Which Light, Liquid Sunscreen ‘Veil’ Works the Best?
Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Welcome to sunscreen week at the Cut, where we provide you products reviews, tips, and news you’ll need for better sun safety.
Come summer, the last thing I want to do is put anything on my face that’ll make me any stickier and shinier than I already am. My sensitive, finicky skin tends to flake, sting, and break out, sometimes all at the same time. Sunscreens make matters worse, so I generally avoid them, even though I’m well aware of the consequences. Now in my late-twenties, my face is a ticking time bomb of wrinkles. I’ve recently noticed a light sprinkling of sunspots on my cheeks, and so I’ve considered changing my ways.
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Luckily, our beauty editor Christina Han — horrified at my disregard for sun protection — introduced me to a new kind of sunscreen called a “veil.” Unlike traditional sun creams, which tend to be thicker and greasy-feeling despite their label’s proclamations to the contrary, these are highly concentrated and liquid. They absorb easily, and leave you feeling like you don’t have anything on your face.
Eleven sun veils, two sun-filled weekends, and one minor sunburn later, I’ve finally found some SPF I don’t hate. My requirements are pretty basic: I want to feel like I’m not wearing sunscreen. More specifically, I want something that doesn’t smell bad, sting when I put it on, or make my face feel melt-y. And to my surprise, none of these were terrible, and a lot of them passed with flying colors! I might actually board the sunscreen train for good.
Recommended With Reservations La Roche Posay Anthelios 60 Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid with Cell-OX Shield XL
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I try this one first because ...
Recommended With Reservations La Roche Posay Anthelios 60 Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid with Cell-OX Shield XL
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I try this one first because it’s the brand my mom uses, and learn my first sun-veil lesson: pour it onto your palm, as opposed to your fingers, because it really is liquid. My face stings a bit when I put it on, particularly the area right above my cheekbones. That region is extra-sensitive and gets all red and peel-y at the drop of a hat, but then calms down after about five minutes. It has that distinct sunscreen smell, which goes away after about an hour. I can definitely feel that it’s on my face, as though I’m wearing BB cream. I’m a little shinier-looking, but on the plus side, it provides a nice base for concealer and powder. Photo: Courtesy photo
Recommended with Reservations Kiehl’s Super Fluid UV Defense Sunscreen SPF 50+
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At a friend’s lake house in Virginia over Memorial Day weeken...
Recommended with Reservations Kiehl’s Super Fluid UV Defense Sunscreen SPF 50+
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At a friend’s lake house in Virginia over Memorial Day weekend, I forget to put on sunscreen the first day we’re there (blame the bloody marys). Around noon, I feel my face getting crispy and feverishly slather this stuff all over my face, chest, and shoulders; it smells vaguely sunscreen-y but the odor quickly dissipates. I am impressed that it doesn’t sting, considering my skin is already a little painful to the touch. One of my friends tries it, too, and remarks how smooth it feels on her skin. The one downside: It’s a little greasy. It’s not heavy, but I can definitely feel it, and my face looks shiny. Photo: Courtesy photo
Recommended with Reservations Sulwhasoo Age Veil UV Protection Cream, SPF 30+
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This stuff had a light herbal scent and was the best-smelling ...
Recommended with Reservations Sulwhasoo Age Veil UV Protection Cream, SPF 30+
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This stuff had a light herbal scent and was the best-smelling of the bunch. But it was also the thickest; while the others were all quite liquid, this resembled actual lotion, and left my skin feeling slick. I could sense it sitting on top of my face all day, making me even sweatier. On a positive note, it really worked well. I wore it on a long, hot walk in the sun, followed by an outdoor meal, and didn’t get pink in the least. Photo: Courtesy photo
Strongly Recommended Algenist Ultra Lightweight UV Defense Fluid SPF 50
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The bottle says it’s formulated with Alguronic Acid with Biotechnolo...
Strongly Recommended Algenist Ultra Lightweight UV Defense Fluid SPF 50
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The bottle says it’s formulated with Alguronic Acid with Biotechnology from San Francisco. There isn’t much sun in San Francisco and I don't know what Alguronic Acid is, but it sounds impressive. The scent is really serious, almost like alcohol, but not in a bad way. In my experience, extra frills like fragrances make for more irritation. It absorbs very well and doesn’t need lots of rubbing-in. About five minutes later, I feel like I’m wearing nothing at all, and there's no additional shine. I wear it to the office and my face feels normal all day. Photo: Courtesy photo
Strongly Recommended Chanel UV Essentiel Complete Sunscreen UV Protection SPF 30
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I put this on before a long, boozy picnic on a sunny Saturd...
