These are the face SPFs that leave no white cast on Black skin
I've been a beauty journo for a decade and let me tell you, the sunscreen situation has vastly improved. When I was younger, as a sun-loving Black child, my parents would coat me in sunblock that left me so damn ashy. The white cast felt unavoidable.
Nowadays, the SPF game is slicker than ever, and there are tons of options for darker skin that'll leave you glowy and protected - not grey and sticky AF. So, you have no excuse for not protecting yourself against harmful UVA/UVB rays all year round. Yes, you read that correctly – All. Year. Round.
You need to be applying sunscreen to your face and neck every day that ends in 'Y' because while yes, Black people are less likely to develop skin cancer, we can still get it. Due to the myth surrounding the sun's effects on Black skin, people have been led to believe they are immune to the risk of exposure to UV rays, and therefore skin cancer is more likely to have reached an advanced stage when found in Black skin. It's a very real reality that can be prevented by slathering on a high-factor SPF daily.
And now, with the development that goes into brands' formulas (I'm talking barely-there finishes and non-tacky textures), there's plenty of choice. Gone are the days when using an SPF meant leaving our melanin-rich skin a horrible dull grey colour. Here are our top picks below…
BTW, our Summer Beauty Bible is on newsstands now. Don't miss your chance to grab your guide full of helpful tips and product recs – buy now, keep forever.
All of these SPFs have been tested rigorously by our team multiple times to check things like wear time and ease of reapplication. We believe that SPF should be worn daily to protect our skin from harmful UV rays, so it's important that these formulas feel good to use, sink in quickly and layer on top of the rest of our other skincare daily. As well as feeling good, the focus of testing these for Black skin is that these SPF's leave no visible cast on the skin – guaranteed.UV rays are known for bringing out dark spots so this clever, sheer SPF helps to reverse the look of them while protecting skin from getting more. Plus, we get extra smoothness from the niacinamide. Triple tick.
£19.99 at boots.com£24.00 at spacenk.com.ukThe water-gel consistency of this sunscreen means that not only does it not leave a white cast it's a great base for makeup (you can thank the formula's active microcapsules for this) leaving more of a dewy finish.
Imagine a traditional makeup primer texture without the silicone slip, that's how this gem applies on the skin so you also don't have to wait ages for it to sink in before cracking on with your makeup.
£32.00 at This is a totally transparent SPF 30 formula with marine-friendly ingredients and contains red algae, which neutralises blue light damage too. This formula dries matte so if you prefer a more matte/satin-y base you'll definitely prefer this one over the Glossier.
£34.00 at cultbeauty.co.ukWith hyaluronic acid, aloe vera and vitamin E, this lotion is super moisturising, delivering daily radiance and hydration as well as high UVA and UVB protection. With this baby you can skip your moisturiser altogether.
£23.00 at sephora.co.ukWe love a multi-tasker here at Cosmo and getting a vitamin C hit along with sun protection is a win. The texture is lightweight and dries down quickly so is great for makeup application, too. It leaves your skin a little dewy but if you're after even more shine, you can try the Glow version.
£8.65 at amazon.co.ukThe old adage goes, the best sunscreen is the one you'll wear everyday, and this is mine. It's the perfect texture so you can forego a moisturiser and just apply this as a does-it-all step before heading out. Plus, it's water-resistant, so minimal reapplication is required.
£22.00 at spacenk.com.ukThis gem proves that there is no excuse for brands creating SPF that leaves a white cast. This is probably the most 'traditional' sunscreen of the bunch but doesn't even leave a whisper of residue on the skin. The formula is super runny and lightweight, making it ridiculously easy to blend.
£20.00 at lookfantastic.comThis baby is all about the highest protection in the lightest formula. Fast absorbing and hydrating, it works beautifully under makeup. And it's part of the Future Renew line, so, of course, there's age-defying peptide technology.
£22.45 at boots.comRiri strikes again with her latest industry-approved skincare drop. The SPF 30 formula, which pumps out pink, is highly-moisturising and offers more hydrating benefits thanks to the hyaluronic acid in the ingredients list. Plus, it's oil-free so there's none of that overly greasy residue. We love to see it.
£35.00 at boots.comThis is golden if you are going out with makeup on and you don't want to disrupt your masterpiece by rubbing in sunscreen every two hours. With this SPF you can do your normal AM skincare routine and your makeup and then mist it on top to protect you from harmful rays. We stan a multitasking product.
£19.00 at sculptedbyaimee.co.ukElena Says; "If you're worried about sunscreen triggering acne or making it worse, look for something labelled oil-free and non-comodogenic, meaning it won't clog your pores. With its oil-free gel formula, matte finish and affordable price point, Heliocare is a popular recommendation from derms for those who struggle with acne."
£23.00 at amazon.co.ukStory-time – When I was 18, I went skiing with my sixth form and high factor suncream was on the packing list. Being the skin-conscious teen that I was, I slathered on factor 50. I now can't look at any of those pictures because the white cast was so bad, I looked like I dipped my face in flour. If only I had this Ultrasun find. It helps to prevent dark spots and is suitable for sensitive skin. It has a slight tint to it which as first seems like it won't blend but once smoothed on it's not detectable.
£32.00 at lookfantastic.comThis one's a water spray, so no grey tinge and no residue. It sets quickly so won't ruin makeup, and includes hyaluronic acid which helps to plump the skin up whilst protecting from the sun. Plus as an added bonus, thanks to it being designed for face and body, it's a whooping 200ml so you can spray your entire self as well as your whole family and everyone else on the beach without running out. It's also available in factor 50.
