11 Best Vegan Mineral Sunscreens (Face & Body)

Looking for a sunscreen that’s free of chemical UV blockers (like avobenzone, oxybenzone and octinoxate), as well as animal (by)products? We searched for the best ones out there, resulting in the 11 best vegan mineral sunscreens for face and body.

Chemical vs Mineral Sunscreen

To refresh your memory, sunscreens come in two forms: chemical and mineral. The difference between the two lies in the active ingredients and the way they block UV rays.

Chemical sunscreen uses chemical UV blockers (like avobenzone, octinoxate, and oxybenzone) that are absorbed by the skin and work by dissipating UV rays.

Mineral sunscreen (aka physical sunscreen) consists of natural UV blockers (typically zinc oxide and titanium oxide) that sit on top of the skin and work by reflecting UV rays by providing a physical barrier between the skin and sun’s rays.

Chemical sunscreen = chemical active ingredients; goes into the skin; dissipates UV rays
Mineral sunscreen = natural active ingredients; sits on top of the skin; reflects UV rays

Both forms of sunscreen are effective at protecting your skin against sun exposure, as long as they protect broad spectrum (protect against UVA and UVB rays) with an SPF of at least 30.

Need a quick refresh on the basics of SPF and the difference between UVA and UVB? Scroll down to the bottom of this page.

If you’re new to the mineral sunscreen category and you’re still a bit hesitant, here are 6 reasons why you want to switch to mineral sunscreen.

6 Reasons Why Switching To Mineral Sunscreen Is A Good Idea

1. Mineral Sunscreens Have Evolved
   What were once heavy, hard-to-rub-in creams that almost guaranteed a white cast, the mineral sunscreens nowadays feel like lightweight moisturizers with minimum to no white cast at all
2. Natural Ingredients
   The active ingredients in mineral sunscreens are natural ingredients, as opposed to chemical sunscreen that uses chemicals. There have been some safety concerns about the sun-blocking ingredients used in chemical sunscreens that are absorbed by our skin and enter our bodies. As mineral-based sunscreen lays on top of the skin, the ingredients in mineral sunscreen are less likely to enter our body
3. Easy On The Skin
   Mineral-based sunscreen tends to be more gentle and naturally less irritating than there chemical counterparts
4. Reef-Safe
   Mineral sunscreens are generally known to be reef-safe, as opposed to chemical sunscreen that contains ingredients like oxybenzone and octinoxate, which are linked to harming the coral reefs.
5. No Clogged Pores
   Since mineral sunscreen lays on top of the skin it’s less likely to clog pores, which is why mineral sunscreen is a great choice for acne-prone skin as well
6. No Waiting Time
   Whereas with chemical sunscreen you have to apply 20-30 minutes before going out, mineral sunscreen is effective immediately

Vegan Mineral Sunscreen

While many sunscreen brands still use animal ingredients (beeswax, elastin, collagen to name a few) in their products, in 2022 you do have options when it comes to sunscreens that are free of animal-derived (by)products. We’ve curated the best vegan mineral sunscreens, resulting in the top 11 below.

Since you’re on Beauty.Beyond.Cruelty, of course, these sunscreens are all cruelty-free too.

The 11 Best Vegan Mineral-Based Sunscreens

1. Best Body Sunscreen with SPF50: Coola – Mineral Body Organic Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 Fragrance-Free
2. Best Mineral Face Sunscreen: Biossance – Squalane + Zinc Sheer Mineral Sunscreen
3. Sheer Body Sunscreen: Love Sun Body – Sheer Perfection Mineral Body Sunscreen
4. Best Mineral Face Sunscreen for Dark Spots: Dr. Dennis Gross – All-Physical Dark Spot Sun Defense Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50
5. Body Spray: Sun Bum – Mineral SPF 30 Sunscreen Spray
6. Best Chemical-Free Sunscreen for Babies: Babo Botanicals – Baby Skin Mineral Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 Broad Spectrum
7. Moisturizing Face Sunscreen: KINSHIP – Self Reflect Probiotic Moisturizing Sunscreen Zinc Oxide SPF 32
8. Tinted Moisturizer with SPF: ILIA – Super Serum Skin Tint SPF40
9. Best Body & Face Sunscreen: Thinksport – SPF 50+ Mineral Sunscreen
10. Powder Sunscreen: Colorescience – Sunforgettable Brush-On Sunscreen SPF 30
11. BB Cream + Sunscreen in One: Juice Beauty – SPF 30 Tinted Mineral Moisturizer BB

11 Best Vegan Mineral-Based Sunscreens

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1/11

Best Vegan Mineral Body Sunscreen with SPF50:

Coola

Mineral Body Organic Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 Fragrance-Free

