I am VERY passionate about sunscreen – both about the importance of wearing it, and about which types/ingredients are the best. Since I have oily skin, I’ve learned over the years which consistencies and brands and ingredients have the best sunscreens that don’t leave me looking overly shiny and don’t break out my sensitive skin.
I wear sunscreen on my face every single day – my morning moisturizer has SPF in it, and I use it fairly liberally. And in the summer, if I’m going to be outside during the day, I make sure to put it on my body too. I actually read a great tip from Carly years ago, which was to apply your sunscreen when you’re naked! It makes sure you don’t miss any spots and end up with burns or strange tan lines. It might sound a little weird, but it really works.
I’m rounding up and sharing some of my go-to sunscreens for oily skin below, but keep in mind – a lot of these will also work on normal or dry skin! They just won’t clog your pores or irritate your skin.

Ultra Sheer Daily Defense // Matte Screen // Anthelios 60 // UV Clear
Glow Screen // Daily Hydrating Fluid // Setting Powder // Sunstyles
Sunscreens For the Body
I really only have two body sunscreens that I use – La Roche Posay and Sunstyles. Because I can’t put sunscreen on my body by myself, I prefer a spray application – it just makes it a lot easier for whoever is helping me! But I’m also really, really adamant that whatever I’m using not have alcohol in it, because it’s known to be irritating and damaging to your skin. So using a sunscreen with alcohol is counterintuitive to me, in a product where you’re trying to protect your skin!
Most of the drugstore skincare sprays have alcohol, or they spray out so wet and liquidy that they’re barely even a spray. Both the La Roche Posay and the Sunstyles are sunscreens that work with my oily skin, go on easily (you need to rub them in still, but only minimally), don’t leave me with a white cast on my skin, and they work! I recommend them both so highly.
Sunscreens For the Face
Again – all of these are alcohol free, because that’s something that I think is really important. I tried to include a selection of tinted and non-tinted options, so there should be something that works for whatever finish you’re looking for! And like I said earlier – while they all work for my oily skin, that doesn’t mean they won’t work if your skin is more on the normal/combination/dry side.
The Ultra Sheer Daily Defense is my go-to – I use this on days when I’m not wearing makeup or under makeup and it works well both ways! It’s a super lightweight moisturizer, which is great for my oily skin, and has SPF in it too. It’s not tinted, but is a great basic option. The Glowscreen is a great choice if you want a little color and glow – I actually mix it with the Ultra Sheer Daily Defense when I wear it, or else I get a little bit too glowy! And I love the (Re)Setting Powder when I want to re-apply on the go without messing up my makeup or having to deal with a liquid.
Any of these are great options for sunscreen, oily skin or not. It’s so important to protect your skin from the sun – not only does it help prevent skin cancer, which is super important, it also helps to slow the signs of aging on your skin! So make sure you don’t forget to wear your sunscreen and reapply often.
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