Sunscreen for Black Women With No White Cast: My 2 Holy Grails
Updated: Sep 3
Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. I only share things I actually use and love!
TL;DR for my fellow skimmers 💕
If you're a Black woman looking for a sunscreen with no white cast, I found two that work beautifully. My current daily go-to is La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer SPF 30, and my OG holy grail is the Derma B Everyday Mild Sunscreen SPF 50. Both are lightweight, affordable, and disappear seamlessly into deeper skin tones without a greasy finish. They both have a mild scent that fades fast and leave skin looking dewy and healthy. I also mix mine with the Innisfree Green Tea Enzyme Vitamin C Serum for an even easier application. Full breakdown below!
The sunscreen struggle is real for black women...
As a Black woman, I know the journey to find a sunscreen that works for us is REAL. So many formulas leave that chalky white (or even purplish grey??) cast, or they sit heavy and greasy on the skin, or both. I've spent a long time looking for sunscreens that actually work for my skin, and I finally found two that I love and trust completely.
This is my current daily sunscreen and the one I reach for every single morning. Reasons I love this sunscreen:
It's a moisturizer with SPF that blends in completely with no white cast whatsoever
Even on oily skin like mine it never feels greasy or heavy, it's completely lightweight
The scent is mild and it fades quickly, which matters a lot to me since I don't like strong lingering scents on my face.
It applies easily and doesn't pill, which is such an underrated quality in a sunscreen.
Works beautifully under makeup, which is magical for someone with super oily skin like me!
This was my go-to before I switched to the La Roche-Posay line, and I want to be clear that I didn't stop using it because anything was wrong with it. I switched because I started using the face wash and moisturizer from the La Roche-Posay line and it made sense to stick with their sunscreen too for consistency.
Like the La Roche-Posay option, it:
Has a mild scent that fades quickly
Doesn't leave a white cast
Doesn't feel greasy going on or hours later
So if you're looking for another top contender and don't already have a skincare line you're loyal to, this one definitely deserves a look. I would buy it again and happily use it as a body sunscreen if I needed one!
Here's how I use these in my morning routine...
My skincare routine in the morning is intentionally simple. I wash my face with water, then I apply my sunscreen mixed with a few drops of my Vitamin C serum, and that's it! I use the Innisfree Green Tea Enzyme Vitamin C Serum by adding two drops directly into the sunscreen in my hand before applying. This morning step is part of my full skincare system. If you want to see every routine I use from morning to night, the hub post is here.
I started doing this because it helps the sunscreen glide on more smoothly, and my skin genuinely prefers it this way. It doesn't pill when I combine them, and the application feels even easier than using the sunscreen on its own. That being said, both sunscreens apply pretty easily alone compared to other sunscreens.
I actually log my skincare routine in my Glow Skincare Log so I remember what's working and what's not, if you want to start tracking yours too, you can click the link to grab you own!
Why black women should wear sunscreen, even indoors...
I want to address this because I know it comes up sometimes. Even though I'm primarily indoors 99% of the time, the sunshine still comes through the windows and my skin is constantly being exposed to blue light from computer screens. And yes, even with deeper skin tones, sun protection is absolutely vital for us. It's not just about outside sun exposure.
There's another piece to this that I think gets overlooked. If you're using retinol or exfoliants at night like I do, sunscreen is even more critical. I shared my full active nighttime routine here if you want to see exactly what I'm using.
If you want to see the full nighttime routine that actually gets the chance to work the way it's supposed to because I apply SPF daily, I have that post here.
Sun exposure can undo or interfere with the work your nighttime routine is doing. Wearing sunscreen daily is part of what lets the rest of your skincare put in work the way it's supposed to. If you're also dealing with dark marks from breakouts, I wrote about my full hyperpigmentation journey and what's working for me here!
Since I started this simple routine, I've seen tons of improvement in my skin. Everything else I'm using finally gets the chance to work the way it's meant to.
What I love most about both of these sunscreens...
The main thing that brought me to write this post in the first place is that
neither of these sunscreens leave a white cast! They disappear into the skin and leave me looking dewy and like a glazed donut instead of ashy and dull.
That combination: real sun protection + a finish that looks beautiful on deeper skin tones is exactly what I was searching for. And now I get to share my discovery with other African American and Black women on the search.
I hope this blog post helps other Black women that have been struggling to find a sunscreen that works with your skin and becomes the perfect fit for you!
Your journey to a life that you truly love doesn't have to stop here!
Follow me on Threads and Pinterest for daily doses of empowerment, life transformation tips, and all things pink and pretty. To bring these high-vibe shifts into your daily routine, discover the exact products I use to thrive on my Amazon Storefront.
Comments