VIEW ON AMAZON | $$

Best for: all skin types, including sensitive | Protection: broad-spectrum (UVA and UVB) | SPF: 50 | Water-resistant: yes, up to 80 minutes | Type: mineral | Active ingredients: zinc oxide 7%, titanium dioxide 3.2% | Cruelty-Free: yes, Coola is a PETA-certified cruelty-free brand. However, they are owned by S.C. Johnson, a company that’s not cruelty-free | Vegan: yes, this product is vegan, as the majority of the brand’s products. However, Coola is not a vegan brand, since they also sell products that do contain animal (by)products | Free of: paraben, fragrance, gluten, animal testing, animal (by)products | Packaging: sustainably sourced sugar-cane resin (100% recyclable)

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2/11

Best Vegan Mineral-Based Sunscreen For Your Face:

Biossance

Squalane + Zinc Sheer Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30

VIEW ON AMAZON | $$

Best for: all skin types | Protection: broad-spectrum (UVA and UVB) | SPF: 30 | Water-resistant: no | Type: mineral | Active ingredients: zinc oxide 14% | Cruelty-free: yes, Biossance is a Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free brand | Vegan: yes, Biossance is a vegan brand | Free of: paraben, sulfates SLS and SLES, synthetic fragrance, animal testing, animal (by)products | Packaging: recyclable plastic

Related: Cruelty-Free + Vegan Brand Biossance and It’s Bestselling Products

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3/11

Best Sheer Body Sunscreen:

Love Sun Body

Sheer Perfection Mineral Body Sunscreen SPF 30

VIEW ON AMAZON | $$

Best for: all skin types, including sensitive | Protection: broad-spectrum (UVA and UVB) | SPF: 30 | Water-resistant: yes, up to 80 minutes | Type: mineral | Active ingredients: non-nano zinc oxide 20% | Cruelty-free: yes, | Vegan: yes, | Free of: any synthetic ingredients, gluten, animal testing, animal (by)products | Packaging: 50% post-consumer recycled plastic + recyclable

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4/11

Best Mineral Face Sunscreen for Aging Skin:

Dr. Dennis Gross

All-Physical Dark Spot Sun Defense Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50

VIEW ON AMAZON | $$$

Best for: aging skin and dark spots | Protection: broad-spectrum (UVA and UVB) | SPF: 50 | Water-resistant: no | Type: mineral | Active ingredients: titanium dioxide 4.9%, zinc oxide 4.42% | Cruelty-free: yes, | Vegan: yes, | Free of: paraben, phthalates, sulfates, animal testing, animal (by)products | Packaging: plastic

Related: The Best Cruelty-Free Face Serums for Aging Skin

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5/11

Best Spray:

Sun Bum

Mineral SPF 30 Sunscreen Spray

VIEW ON AMAZON | $

Best for: all skin types | Protection: broad-spectrum (UVA and UVB) | SPF: 30 | Water-resistant: yes, up to 80 minutes | Type: mineral | Active ingredients: zinc oxide 14.0% | Cruelty-free: yes, | Vegan: yes,| Free of: paraben, mineral oil, silicones, gluten, animal testing, animal (by)products | Packaging: recyclable

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6/11

For Body

Best Chemical-Free Sunscreen for The Littles Ones:

Babo Botanicals

Baby Skin Mineral Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50 Broad Spectrum

VIEW ON AMAZON | $

Best for: babies and very sensitive skin | Protection: broad-spectrum (UVA and UVB) | SPF: 50 | Water-resistant: yes, up to 80 minutes | Type: mineral | Active ingredients: 100% non-nano zinc oxide 20% | Cruelty-free: yes, Babo Botanicals is a PETA-certified cruelty-free brand | Vegan: yes, this is a vegan product. However, Babo Botanicals is not a vegan brand, since they also sell products that do contain animal (by)products | Free of: paraben, sulfates, phthalates, fragrance, gluten, most common allergens, animal testing, animal (by)products

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7/11

Best Face Sunscreen for Dry Skin:

Kinship

Self Reflect Probiotic Moisturizing Sunscreen Zinc Oxide SPF 32

VIEW ON AMAZON | $$

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8/11

For Face

Best Sunscreen + Makeup In One:

ILIA

Super Serum Skin Tint SPF40

VIEW ON AMAZON | $$$

Finish: dewy | Tinted: yes | Best for: all skin types | Protection: broad-spectrum (UVA and UVB), blue light, infrared | SPF: 40 | Water-resistant: no | Type: mineral | Active ingredients: zinc oxide 12% | Cruelty-free: yes | Vegan: yes | Free of: paraben, sulfates SLS and SLES, silicones, fragrance, gluten, animal testing, animal (by)products

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9/11

Best SPF50 for Face and Body:

Thinksport

SPF 50+ Mineral Sunscreen

VIEW ON AMAZON | $

Best for: all skin types | Protection: broad-spectrum (UVA and UVB) | SPF: | Water-resistant: yes, up to 80 minutes | Type: mineral | Active ingredients: non-nano zinc oxide 20% | Cruelty-free: yes, Thinksport is a Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free brand | Vegan: yes, this is a vegan product. Do note that Thinksport is not a vegan brand, as they also sell products that do contain animal (by)products | Free of: avobenzone, oxybenzone, paraben, phthalates, gluten, animal testing, animal (by)products | Packaging: recyclable plastic