£16.12 at boots.com
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Black America Web
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Op-Ed: Care For Constituents Or Chaos? Medicaid Cuts Will Devastate All Of Us
Source: Jemal Countess / Getty In our country, which has so much abundance, poverty shouldn't be a death sentence. However, proposed cuts to Medicaid will cause many individuals, families and communities to suffer for that very reason–poverty. Significant and potentially massive cuts to Medicaid will cause irreparable harm. Shockwaves will reverberate in rural, urban, and suburban communities, and impact individuals, working families, many of our most fragile elderly and our most vulnerable young and disabled. I offer this perspective as a public health practitioner. I have spent my career supporting and advancing health systems in our country, across Louisiana, the Gulf Coast, and in our nation's capital, Washington, D.C., Medicaid supports our workforce and health systems (hospitals and clinics), in addition to individuals, families, and communities Medicaid provides insurance to people with low incomes and people who have disabilities. This includes many individuals who work, but still don't work jobs with health insurance, work part-time, or don't make enough to cover insurance. It is the nation's single largest health insurance program. And it is wildly popular. More than 96% of Americans believe the program is important in their communities and recent national polls from January 2025 found that 80% of Americans have a favorable view of Medicaid. Some may wonder if I am overreacting. I'm not. More than 70 million Americans receive health care coverage under the Medicaid program. In Louisiana, where I live, one-third of our adult population is on Medicaid, and the percentage of coverage is even higher in rural areas. In fact, Medicaid plays a much larger role in covering rural communities in Louisiana and across our country than it does in metro/areas. In other parts of the South, like rural Kentucky, more than 40% of the population is on Medicaid. These individuals, like all of us, want nothing more than to live healthy and thriving lives while making ends meet for their families and making their children's futures more prosperous. The public may envision people on Medicaid as unworthy of receiving assistance. But there is no one profile of a Medicaid recipient. They come from all backgrounds, all races and ethnicities, all ages and all communities. In fact, most low-income Americans, whether rural or urban, Black or White, Republican or Democrat, share an economic fate impacted by hardship, and the solution to their support and prosperity is also shared. For instance, 'The number of people earning less than $25,750 for a family of four is rising in both Republican and Democratic districts, and across racial and geographic lines.' It's also important to understand the range of services people receive from Medicaid. Services include everything from general health services, to behavioral health (mental health and substance use) services, disability services, maternal health supports and more. Impacts across all of these areas could be devastating with federal and state cuts to beneficiaries or benefits. For example, maternal health outcomes, particularly maternal mortality, continue to devastate families and communities across our country. Louisiana had the nation's fourth-highest maternal mortality rate in 2021 at 60.9 deaths per 100,000 births, but I know this is not just a Louisiana problem; it's a national one. The March of Dimes reported that '870 maternal deaths occurred each year…and every year 50,000 women experience a life-threatening complication (sometimes called a near-miss)' or severe maternal health complication. With such high risk, good coverage and high-quality care is more important than ever, and over 42% of all births in our country are covered by Medicaid. Reducing these Medicaid benefits would be disastrous to mothers, babies and families. Chancing the lives of mothers and babies is simply too risky! While I referenced maternal health, Medicaid supports the existence of healthier communities. Beyond the immediacy of illness, sick people can't work, study, or play. They can't contribute to their families, our communities, and the country's economy—from kids, to employers, to the GDP, everyone loses. Our nation's health systems, from rural health centers to large urban hospital systems receive critical funding to cover the millions of peoples seeking care. The healthcare sector, one of the most important sectors of our economy overall, relies heavily on Medicaid reimbursement to sustain jobs and services. Cuts of great magnitude will threaten clinics, hospitals and medical providers. We will see the impacts of this immediately in rural regions with the shuttering of services, significant job losses, and further diminishing already challenged access to care. With health care shortages already existing, our conversations need to be continued around closing the gaps in access, not creating new chasms. Now more than ever, we need our leaders and legislative champions to protect our communities and their health and well-being! Given the adverse impact Medicaid cuts would have on the nation, we need to boldly reject proposals that will weaken the program and impact all of our communities. Given its importance, some may wonder why elected leaders would want to cut the program. Some legislators propose cutting Medicaid as part of a broader plan to give $4.5 trillion in tax cuts. Others want to lower the federal deficit, a $1.1 trillion deficit at the end of February 2025. Policymakers should not attempt to bring down federal spending with ill-conceived strategies that will only add to Americans' suffering. They should instead think strategically about taxation. Legislators can bring a great deal of confidence in their leadership by examining other alternatives to drastic Medicaid cuts, by reminding us that they care for all of their constituents, and that they are creating a vision for a healthier future based on their community's needs—timely doctors' visits, healthy births, high quality mental health care and substance use supports—not disregarding, or even worse targeting the thing that keeps us safe and well. Shelina Davis is the Chief Executive Officer of the Louisiana Public Health Institute. SEE ALSO: 'We All Are Going To Die': Joni Ernst's Chilling Defense Of Medicaid Cuts Sparks Outrage At Iowa Town Hall The Midnight Medicaid Cuts: Why The GOP's Reconciliation Bill Is A Raw Deal For The American People SEE ALSO Op-Ed: Care For Constituents Or Chaos? Medicaid Cuts Will Devastate All Of Us was originally published on Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
