The 5 Best Sunscreens for Darker Skin Tones

Trust me: I know the importance of sunscreen. I know that even as a Black woman—contrary to popular belief—I'm not immune to skin cancer, the sun can increase my skin's signs of aging and hyperpigmentation. But, with all that being said, I still didn't want to wear it.

As a Black woman, sunscreen and I have not had the best relationship over the years. Flashbacks to tennis matches in high school haunt me, as my face was constantly covered in bright-white, thick, goopy lotion. It never blended with my skin tone and always left a white cast all over me (which, of course, I found to be quite embarrassing). Growing up, there weren't many good options on the market for people with my skin color; at least, not that I knew of. To make things worse, my skin is über sensitive, so breakouts were pretty consistent.

It wasn't until recently that I started to really research what was going to work for me. Maybe it was the little line that started creeping onto my forehead from what, I'm convinced, is from too many beach days sans sunscreen or the fact that I've been scolded by two beauty gurus when I told them I wasn't wearing it every day, but I decided it was probably time I get serious about adding this step to my morning routine. (Even when I'm not going outside!)

The journey for finding the right sunscreen wasn't actually all that easy. There were still some that made me feel like that high school tennis player who looked 10 shades lighter than she actually was, and I also suffered some breakouts from a few of the contenders, but in the end, I found my winners. I'm positive these would work on all skin tones, but for those with darker tones like mine, I highly recommend you give the following few a try. I promise your skin will thank you!