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10/11

Best Powder SPF:

Colorescience

Sunforgettable Brush-On Sunscreen SPF 30

VIEW ON AMAZON | $$$

Best for: normal to oily skin | Protection: broad-spectrum (UVA and UVB) | SPF: 30 | Water-resistant: yes | Type: mineral | Active ingredients: titanium dioxide, zinc oxide | Cruelty-free: yes, Colorescience is a cruelty-free brand | Vegan: yes, this is a vegan product. However, Colorescience is not a vegan brand, as it also offers non-vegan products | Free of: paraben, phthalates, sulfates, oils, chemical sunscreen, animal testing, animal (by)products | Packaging: plastic

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11/11

Best BB Cream + Sunscreen:

Juice Beauty

SPF 30 Tinted Mineral Moisturizer BB

VIEW ON AMAZON | $$

Tinted: yes | Best for: dry, normal, and sensitive skin | Protection: broad-spectrum (UVA and UVB) | SPF: 30 | Water-resistant: no | Type: mineral | Active ingredients: zinc oxide 20% | Cruelty-free: yes, Juice Beauty is a PETA and Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free brand | Vegan: yes, this is a vegan product. However, Juice Beauty is not a vegan brand, since they also sell products that do contain animal (by)products | Free of: paraben, sulfates, phthalates, synthetic fragrance, silicones, animal testing, animal (by)products

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Sunscreen Basics

SPF

The number of SPF (Sun Protection Factor) is a relative measure that tells you how well you are protected from UVB rays. However, the difference between for example SPF 30 and SPF 50 are smaller than it sounds. SPF 30 gives you 97% protection, while SPF 50 offers 98%, so that’s only a 1% difference.

Keep in mind that these percentages are only achieved when sunscreen is applied liberally and reapplied every two hours.

Also note that SPF only protects us from UVB rays, not UVA.

UVA vs UVB

Both UVA and UVB rays are harmful to our skin, yet in different ways.

Whereas UVB rays are responsible for sunburn and damage to the skin’s outer layers (which can cause surface-level skin cancers), UVA rays penetrate the skin more deeply causing premature aging and other skin damage that can lead to lower-level skin cancers.

This is why it’s important to use sunscreen that protects us from both UVB rays as well UVA, also known as ‘broad spectrum’.

UVA = aging
UVB = burning
UVA + UVB = broad spectrum

Other Sunscreen Tips

• Don’t forget your lips! They need sunscreen too. For a vegan mineral-based lip SPF we recommend Sun Bum Mineral Sunscreen Lip Balm SPF 30
• Spent a day in the sun? Whether you have a sunburn or not, your skin can use some after sun care to minimize sun damage and restore skin’s moisture
• Double cleanse your face to get all sunscreen from your skin before you go to bed. Use a cleansing oil to dissolve sunscreen and follow with your regular cleanser
• Can your face use a bit of color now that you are wearing sunscreen religiously? Fake your tan with a cream bronzer or add a few tanning drops to your moisturizer

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What Is The Difference Between Cruelty-Free and Vegan?

The term cruelty-free means a product and its ingredients haven’t been tested on animals. Whereas, vegan means a product does not contain any animal ingredients or (by)products.

A product can be cruelty-free and not vegan. In the same way, a product can be vegan and not cruelty-free.

The products in this article are all vegan and cruelty-free.

How Do We Know If A Brand Is Cruelty-Free?

We at Beauty.Beyond.Cruelty always do our research to ensure the brands on this site don’t test on animals or allow others to do so on their behalf.

We check the brand’s cruelty-free status on their website, we reach out to brands, we verify if the brand is certified cruelty-free by PETA or Leaping Bunny, and we check its status with cruelty-free database Cruelty-Free Kitty.

Sometimes, the cruelty-free status of a brand remains unclear. If there is any doubt about a brand being 100% cruelty-free, the brand will not make it in here.

Parent Company Note

A cruelty-free brand can be owned by a parent company that does tests on animals.

Since the products and ingredients of the brand itself are never tested on animals, we at Beauty.Beyond.Cruelty consider these brands to be cruelty-free.

However, we do always mention it below each product when a brand has a parent company that tests on animals.

Why Trust Beauty.Beyond.Cruelty

We at Beauty.Beyond.Cruelty are beauty enthusiasts + devoted animal lovers that pour through the internet to select the best cruelty-free skincare, hair, and makeup products that are here to find.

Our findings are based on reading (lots of) reviews, doing ingredient research as well as testing the products ourselves.

Questions or Remarks?

Do you have any questions or remarks about the vegan mineral sunscreens in this article, or do you know a sunscreen that needs to be added to this list? We’d love to hear from you in the comments down below.

More Vegan + Cruelty-Free:

• The Best Vegan + Cruelty-Free Gel Moisturizers
• The Best Vegan + Cruelty-Free Cream Bronzers
• The Best Vegan + Cruelty-Free Lip Plumpers
• The Best Vegan + Cruelty-Free Cellulite Creams