20 Best Sweat-Resistant Sunscreens for Runners

Key Specs

• SPF: 30
• Type: Lotion
• Notable Ingredients: Vitamin E

We know we should apply sunscreen long before heading outside, but how often does that happen? Thankfully, Skinnies dries in just two minutes and forms a thin, barely there layer of protection. Unlike most sunscreens, it isn’t water-based; it’s more concentrated, so you need less. In our test, we found it won’t sweat off, and leaves only a slightly waxy feeling on your fingers afterward. If SPF 30 isn’t enough protection, Skinnies Conquer SPF 50 gives you protection for up to four hours.

Key Specs

• SPF: 50
• Type: Lotion
• Notable Ingredients: Vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E

A number of common sunscreen chemicals can harm the environment, destroying coral reefs and hurting wildlife. You won’t find any of those in this thinksport sunscreen, though. What you will get is a thick, protective barrier of zinc oxide that takes some elbow grease to rub in—but if you’re like us, you won’t mind a visible sunscreen streak during your jog.

Key Specs

• SPF: 50
• Type: Moisturizer
• Notable Ingredients: Sunflower and rosemary leaf extracts

This thin, easy-to-spread lotion won’t leave you feeling sticky if you smear it on just before you dash out the door. We reach for Supergoop! for just about any outing—not just when we’re running—and even slather it on our kids. Keep an 18-ounce pump-jug at home, and you’ll seemingly never need to buy more. For on-the-go touchups, we prefer the flat, 2.4-ounce tube that travels easy in our gym bag. This classic is even reef-friendly now that it doesn’t contain octinoxate.

Key Specs

• SPF: 50
• Type: Spray
• Notable Ingredients: Vitamin E

With its fine-mist pump (no aerosols here), Kinesys sprays on as a thin layer you can rub in, and a bottle seems to last forever. It’s been a favorite of ours for many years because it dries quickly and is completely unnoticeable when you’re on a run. It comes in an SPF 30 version, too.

Key Specs

• SPF: 30
• Type: Lotion
• Notable Ingredients: Red raspberry seed oil, buriti oil, meadowfoam seed oil, prickly pear extract

We love the fresh tropical scents of this SPF 30 lotion, plus the fact that it rubs in easily without feeling greasy and won’t run into your eyes. Don’t dig smelling like coconut or piña colada? It comes in an unscented SPF 50 version, with all the same benefits and extended protection.

Key Specs

• SPF: 45
• Type: Lotion
• Notable Ingredients: Vitamins A, C, and E

Our trail runners love the dry, no-fuss application of this sunscreen because it doesn’t cling to dirt mid-run. And when you get really sweaty, it won’t sting your eyes, either. But don’t be misled by the high SPF: There’s little difference in protection between SPF 50 and SPF 100. So slather on a lot of lotion, as you would a lower SPF sunscreen, to ensure you stay covered.

Key Specs

• SPF: 30
• Type: Lotion
• Notable Ingredients: Zinc oxide

Dermatologists will tell you that UV rays can cause damage even on cloudy days, but how many of us runners really heed the warning? This bottle may change that, however, as it goes from milky white to a shocking blue when exposed to UV rays. Inside, the sunscreen itself is a runny lotion that spreads onto skin effortlessly and dries quickly. It’s also reef-safe, using zinc oxide instead of harmful oxybenzone or octinoxate.

Key Specs

• SPF: 30
• Type: Gel
• Notable Ingredients: Vitamin E

Cheap and readily available, a tube of Coppertone is hard to pass up. We regularly keep this sport lotion in the locker room at the Runner’s World offices so there’s an option for those who forget their favorite sunscreen. This clear gel lotion feels cool when you apply it and rubs on easily—and won’t leave any white streaks when you slather it on in a hurry.

Limit this one to your arms and torso, though, because we had a little get into our eyes on an exceptionally sweaty run, causing some stinging for the next hour or so.

Key Specs

• SPF: 50
• Type: Spray
• Notable Ingredients: Zinc oxide

Though not as easy-on as Banana Boat's Light As Air formulation also included in this list, the new Sport Mineral formula boosts protection while using fewer ingredients. It’s also available in a lotion made from titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, which feels runny when you squeeze it out of the tube but smears onto your skin thick. Best of all, neither has a discernible odor.

