20 Aveeno Protect + Refresh aerosol
Protect yourself from the sun's harmful rays mile after mile.
SPF 30 version. Fastest Marathon Runners?
Races - Places running shoes, but often overlook another essential piece of gear to keep them safe: sunscreen. No matter the season, you should apply sunscreen before every run.
It’s especially important in the summer, when the sun’s UVB rays are strong and increase your risk of sunburn. “You need to apply sunscreen before your run, but you also need to be diligent about reapplication while you’re outdoors,” says avid runner Jeanine B. Downie, M.D., director of Image Dermatology in Montclair, New Jersey.
While standard protection protocol calls for reapplication every two hours, Downie suggests runners reapply on any run that extends beyond an hour. (So yes, you should bring sunscreen with you on long runs, or plan your routes so you can make a pit stop at home.)
For Less Mess, these pro tips can help: “Look for oil-free, water-resistant, or fragrance-free formulas to prevent stinging, and apply it one hour before heading outside to allow it to fully absorb,” recommends Dendy Engelman, M.D., a dermatologic surgeon at Medical Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery Centers in New York City. For exercise, she likes powdered sunscreens, which tend to adhere to skin better and can absorb sweat. Both Downie and Engelman suggest SPF 30 or higher.
Is Your Sunscreen Safe?
Last summer, an independent lab tested 294 samples of sunscreens and found 78 to contain detectable levels of a cancer-causing chemical called benzene. One of those sunscreens, Neutrogena Cool Dry Sport aerosol spray, had previously been on our list of recommended sunscreens for runners, but we have removed it due to the recall by Johnson & Johnson. Other J&J sunscreens affected by the recall include:
- Neutrogena Beach Defense aerosol
- Neutrogena Cool Dry Sport aerosol
- London Marathon Results
- Neutrogena Ultra Sheer aerosol
- Aveeno Protect + Refresh aerosol
A full list of the lab's test results can be found here
. None of the other sunscreens on our list appear in the test results. However, there is no way to tell if your sunscreen has been contaminated, according to CNN—benzene is not a listed ingredient on any of the recalled sunscreens.
How We Tested
We enlisted more than a dozen of our editors to thoroughly evaluate and test the majority of the sweat-resistant sunscreens on this list. We researched the market, spoke with product managers, and used our own experience actually running while wearing these sunscreens to determine the best options.
Our team of experienced testers spent many hours and miles using them on hot, sunny days, as well as overcast afternoons, and we’ve applied them with enough time to dry, as well as slathering some on right before heading out the door for a lunch run. We evaluated these formulas on performance, price, protection, smell, value, and ease of application to come up with this list of sunscreens that will keep you covered when you're pounding the pavement. For those we couldn't test, we looked for brands that earned top marks from experts and reviewers alike.
Key Specs
- SPF: 30
- Type: Lotion
- Notable Ingredients: Vitamin E
For Top Performance 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, SPF 30 version gives you protection for up to four hours.
thinksport SPF 50+ Sunscreen
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.
Supergoop! Play Everyday Lotion SPF 50
Key Specs
- SPF: 50
- Type: Moisturizer
- Notable Ingredients: important in the summer
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.
KINeSYS Performance Sunscreen KINeSYS Fragrance Free Clear Spray Sunscreen
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.
Coola Classic Body Sunscreen
Key Specs
- SPF: 30
- Type: Lotion
- Notable Ingredients: The 7 Best Hydration Packs for Runners
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.
Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen SPF 45
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.
BLUE LIZARD Sport Mineral Sunscreen with Zinc Oxide
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.
Coola Organic Mineral Sunscreen & Sunblock Body Lotion
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.
Black Girl Sunscreen Moisturizing Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30
Key Specs
- SPF: 50
- Type: Lotion
- Notable Ingredients: For Your Head and Hair
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: Nutrition - Weight Loss
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.
Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40
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.
Banana Boat Light As Air SPF 50+
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.
Eleven by Venus Williams Unrivaled Sun Serum SPF 35
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.
Coola Organic SPF 30 Scalp & Hair Mist
Key Specs
- SPF: 30
- Type: Mist
- Notable Ingredients: For a Moisturizing, Clear Finish
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.
Colorescience Sunforgettable Total Protection Mineral Brush-On Shield SPF 50
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. (Neutrogena Beach Defense aerosol.)
Why Trust Us Runner’s World and the director of product testing. He has tested and reviewed running shoes, GPS watches, headphones, apparel, and more for nearly two decades. He regularly tests more than 100 pairs of shoes each year, and once had a 257-day streak running in different models. Jeff can usually be found on the roads, racing anything from the mile to a marathon, but he also enjoys racing up mountains and on snowshoes. When he’s not running, you’ll probably find him hanging from a ladder making repairs and renovations to his house (he’s also director of product testing for Popular Mechanics).
Before joining Runner's World, Gabrielle Hondorp spent 6 years in running retail (she has tested top gear from shoes, to watches, to rain jackets which has expanded her expertise—and her closets); she specializes in health and wellness, and is an expert on running gear from head-to-toe. Gabi began her journalism career as a Digital Editorial Fellow for Runner’s World and Bicycling Magazine, and has since advanced to a Runner's World Editor specializing in commerce. She has a double degree in English and Media and Communication from Muhlenberg College where she also ran cross country and track.
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