CeraVe Tinted Sunscreen and the Mineral Tints I Would Pair With It

CeraVe Tinted Sunscreen and the Mineral Tints I Would Pair With It

CeraVe tinted sunscreen is a mineral SPF 30 with a sheer tint, built on the ceramides the brand started with in 2005. Here is how I wear it, the other tinted mineral sunscreens I like beside it, and the cleansers that take it all off at night.

CeraVe began in 2005, when a group of dermatologists set out to make skincare that restores the skin barrier, and the brand launched with just three products, a moisturizing cream, a moisturizing lotion and a hydrating cleanser. Three essential ceramides have been in the formulas ever since. That background explains the CeraVe tinted sunscreen better than any claim does. It is a sunscreen that still thinks like a moisturizer.

The one I start with is the Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen Face Lotion with Sheer Tint, SPF 30, in Medium. The brand says it uses titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, with iron oxides to soften the white cast of mineral filters, and that it is made for all skin types including sensitive and acne-prone skin. It also has ceramides, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, and it can be worn alone or under makeup. Around it in this grid, the Invisible Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 Face and the untinted Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen Face Lotion SPF 50 cover days with more sun. The Hydrating Sheer Sunscreen SPF 30 is a hybrid mineral and chemical formula for face and body, and there is a mineral body lotion at SPF 50 and a mineral stick, also SPF 50. The Ultra-Light Moisturizing Lotion and AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion, both SPF 30, are for people who want the sunscreen step and the moisturizer step to be the same step.

A quick test: put a pea-sized line on your jaw and blend it toward your neck in daylight. If you can see the edge, add a little more tint and blend again.

Big numbers collage for CeraVe Tinted Sunscreen: six products from CeraVe, Tower 28, ILIA, Merit, Beauty of Joseon and Iris&Romeo, each set beside a large numeral
CeraVe Tinted Sunscreen

CeraVe sunscreens

Tinted mineral sunscreens, shade by shade

Tinted mineral sunscreens are where sunscreen starts to look like a base, and this grid uses only mineral actives, zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Tower 28 SunnyDays Skin Tint in 15 Melrose is a light, warm shade with non-nano zinc oxide, and the brand says it suits sensitive and blemish-prone skin. ILIA Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 in Matira is a medium, cool shade with a radiant finish, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid. MERIT The Uniform in shade 21 is a light-medium, cool, sheer and natural. ciele tint & PROTECT in 07 Tan is the one with medium, buildable coverage and SPF 50+.

Beauty of Joseon Dayscreen in 51N is a deep neutral with ceramides and fermented brown rice. bareMinerals Complexion Rescue in Ginger 06 is a tinted moisturizer for medium warm skin with a yellow hue. ISDIN Eryfotona Ageless Tinted is a titanium dioxide SPF 50 the brand calls a makeup base or a no-makeup-day evener. Iris&Romeo Weekend Skin in Universal Glow adds a sheer luminosity with vitamin C and niacinamide.

Pairing tip: match the shade at your jaw and neck, not your cheek, and pat it on instead of rubbing.

What I would skip: a tint that is one shade too light just because it looks safe. Mineral filters already pull the skin a little pale, so go slightly warmer.

Tinted mineral sunscreens

Balms and oils for the evening

Sunscreen and makeup need to come off every night, and a balm or oil is the gentlest way I know. Elemis Pro-Collagen Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm is a three-in-one the brand says softens and removes makeup and grime. Clinique Take The Day Off is the silky balm that the brand says dissolves makeup and SPF without stripping skin. The Green Clean balm in Original is clinically shown, the brand says, to remove over 99 percent of SPF, foundation and waterproof mascara. The INKEY List Oat balm melts makeup and SPF with 5% oat kernel oil.

innisfree Green Tea Ceramide balm removes 99 percent of waterproof makeup and sunscreen, according to the brand, and works as step one of a double cleanse. Then I Met You Living Cleansing Balm is a sorbet-soft balm for waterproof makeup and sunscreen. The Clean Skin Cleansing Balm with Postbiotics + Squalane melts dirt and waterproof makeup. Sulwhasoo Gentle Cleansing Oil is a transforming oil for waterproof makeup.

How to use it: massage onto dry skin for a full minute, add a little water until it turns milky, then rinse. Follow with your regular face wash if you like.

What I would skip: rubbing a tinted sunscreen off with a dry cotton pad. It drags and leaves the iron oxides behind in your hairline.

Cleansers that take SPF off

Choosing your tint and your remover

Pick the sunscreen first, then the remover. If your skin is sensitive, start with the CeraVe tint in your shade and see how it sits by noon. If you want more of a base, try a serum-style tint like ILIA or Tower 28, and go a little warmer than you think. For the evening, balms suit dry skin and oils suit anyone who wears a lot of makeup, but any of the cleansers above will do the job when you give them a full minute. Reapply sunscreen every two hours when you are outside, as the brand directions say. A tint you actually like wearing will always protect you better than a perfect one sitting in the drawer.