I have a definite love/hate relationship with mineral sunscreens. I know they're great for sensitive skin, tinted ones with iron oxides can help with melasma more, plus they do help keep shine at bay better than chemical versions. On the other side I find them drying at times and there's always the dreaded white cast with many. This has changed a little since the last round of Top 3 Mineral Sunscreens though a few are the same still (HERE). I seem to gravitate the most towards tinted minerals, I know not everyone loves a tinted version but they really minimize the white cast for me, they double as foundation plus they seem to almost always work for my skintone as I'm more light medium. I also prefer a satin finish in general for minerals, not full on dewy but not matte either. I don't want it to dry me out at the end of the day nor be a glazed doughnut SPF. I also need non-pilling, low to no fragrance and no alcohol as criteria.
Alastin HydraTint Pro Mineral makes it a second round as a favorite. It has a lotion like texture, satin finish, doesn't dry me out, never pills and doubles as foundation. It has no white cast and sits beautifully on the skin. It's not for everyone and I know the tint can be a bit darker and may not work for fair skin tones, it also may not work for deeper skin tones. I think I remember they were considering working on a shade expansion and I hope they do as they texture is fabulous. Review HERE.
Priori Tetra fx251 is a tinted mineral that's a bit more emollient yet thinner than Alastin. The product is thin, has no white cast, no heavy or greasy feel, isn’t drying and it also works as a tinted moisturizer. Plus it also offers blue light and antioxidant protection. It also has the Priori DNA Repair Enzyme Complex with blue/green algae, microbes & mustard seed extract to help repair skin. It never pills on me ever. It could be moisturizer and lotion or just SPF depending how dry you are. I use it as SPF only as it's a mineral and all minerals tend to get drier on me as the day goes on. It does also double as foundation as well. It only has one tint so it's not very inclusive like Alastin. I have not tried their non-tinted version which I would like to one day.
Elta MD UV Elements is similar to the above two, same satin finish, doubles as foundation, no white cast, no pilling, doesn't dry you out yet isn't really hydrating or greasy either. Ultimately they all have a really similar feel on the skin. This one definitely has a better price point, It's slightly less emollient that the other two I would say. The texture is slightly thinner and smoother with Alastin and Priori. Minute differences. All of the above are alcohol and fragrance free.
The newest addition to my mineral favorites is the Heliocare Mineral Tolerance Fluid. It actually beats them all. It's the first fluid, thin textured sunscreen that has no white cast, isn't drying and doesn't pill. It's faintly tinted but not enough to double as foundation or anything. Just enough to offset any white cast. I love how fluid it is without being greasy nor drying. It has no alcohol with a light banana scent, nothing bothersome. I have no idea how all of these perform on POC as I haven't seen them in videos demonstrating. They work for me which is why I mention them. I am fully aware mineral sunscreens are not only extremely personal as well as not for everyone. These all have my satin finish, no pilling/alcohol/white cast/low to no fragrance criteria met. I have tried some great thin fluid minerals as well that likely would work on more skin tones, they just tend to dry me out by the end of the day so they are not included here. These ones don't dry me out. That's a huge thing I look for in a mineral sunscreen. Heliocare is easily my favorite new find but I still love the others as they double as foundation and save me a step.
Top to Bottom-Alastin, Priori, Elta MD, Heliocare:
