ideal for those with dry to normal skin. I would love to hear from anyone who has oily skin and has used it – to know whether or not it might be a good fit. The brand sells a variety of sunscreens and from what I’ve read, this one is most highly rated, for the best price.
I’ve used Alba sunscreen for a while now (different spf ratings) and I’m not sure that they work that well, though I do enjoy the emollient quality of most of them.