Key Specs

• SPF: 50
• Type: Lotion
• Notable Ingredients: Red raspberry seed oil, prickly pear extract

A thick, mineral-based paste, this Coola sunscreen takes a little effort to rub on, but has a dry, non-glossy finish. Plus, it stays put when you’re really sweating hard on a bright summer day. We like that it blocks the sun for our long runs, but also has plant-based ingredients we can pronounce—like red raspberry seed oil and prickly pear extract.

Key Specs

• SPF: 50
• Type: Lotion
• Notable Ingredients: Avocado oil, jojoba seed oil, sunflower seed oil

Made by women of color, for people of color, this sunscreen dries totally clear and leaves behind a light finish that isn’t sticky or oily. But it does hydrate as well as protect from UV, thanks to inactive ingredients like avocado and jojoba. Black Girl Sunscreen also makes a kid’s SPF 50 lotion if you’re looking for extra sun protection for your little ones.

Key Specs

• SPF: 40
• Type: Balm
• Notable Ingredients: Sunflower oil, beeswax, vitamin E

This tin of zinc cream rubs in easier than other solid zinc formulas we’ve tried in the past and doesn’t leave a white haze on stubble and arm hair. Plus, the sunblock is Protect Land + Sea-certified, meaning it’s been lab-tested to show it doesn’t have chemicals that harm coral reefs, nor harmful ingredients like oxybenzone that can be absorbed into your bloodstream.

Key Specs

• SPF: 30
• Type: Mist
• Notable Ingredients: Vitamin E

There’s no shortage of ultralight sunscreens now, but a newer one we like is from this Malibu, California-based company. Its mist is so fine you barely feel it on your skin and don’t need to rub it in—15 minutes later, when you head out the door, you’ll forget that you actually applied any. (There’s an SPF 50 version, too, which will leave a slight sheen because it has more of the chemicals that protect you from the sun.)

It also doesn’t contain any artificial fragrances, but is available in lightly scented citrus and white sage versions.

Key Specs

• SPF: 40
• Type: Moisturizer
• Notable Ingredients: Frankincense, meadowfoam seed

Hate heavy, goopy formulas? This featherweight, clear, scentless option is completely undetectable by either your eyes or nose. While you'll barely even notice you’re wearing anything, don't forget to reapply during long runs, as it only promises to be water- and sweatproof for 40 minutes.

Key Specs

• SPF: 50
• Type: Lotion
• Notable Ingredients: Homosalate, octisalate, avobenzone

This affordable, easy-spreading lotion feels a little greasy when you first rub it on but dries into a lightweight, breathable layer within five minutes. It leaves behind a faint banana odor, a beachy, but not unpleasant scent. It’s also made without the harmful chemicals oxybenzone and octinoxate.

Key Specs

• SPF: 30
• Type: Balm
• Notable Ingredients: Zinc oxide

Using zinc oxide to physically block UVA and UVB light, this puck of sunscreen spreads on thick and white, and smells vaguely like chalk. But it stays amazingly in place on your face, no matter how heavily you sweat.

We found it made our hands extra slippery, even after washing with soap—we had a heck of a time holding an iPhone in a silicone case on a 5-miler during testing.

Key Specs

• SPF: 50
• Type: Lotion
• Notable Ingredients: Vitamin E

This popular sunscreen can be found in nearly any Target or drug store, and is a relative bargain. We like it because it rubs on thick but doesn’t feel oily, plus it protects during long runs and doesn’t sting the eyes. It also doesn’t contain oxybenzone, which has been banned in Hawaii for its effects on coral reefs.

Key Specs

• SPF: 35
• Type: Balm
• Notable Ingredients: Zinc oxide

Eleven by Venus Williams comes in two formulations. Opt for the serum, which goes on smoothly and rubs in more easily—wearers of the lotion version say it balls up and takes some elbow grease to smooth out. Both contain 25 percent zinc oxide to ward off the sun’s damaging rays.

Key Specs

• SPF: 30
• Type: Mist
• Notable Ingredients: Gotu kola extract, panthenol, monoi oil

Sure, a running cap can protect your scalp, but not all fabrics are UV-proof. For extra protection, spray on this mist. Part sunscreen, part styler, it delivers water-resistant sun protection while also adding strength and shine to your hair.

Key Specs

• SPF: 30
• Type: Powder
• Notable Ingredients: Zinc powder

Simply dust on this mineral face powder (available in four shades) as you head out the door and enjoy instant protection against the sun's damaging rays. An antimicrobial coating keeps the brush bristles from getting grimy, even when used on sweaty skin. (Learn more here.)