Of all the makeup must-haves, the best tinted moisturizer with SPF might just reign supreme. Why? No matter the season, the desire to embrace one’s natural skin never wanes—meaning a tinted moisturizer packed with sun protection for the face makes it easy to practice a relaxed approach to makeup wearing.
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What is a tinted moisturizer?
We must think of a tinted moisturizer in two parts. To start, the best face moisturizers are an essential step to any regimen, as they trap moisture and thereby can address skin concerns like dryness, flakiness, and itching. Per board-certified dermatologist Dr. Michele Green, “moisturizing also helps soften fine lines and wrinkles by plumping the skin, creating a youthful appearance.” So a tinted moisturizer, by definition, pairs these skin-protecting benefits with light coverage and often a healthy glow.
Tinted moisturizers “are quick, easy, and look really clean in the warmer months, plus the maintenance is easy when it’s warm outside,” celebrity makeup artist Robert Sesnek told Vogue previously. However, just because you opt for a lighter weight base, does not mean you cannot achieve adequate coverage of acne, dark spots, or wrinkles.
Sesnek says the answer to spot treating areas of concern is to dab concealer on after applying your tint. Oh, and if you have oily skin, feel free to set your complexion with a featherlight veil of loose or pressed powder to quell excess shine. In any case, while these benefits might have felt especially relevant during the summer, there’s no need to tuck your favorite formula away as cooler temps emerge—UV protection and conditioning complexion salves come in handy no matter the season. So, read on to discover Vogue’s edit of the best tinted sunscreens to consider.
Best for Light Coverage: Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40
- Why We Like It: Ilia’s Super Serum Skin Tint is one of the market’s most recognizable clean beauty products. Boasting three-in-one benefits, this captured the heart of Vogue’s Mai Morsch and replaced her entire skin-care routine back in 2020. What makes the formula so good isn’t just the featured SPF 40, which offers necessary sun protection, but a smart trio of niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and squalane that aids skin tone, texture, and safety. On coverage and finish, this tint feels more like a serum—imparting a lightweight, dewy finish across its 26 shades. It’s a solid all-around pick for an array of concerns, from wrinkles to acne and dry skin.
- Key Ingredients: Non-nano zinc oxide 12%, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, squalane, shea butter, allantoin, aloe
- Finish: Skin-like, but dewy
- Coverage: Sheer-to-light coverage
- Shades: 26
Best for a Dewy Finish: Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Natural Skin Perfector Broad Spectrum SPF 30
- Why We Like It: Sensek, who counts Andie Macdowell and Shay Mitchell as clients, recommends Laura Mercier’s tinted moisturizer. Across 20 shades, the classic formula expertly delivers a glowy, your-skin, but-better radiance without feeling cakey. Through a cocktail of SPF 30, tamarind seed extract, glycerin, a vitamin complex, silica treated pigments, macadamia, and kukui seed oils, the sheer moisturizer prioritizes 24-hour hydration without budging.
- Key Ingredients: Avobenzone 2.5%, octinoxate 7.49%, octocrylene 2%, and oxybenzone 1%, tamarind seed extract, glycerin, silica treated pigments, macadamia, and kukui seed oils, vitamins C & E
- Finish: Dewy
- Coverage: Light-to-medium
- Shades: 20
Best for Dry Skin: Saie Slip Tint
- Why We Like It: It’s impossible to detail the best tinted moisturizers without mentioning Saie; its Skin Tint is a crowd-favorite for its clean, supercharged ingredient list. “I am grateful I was on [Tiktok] the day that I found this because this has, like, changed my life,” says singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams in her beauty secrets video. Powered by mineral sunscreen SPF 35 (specifically, 100% mineral zinc-oxide), hyaluronic acid, licorice root extract, and pansy flower, the formula helps hydrate, brighten, and protect the skin on each use. There are 14 shades available, each delivering a lightweight, natural glow.
- Key Ingredients: Zinc oxide 12%, licorice fruit extract, hyaluronic acid, grape seed oil, glycerin, jojoba esters, aloe leaf, coconut fruit extract, pansy flower
- Finish: Glow-y
- Coverage: Light-to-medium
- Shades: 14
Best for Sensitive Skin: EltaMD UV Daily Tinted Broad-Spectrum SPF 40
- Why We Like It: Admit it: You’re already a fan of EltaMD’s acclaimed UV Clear—an oft-recommended oil-free sunscreen perfect for even sensitive skin types. One of the brand’s most beloved tinted variants, UV Daily Tinted offers benefits to those with sensitive and acne-prone skin types through a blend of SPF 40, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E. While it offers a silky texture, this lightweight formula is only available in one shade.
- Key Ingredients: Zinc oxide 9%, octinoxate 7.5%, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E
- Finish: Natural
- Coverage: Sheer
- Shades: 1
Best Radiant Finish: Rare Beauty Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 20 Sunscreen
- Why We Like It: After launching last year, Rare Beauty’s tinted moisturizer quickly became a runaway success. Designed to be soothing and nourishing, a botanical blend of lotus, gardenia, and white water lily, plus vitamin E make up this weightless moisturizer that can be massaged in with your fingertips. The radiant finish formula offers 24 shades to choose from, best applied after your daily sunscreen as this features broad spectrum SPF 20.
