6 Fungal Acne Safe Sunscreens for Oily, Acne-Prone Skin

Breaking out from sunscreen? These six fungal acne-safe sunscreens are lightweight, breakout-friendly, and ideal for oily, acne-prone skin (all without leaving a white cast).

If you have oily, acne-prone, skin like I do, you’ll understand this struggle: choosing between protecting your skin with SPF and potentially breaking out, or skipping the sunscreen altogether and keeping your skin clear. Talk about a rock and hard place. For the longest time, I approached sunscreen with a lot of caution, only wearing it if I had to, and skipping it entirely if I was mostly indoors (not a wise choice, I know).

I tried so many different kinds of sunscreens too. Chemical! Mineral! Korean! European! And while some fared better than others, there was always a high likelihood of my skin openly revolting against SPF. But all that changed when I stumbled into the world of fungal acne–safe sunscreens. Now, I’ve never been diagnosed with fungal acne, but, for whatever mysterious cosmic reason, these formulas just break me out less. Like, A LOT less. Maybe it's the lighter textures, or the lack of oils and emollients. Maybe it's just skincare magic. All I know is: my skin stopped fighting me when I switched to fungal acne safe skincare.

Today, I wear sunscreen all day, every day, and I even reapply it a few times a day without any issue. So here are the 6 fungal-acne safe sunscreens I love and trust, all personally tried and tested by me over the last few years.

Best Overall: Paula’s Choice Youth-Extending Daily Fluid SPF 50

Lightweight? Check. Matte-but-not-drying? Check. Works nicely under makeup? Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner.

The Paula’s Choice Youth Extending Daily Fluid has been my holy grail sunscreen for the last 2 years. Even when I experiment and try other sunscreens, I always find myself repurchasing this one and using it all up. It’s thin, fluid, and absorbs instantly, which means zero white cast and absolutely no greasy shine halfway through the day.

And if just being an amazing sunscreen wasn’t enough, it also contains high-quality antioxidants like green tea extract, pomegranate and goji extract, all of which help protect the skin from pollution and other external factors that damage the skin. If you have oily skin and hate the feeling of sunscreen, the Paula’s Choice Youth Extending Daily Fluid is the one that’ll convert you.

Best Everyday Sunscreen: Nivea UV Super Water Gel SPF 50

This one is your everyday, no-drama, no-complaints sunscreen for acne-prone skin.

The Nivea UV Super Water Gel is as effortless as sunscreen gets. The texture is like a light lotion, but once you rub it in, it’s so lightweight you’ll forget it’s there. Aside from being fungal acne safe, it also contains an ingredient called Kihaeda Bark Extract, which is known for its antiflammatory and anti-bacterial properties—making it a great choice for skin that’s especially acne-prone. The addition of hyaluronic acid keeps your moisture levels balanced so your skin never feels tight or stripped after application.

One of my favorite things about it is how seamlessly it layers. You can reapply it throughout the day without feeling like you’re stacking product on product or creating a greasy sunscreen film. And because it’s budget-friendly, you’ll actually use the generous amount of SPF that dermatologists recommend. Simple, effective, and fuss-free—everything sunscreen should be.

Best for Sensitive Skin: COSRX Ultra-Light Invisible Sunscreen SPF 50

You’ll see from the image above that I’ve already emptied 2 tubes of this sunscreen (partially because it’s so wearable, but also partially because you don’t get a lot in one tube). But truly, I do think COSRX has come through with a sunscreen that both sensitive, and fungal acne–prone skin can agree on.

Although they call it “Ultra-light”, the texture of this sunscreen is closer to a lightweight moisturizer. But, fear not, that doesn’t mean it feels heavy on the skin, it actually spreads easily and settles into a natural, skin-like finish that never looks greasy. The formula is designed for more sensitive skin, with the addition of calming ingredients like aloe, witch hazel, and allantoin alongside good ol’ hyaluronic acid for light hydration. Even better, it leaves absolutely no white cast, disappearing completely even on deeper skin tones.

If I had to call out one small flaw in this sunscreen it’s that it can pill under makeup or when reapplied a few times, so I wouldn’t really recommend it for full-makeup days.

