In 1946 a Swiss chemist named Franz Greiter introduced Gletscher Crème, Glacier Cream, after a bad sunburn on an Alpine mountain. It became the basis of Piz Buin, named for that peak, and Wikipedia says its protection would work out to about SPF 2. Greiter went on to popularise the sun protection factor number in the 1970s, and we have been reading it on bottles ever since.

What has changed most since then is how a sunscreen feels. The American Academy of Dermatology says dermatologists recommend physical, or mineral, sunscreens for people with sensitive skin, and for skin that stings or burns it advises one containing only zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. It also notes that a tinted sunscreen can help with white cast. So when someone asks me for a sunscreen for sensitive skin, I start with zinc.

The first grid is mineral sunscreens, eight formulas built on zinc oxide, some in serum form, some with a tint. The second grid is lightweight daily sunscreens from brands people reach for on ordinary mornings. Not every one of those is mineral, so read the label and match it to how your skin behaves.

Here is a trick I like: put a strip of any new sunscreen along your jaw for three mornings before you commit your whole face. If nothing stings, flushes or itches by the third day, you have your answer.

Zinc is the through line here, but the textures are very different. Kiehl's Better Screen Miner-all is a mineral sunscreen serum with Cica Centella, made with nano zinc oxide that the brand says disperses smoothly to reduce white cast. Ultra Violette's Future Screen is another mineral serum, fragrance-free, built on what the brand calls Japanese zinc with squalane and vitamin E.

If you want a cream, Tower 28's SOS FaceGuard is made for sensitive and acne-prone skin with non-nano zinc oxide and a ceramide blend, and it is fragrance-free and ophthalmologist-tested. Kosas DreamBeam is silicone-free with 21.7 percent non-nano zinc, plus ceramides and peptides, and the brand says it is safe for sensitive skin. Caudalie's Vinosun Protect uses non-nano zinc oxide with niacinamide and grapevine viniferine for dark spots.

Three of these do a little extra. ILIA's Sun Serum comes in two shades and is meant to control oil for eight hours with a water-burst texture. INNBEAUTY PROJECT's Mineral Sun Glow also has two shades and adds a glow with vitamin C, peptides and blue-light protection. MERIT's Uniform is a 100 percent zinc oxide liquid with a sheer tint and a soft, natural finish, which is the one to try if white cast is your worry.

Go light on the first layer and reapply after. Mineral formulas are easier to wear when you build them up.

What I would skip: a shade-matched formula if you are not sure of your undertone. Take the untinted serum instead and add makeup on top.

These are the everyday faces of the category. Youth To The People's Youthscreen is an SPF 60 invisible daily sunscreen from a California brand founded in 2015. The listing says very little else, so I will not pretend to know more. Kiehl's Better Screen UV Serum SPF 50+ is a lightweight serum with collagen peptide, aimed at dark spots and uneven texture.

Ultra Violette's Supreme Screen is a face sunscreen, moisturizer and primer in one, with squalane and plant-based Pentavitin for dry skin. Shiseido's Urban Environment Fresh-Moisture is a lightweight SPF 40 cream with hyaluronic acid and licorice root, which the brand says soothes breakout-prone skin. Paula's Choice RESIST is an oil-free SPF 50 fluid with oat and green tea extracts, made to calm signs of sensitivity and finish satin-matte.

Two are more mineral. Saint Jane's pore-smoothing sunscreen has 10 percent zinc oxide in a sheer cream that doubles as a pore-smoothing primer. Malin + Goetz's Mineral Sunscreen is a 100 percent mineral SPF 30 with niacinamide and non-nano zinc, and one formula for every skin tone. EADEM's Sunsuede is a stick that works as a sunscreen and a blurring primer, so it lives in a bag for reapplying.

Here is a pairing I like: a serum-type sunscreen in the morning and a stick for the afternoon top up.

What I would skip: a primer sunscreen if you are already wearing a primer. Two slippery layers tend to pill.

I think the quiet sunscreen is the right one for sensitive skin. It is the one you forget you are wearing, so you actually use it every morning.

My rule of thumb: start with a fragrance-free mineral formula, test it on the jaw, and only branch out to the lighter daily sunscreens once you know your skin is calm. If a formula stings, stop, wash it off, and try a different filter, not a higher number. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together First Aid Beauty and the Oatmeal Cream That Built a Sensitive Skin Brand and Cream Bronzer for Cold-Weather Skin.