The top five sunscreens of 2024

Ah, the sun: once seen as a god, now a source of vitamin D and tan lines.

It’s a lover, but also a killer. Too much exposure unprotected leaves you at increased risk of skin cancer. As someone with a genetic component in the equation, I am a close friend of good sunscreens.

So when the summer months arrived and it was time to review sunscreens, I got to work. I reached a personal record of products tested to find only the very best. Humbly, I did it.

But let’s take a step back and understand where sunscreen came from. The understanding that the sun can pose a health risk directly correlates with less worship of the sun as a god, according to a historical review of sunscreen published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. Quite spiteful, if you ask me.

Anyway, the first recorded nation to develop methods of protection from the sun was Egypt around 4000 BC. “They used extracts of rice, jasmine, and lupine – two ingredients found in skincare today,” the study says.

“However, the main factor for the development of sunscreen was to appear paler, as they considered lighter skin to be more attractive than darker skin. In ancient Greece, athletes covered their bodies in oil and sand when training under the sun for the Olympic games. Around a similar time in 500 BC, the effects of zinc oxide, a compound found in sunscreens today, were discovered in an ancient Indian medical text, The Charaka Samhita.”

Now we have all the products in the world to protect ourselves, and I have found some incredible choices.

This week’s products were reviewed for white cast – visible residue on the skin, as well as application, stickiness, smell, and feel two hours after application, which is when most companies recommend reapplying sun protection products.

Best overall

La Roche Posay Anthelios UVMune 400 Invisible Fluid SPF50+ Sun Cream

NIS 104 | 50 ml.

This is the exact kind of sunscreen that people who hate sunscreen would love. Upon application on the face, it doesn’t feel like a sticky cream, leaves no white cast, and is absorbed quite immediately, leaving the face feeling as though you had applied a light moisturizer at most. Often, sunscreens feel a bit like night cream: heavy and dense. This is the opposite.

www.laroche-posay.com

Best luxury

La Prairie Cellular Swiss UV Protection Veil

NIS 1,000 | 50 ml.

This lightly pink sunscreen – I love that – feels so luxurious blending in. There’s no white cast, no peeling, no nothing. It makes me feel like I’m at a spa, getting a facial done. This is beyond a sunscreen – it is a facial skin treatment with the bonus of having SPF. If you want to treat yourself, look no further than La Prairie.

www.beyondskin.co.il

Best for the tan lover

Lierac Sunissime Velvety Skin Fluid Sunscreen

NIS 199 | 40 ml.

I love liquid sunscreen. The more liquidy, the less white cast – and this one has no white cast at all. It blends nicely into the skin. It comes in a small bottle, perfect for taking it to the beach.

This is great for those more sensitive to fragrance, as the scent is delicate to unnoticeable. But it is just as suitable for those looking to protect their skin but still get some color from the sun. Lierac boasts that this product is capable of doing both.

www.lierac.co.il

Best for the makeup wearers

Garnier Skin Naturals Vitamin C Daily UV Glow

NIS 70 | 40 ml.

This product is so cool. It has vitamin C, a great ingredient that goes hand in hand with SPF. It applies like a baby cream: moisturizing, light, with a gentle glow effect. This would be a great sunscreen to wear under makeup for a natural appearance, while protecting the skin and looking fabulous while doing so.

www.garnier.co.il

Best full-body

Sacara Translucent Spray Sunscreen

NIS 30 | 200 ml.

Vitamin E, as an antioxidant, is great to see in sunscreen. It doesn’t just protect from UV rays; it protects from plenty of dangerous stuff in the air. To see this in a budget sunscreen – NIS 30 – is very pleasing, indeed.

This product is very moisturizing and lightweight, which is pleasant, especially for a spray sunscreen, which is usually particularly sticky and uncomfortable. If you want a quick spray-and-go product to get you covered, protected, and out the door, Sacara has you covered.

www.sacara.co.il