- Key Ingredients: Homosalate 9%, titanium dioxide 1.8%, zinc oxide 0.9%, vitamin E, lotus, gardenia, and white water lily
- Finish: Radiant
- Coverage: Light-to-medium
- Shades: 24
Best Medium Coverage: Tower 28 Beauty SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen Foundation
- Why We Like It: Last year, celebrity makeup artist Allan Avendaño revealed his penchant for the Tower 28 tint. “It creates a beautiful luminous finish on the skin that evens you out but also never feels heavy,” he explains. Available in 14 shades, this is meant to provide light to medium, buildable coverage, and broad-spectrum UVA/UV SPF 30 protection sans white cast. What’s more, it’s infused with prickly pear and aloe vera to soothe and repair skin. Not to mention, it’s non-comedogenic (meaning it won’t clog pores), and is formulated safe for sensitive and reactive skin types. In fact, the brand follows the National Eczema Association’s ingredient guidelines to avoid irritants and allergens.
- Key Ingredients: Zinc oxide 12.6%, prickly pear, aloe vera, centella asiatica extract
- Finish: Luminous
- Coverage: Light-to-medium
- Shades: 14
Best Sheer Coverage: BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Moisturizer
- Why We Like It: Twenty-four-hour hydration is the ultimate promise of BareMinerals’s tinted moisturizer. The acclaimed oil-free formula is composed of 98% naturally-derived ingredients, including hyaluronic acid and squalane, alongside broad-spectrum, mineral SPF 30 to impart a dewy glow. With 20 shades to choose from, experiencing this gel-cream’s sheer to light coverage is just a shade-match away.
- Key Ingredients: Titanium dioxide 6.2%, hyaluronic acid, squalane
- Finish: Natural
- Coverage: Sheer-to-light
- Shades: 20
Best for Hyperpigmentation: NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30
- Why We Like It: NARS’s tinted moisturizer is a personal favorite. A makeup bag staple for years and arguably my first major complexion purchase in college, this earned my stamp of approval for its buildable coverage and radiant finish. With 16 shades to choose from, I found the right match for my golden undertones, and was even able to veil pigmentation. The infused vitamin C and French Polynesia Kopara have added benefits for brightening, hydrating, and refining.
- Key Ingredients: Octinoxate 7.4%, titanium dioxide 6.1%, glucerin, algae extract, vitamin C, French Polynesia Kopara, turmeric root extract
- Finish: Radiant
- Coverage: Light-to-medium
- Shades: 16
Best for Oily Skin: Shiseido Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Tint SPF 20
- Why We Like It: Letting your natural skin shine through is what makes Shiseido’s tint so special. Because it delivers a natural, nearly matte finish, this weightless formula really looks like your skin-but-better. Crafted with 70% skin-care ingredients, a Responsive Sensory Technology, and a skin-protective complex, this is intelligent enough to resist heat, humidity, oil, and motion while keeping skin hydrated, across its 12 shades.
- Key Ingredients: Octinoxate 6.7%, octocrylene 3%, titanium dioxide 2%, glycerin, squalanae, hyaluronic acid
- Finish: Natural, almost matte
- Coverage: Light
- Shades: 12
Best Full Coverage: IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream Foundation with SPF 50+
- Why We Like It: Many occasions call for a full-coverage formula, whether it’s a wedding, photoshoot, or summertime soiree. If any of those are on the agenda, or you simply gravitate toward full-coverage options, add this IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream to cart. Leaving a natural finish, this cream features hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and vitamin E to veil the look of acne scarring, wrinkles, redness, pores, and discoloration with ease. Not to mention the featured SPF 50+ in each of its 22 available shades.
- Key Ingredients: For rich & deep shades: Homosalate 10%, octisalate 5%, octocrylene 4%, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, vitamin E. For fair through honey shades: titanium dioxide 9%, zinc oxide 6.3%, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, vitamin E
- Finish: Natural
- Coverage: Full coverage
- Shades: 22
Best Drugstore: Honest Beauty CCC Cream Corrective Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30
- Why We Like It: Of the best drugstore tinted moisturizers, Jessica Alba’s Honest Beauty formula rises to the top. Described as a 6-in-1 skincare-makeup hybrid, this is powered by SPF 30, allantoin, and vitamin C to protect skin from environmental stressors. Available in nine shades, most skin tones should be able to experience its luminous finish that also blurs the look of pores, blemishes, and wrinkles thanks to featured specialty powders and blurring spheres.
- Key Ingredients: Zinc oxide 13%, vitamin C, allantoin, blurring spheres
- Finish: Natural, but blurred
- Coverage: Sheer-to-light
- Shades: 9
What to look for in a tinted moisturizer
Experts typically recommend a broad-spectrum formula of SPF 30 or higher, reapplied every 90 minutes. To be frank, no, a tinted moisturizer with SPF is not adequate sun protection on its own. “SPF in moisturizers can be beneficial in protecting the skin from UV rays, but it may not be enough if the two important skin-care steps are combined into one,” says Green. Otherwise, factors like texture, coverage, and shade range are important too—just as your choice of foundation or concealer.
Does my tinted moisturizer need to have SPF?
Whether it is labeled as a tinted moisturizer, skin tint, CC, or BB cream, tinted moisturizer on its own combines the hydrating benefits of a face cream with lightweight coverage that’s perfect for daily wear. While some may find tinted moisturizers with nourishing ingredients like hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, or antioxidants to be sufficient, many of us would prefer something featuring sun protection. This is where the best tinted moisturizer with SPF comes into play.