Strongly Recommended Chanel UV Essentiel Complete Sunscreen UV Protection SPF 30
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I put this on before a long, boozy picnic on a sunny Saturday, and while my arms and legs turned a little pink, my face was fine, even though I sweated buckets — I am impressed with Chanel’s tolerance for bodily functions. The fluid itself feels incredibly luxurious. It even smells expensive, and not at all like sunscreen. It absorbs well and makes me feel pampered instead of sun-damage-fearing. Photo: Courtesy photo
Strongly Recommended Estée Lauder DayWear Advanced Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant & UV Defense SPF 50
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This is one of the creamier,...
Strongly Recommended Estée Lauder DayWear Advanced Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant & UV Defense SPF 50
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This is one of the creamier, less-liquidy options. At first I assumed it would thus feel heavier on my skin, but isn't wasn’t the case. And while I know that the anti-oxidants wouldn’t make a difference in just one day, I swear my skin actually feels smoother when I wash it before bed at night. It also smells faintly floral, like Lilies of the Valley, which is nice. Photo: Courtesy photo
Strongly Recommended Kate Somerville Daily Deflector Waterlight Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ Anti-Aging Suncreen
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Another highly concentrated, all-...
Strongly Recommended Kate Somerville Daily Deflector Waterlight Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ Anti-Aging Suncreen
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Another highly concentrated, all-business formula: It absorbs quickly, smells only briefly of sunscreen, and didn’t make me feel sticky even after riding on a smelly, un-air-conditioned subway car. Thumbs up. Photo: Courtesy photo
Strongly Recommended Orgo Completely Weightless SPF 29 Sunscreen Face Spray
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This sprayed on totally clear, but spraying sunscreen on my face...
Strongly Recommended Orgo Completely Weightless SPF 29 Sunscreen Face Spray
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This sprayed on totally clear, but spraying sunscreen on my face felt a little weird (I worried about getting it in my hair), so I put some on my palms to apply manually and discovered that the liquid droplets were actually white. I also sprayed a little bit of it in my morning coffee by accident. It didn’t make my face greasy at all, even after a full day at the office and a humid night under hot, bright lights on the CFDA red carpet, which was a relief. Photo: Courtesy photo
Strongly Recommended Bona Clara Hello Sunshine Universal Fluid SPF 29
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This stuff has the consistency of milk and comes in a tiny clear plast...
Strongly Recommended Bona Clara Hello Sunshine Universal Fluid SPF 29
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This stuff has the consistency of milk and comes in a tiny clear plastic bottle with a glass dropper, which for some reason makes me feel like I’m feeding a baby animal. The dropper is convenient, though, as it prevents me from pouring out too much, which has been a problem throughout the testing process because the veils are all so watery. It feels nourishing when I put it on my skin, and absorbs within minutes.
Strongly Recommended SkinCeuticals Sheer Physical UV Defense Sunscreen SPF 50
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It's so concentrated that I couldn’t even rub in a full nickel...
Strongly Recommended SkinCeuticals Sheer Physical UV Defense Sunscreen SPF 50
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It's so concentrated that I couldn’t even rub in a full nickel-sized amount of it; this veil felt potent but didn’t irritate my skin at all. Although my face was a little shinier than usual afterwards, it wasn’t anything a little powder couldn’t fix. I wore it to the office and my mug felt normal all day. Photo: Courtesy photo
All-around Winner Kerstin Florian Sun Face Serum SPF 25
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I put this on the morning after my Memorial Day sunburn, and it felt awesome. It was...
All-around Winner Kerstin Florian Sun Face Serum SPF 25
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I put this on the morning after my Memorial Day sunburn, and it felt awesome. It was almost totally odorless and actually felt soothing, like face serums often do. My skin drank it up and it left no shine or residue whatsoever. This was the only one I tried that was totally clear, not white. It also had the lowest SPF of the bunch, so perhaps that’s why it was so lightweight. Maybe it was my imagination, but I think it actually made my skin feel smoother and my pores look smaller. Photo: Courtesy photo
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