Best Sunscreen That Doubles as Moisturizer: Laneige Water Bank UV Barrier Sunscreen SPF 50+

Of all the sunscreens on this list, the Laneige Water Bank UV Barrier Sunscreen is the closest in texture to a moisturizer.

This is a fairly new release from the popular Korean brand, but it’s already finding a place in my sunscreen favorites. It has a hydrating, cushiony texture that feels more like a lightweight moisturizer than sun protection, yet leaves a completely non greasy finish. It’s formulated with 2 types of hyaluronic acid (Blue Hyaluronic Acid and 5D Hyaluronic Acid), which the brand claims can help sooth the skin’s moisture barrier, while maintaining hydration levels. It also contains allantoin and bisabolol that help calm and soothe the skin, and blackberry extract for antioxidant power.

This is another one of those sunscreens that layers well, and can be reapplied during the day without worrying about creating a greasy film on the skin. The only drawback for sensitive skin is that it does contain fragrance, so if your skin can’t handle that, then I’d steer you towards some of these alternative options.

Best Tinted Sunscreen: Colorescience Sunforgettable Face Shield Flex SPF 50

The only mineral sunscreen on my list is a tinted one, and for good reason. While traditional mineral sunscreens tend to leave a white cast on deeper skin tones, tinted mineral sunscreens avoid that issue. Plus they protect not just from UV light, but also visible light (another kind of light which can also worsen hyperpigmentation), so it’s honestly a win-win.

The Colorescience Sunforgettable Face Shield Flex uses a tinted mineral formula that actually blends into the skin, thanks to iron oxides that help even out tone without the white cast most mineral sunscreens leave behind. That tint isn’t just cosmetic either—iron oxides are especially helpful for people dealing with hyperpigmentation because they provide added protection against visible light, which has been shown to worsen dark spots, particularly on deeper skin tones. The shade-flexing technology adjusts slightly as you blend, making it far more forgiving for brown skin, which is often ignored in the mineral SPF space. This is the sunscreen I reach for when I want glow, light coverage, and serious protection all in one step, without triggering breakouts or dark marks.

The shade range is limited, but decent enough to cover a range of skin tones. It can be a little bit chalky if you apply a lot of it, so a good hack to get full protection is to layer it over a chemical sunscreen.

Strongest Sun Protection: La Roche-Posay Anthelios UVMune 400 Invisible Fluid SPF 50+

The La Roche-Posay Anthelios line is unique because it features the brand’s proprietary sunscreen filter. That’s right, they literally invented a brand new UV filter for their products, and what’s more, they’ve clinically proven it to be more effective than other chemical sunscreen filters on the market. So, if you’re looking for strong sun protection, this is it.

Having said that, this range can be a little…overwhelming. There are so many different variants, and it’s not always easy to tell them apart or find the one that’s going to work for you. Personally though, the UVMune 400 Invisible Fluid was an easy pick for me. Aside from being fungal acne safe, the texture is extremely fluid — almost watery — but dries down quickly without leaving a film on the skin. And true to its name, it truly rubs in invisible. No white cast, no chalkiness, no grey-ghost-like appearance.

The one downside with this one is that it does contain denatured alcohol, and can sting a little if you have sensitive or damaged skin. So, you may want to stay away from it if your skin’s already compromised in any way (including on active acne).

NOTE: Apparently the formula for this product differs from market to market, so make sure you’re actually getting the FA-safe version wherever you’re buying yours. Simply copy the ingredients into a website like Skinsort to make 100% sure.

Final Thoughts

Finding fungal acne–safe sunscreens has been a gamechanger for me. I can now wear sunscreen every day without worrying about whether or not it’ll break me out. And more than that, I actually want to wear these sunscreens because they look good and give me a really nice finish to my routine.

If you’ve been struggling with oily, or acne-prone skin and feel like sunscreen is sabotaging your routine, these are six truly dependable options to start with. Let me know if you’ve tried any of them, and which one your favorite is.

About The Skinimalist

Hi, I’m Mal, a 30-something recovering skincare addict, and this is my blog. A space where I attempt to de-influence you from chasing trends and buying more skincare products you may not need.

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